A SHRINE OF THEIR OWN

They are still among us...6 million strong,
Those that survived the hell of war.
From the cold and bare Aleutians,
To Africa’s hot and sandy shore;
From the stark and frigid North Atlantic,
To sultry South Sea islands by the score. 

Throughout the continent of Europe,
From Sicily North to the river Po.
From Normandy South to Nuremburg,
In heat and rain, in mud and snow.

It was a conflict of such magnitude,
And our Troops would play a most vital role.
An event in their time that would change the world,
But would command such an enormous, bloody toll.

Over 16 million were called to serve,   
To stop the threat to Democracy;
To preserve our liberty and our way of life.
But untold households were touched by pain,
And though more than 400,000 gave up their lives;
Our freedom proves they did not die in vain.

But yet, today, after almost three score years,
We have failed to honor these gallant souls
With a hallowed shrine they so well deserve;
A Monument to those who paid the price;
A Memorial to relate and commemorate
Their courage, their valor and their sacrifice. 

It is fitting, and a matter of respect and pride,
To revere those who served in that grim ordeal,
For though their numbers diminish each passing day,
Their heroic achievements remain... so very real.

We have finally embarked on that noble quest,
 Through the generosity of both rich and poor;
And the untiring efforts of a faithful few.
 So on this Veterans Day, amidst tears and sighs,
They’ll have a shrine, at last, to call their own,
As The World War II Memorial begins to rise.