Dedicated to Val Simonds, a Korean War Veteran in the Band Of Brothers |
THE SOUND OF TAPS IN MEMORY OF VAL SIMONDS I wasn't ready to hear the sound of Taps again, that lonely sound from a buglers' horn - I wasn't ready to say goodbye again, too soon, unexpected and we all mourn. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. Val Simonds was another medic in Company G near our Fox Company on Christmas Hill. Another medic, like our John McLain and Dr. Bob, out there in the mud, surviving by pure will. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. We didn't meet until the fiftieth comemoration of the Cease Fire in Washington, D.C. We were soldiers, we were the Mud Dogs, we were there to keep our country free. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. I wish I had known him then, I heard that he was fun-loving, and I understand how by his courage and his quick wit he was able to save many a wounded man. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. In 2003 the Band of Brothers reunited in Oklahoma City and Val was there, sharing a story, sharing a smile - sharing a piece of our lives, to care. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. At our goodbye party, when friends gathered, The golden voice of Perry Como ('twas Val) joined John McLain and Sam Gann in song, bringing tears to every old guy and gal. Maybe this was our "goodbye"... The sound of Taps echo in Heaven as another Brother is called home. |