All I Ask

by Those Who Were There

I saw this soldier kneeling down, for this was
the first quiet place he had found.
He had traveled in jungles of rivers and mud.
He had tasted and shed some of his own blood.

His hands were scarred and clothes all torn.
He had fought for days, from night to morn.
He clasped his hands as he looked at the sky.
I saw the tears as they welled in his eyes.

He spoke to God and here’s what he said,
God, bless my buddies who now lay dead.
I do not know what you have in mind,
But, when you judge, please be kind.

When they come before you, they will be
Poorly dressed, but they will walk proudly,
For they did their very best.
Their boots will be muddy and their clothes
All torn, but this are the clothes they have
Proudly worn.

Their faces will be unshaven and stained with Blood.
Their lips will be cracked and caked with mud,
But they fought like hell and did so with pride.

So please, take care of them as they pass your
Way. The price of freedom they have already
Paid. This one last thing I ask in your Name,
Please, God, place these men in “ Heaven’s
Hall of Fame.”