LITTLE SISTER

LITTLE SISTER

I am the adopted sister of the Band of Brothers,
an honor and privilege, to be counted as one
who saw their pain and understood, somehow,
what each of these Korean veterans had done.

Before Christmas In July, I didn't really know
much about Korea in the years they were there.
I was just starting to talk to the local veterans
but it didn't take too long for me to really care.

I saw pictures of the bunkers and the mountains
where the young men were told to hold and fight,
I have read of the death and destruction over there
and the awful horrors of both the day and night.

Fifty years of living with the painful memories
that were way too much for them to talk about,
locked away inside each man who had returned
who would someday open up, letting feelings out.

All gave some, and some gave all, it's very true;
those who survived the 'forgotten war' came home
to start a new and better life and try to forget,
making their peace with wars' aftermath, alone.

They became a Band of Brothers, one for all
and all for one, twenty men who wrote the story
of how they fought, how some died, and just
how much they loved the sight of Old Glory!

Memorial Day has a special meaning now
and I salute each one with the utmost pride
to be their 'little sister', who now has all
these 'big brothers' standing at her side!

Countrymom
5/27/07
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Author's Note: This Band of Brothers are the Thunderbirds from the 45th Infantry Division. Twenty survivors of the Korean War (1953) came togehter by e-mails, phone calls, and letters. They put their memories together in a book called Christmas In July. Christmas Hill, where they were stationed, was close to Heartbreak Ridge and OpQueen. Fighting was fierce and many were lost. When I wrote several bits of poetry in their honor, they "adopted" me as their little sister.