I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.




A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.


I looked at him in uniform;
so young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
he'd stand out in any crowd.


I thought how many men like him
had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil;
how many mothers' tears?


How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
NO, FREEDOM ISN'T FREE !


I heard the sound of Taps one night,
when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant 'Amen.'
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.



I thought of all the children,
of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.




I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea.
Of unmarked graves in Arlington .
NO FREEDOM ISN'T FREE



Enjoy Your Freedom
and
God Bless Our Troops.

Thank you! It is not free. It is priceless!!!!

A sincere and huge THANK YOU to all the men and women who serve our country..

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!

Thank you and bless those that continue to protect our freedom each and everyday.

Thank you for sharing this poem. It's a wonderful reminder that we should all be grateful for our freedom and not take it for granted.

Thank you for sharing. Our service men and women are sacrificing their lives 24/7 to keep us safe here in our/their homeland. What tears me up is what do they get when they return? If they were on the front lines, they have to try to leave the battle demons behind; some need special medical attention; adjust from war surroundings to home life; and a very good chance of having no job! When I first entered the job force I can remember hearing that someone who previously worked in the company was returning from duty and that the company would find a position for him within the company if his previous job no longer existed. This was considered "standard practice". Is this "standard practice" now? We OWE our service men and women for our freedom for the rest of their lives.

I totally agree - A Big thanks to all the military and their families ... We couldnt do it without you.

I have a magnetic sticker on my car "Home of the Free due to the Brave" (I have had several stolen - hopefully to be displayed - this one has survived and I do hope to find another one just in case)

I have several family members presently serving and some who were in the service including my dad many a moon ago. Also an Uncle who is 92 who served in the military - God Bless them all!!!

Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. Here I sit with tears streaming down my face. My dad was a WWII vet. He passed away 7 years ago. I miss him so much.

Thank you for the reminder of why we have our freedom. God Bless our Troops.

I heard on a radio program yesterday that the unemployment rate for Veterans is 22%, so apparently it isn't standard practice anymore.

AMEN - No Freedom is not free. There is a price to be paid.

Thank you for sharing this. God bless our troops, and their families. Such great sacrifice!

I hope that I never take my freedom for granted.

My father worked for the B&O Railroad during WWII but didn't use his 'essential industry' draft exemption. When he came home from the Pacific and the occupation of Japan in 1946, he returned to railroading but his seniority dropped because of the years at war. Those who stayed behind were able to outbid him for positions because of their length of service to the railroad.

In our state, veterans receive extra points applying for government jobs. I don't believe there has ever been one employment policy in the private sector. More power to the companies that employ vets.

That brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing the beautiful poem.

Amen! Great poem!