Day is done
Gone the sun
From the lakes
From the hills
From the sky All is well,
safely rest.
God is nigh.
Fading light Dims the sight
And a star Gems the sky,
Gleaning bright From afar,
Drawing nigh,
Falls the night.
Thanks and praise,
For our days,
Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
Neath the sky,
As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.
One of my favorite books to read to kids is The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. By far, Mr. White, a career newspaperman, is much more famous for the book, Charlotte's Web. But The Trumpet of the Swan is a story built around morality and service.
Louis the Swan, our hero, was born without a voice, and he spent his life repaying debts his father incurred to give him a voice. At one point in the story, Louis the Swan, a counselor at Camp Kooskooskoos, plays Taps for the young campers. As the young scouts settle into their beds under the wheeling stars, Louis captures the silence as he plays Taps on his trumpet.
These days, Taps is played over 5,000 times a year at Arlington Cemetery.
Throughout history, many have sacrificed for our country.
American Revolution: 4,435
War of 1812: 2,260
Mexican War: 1,733
Civil War: 497, 732
Spanish-American War: 385
World War I: 53,402
World War II: 291,557
Korean Conflict: 33,741
Vietnam War: 47,424
Desert Storm/Shield/First Gulf War: 147
Afghanistan: 497
Iraq: 4,082
Multiply the number of deaths by three and you get an idea of how many have had their lives irrevocably changed by war.
On Memorial Day 2008, I'm playing Taps in my mind for those who have given so much. As with Louis, there is a debt that must be repaid.
Louis the Swan, our hero, was born without a voice, and he spent his life repaying debts his father incurred to give him a voice. At one point in the story, Louis the Swan, a counselor at Camp Kooskooskoos, plays Taps for the young campers. As the young scouts settle into their beds under the wheeling stars, Louis captures the silence as he plays Taps on his trumpet.
These days, Taps is played over 5,000 times a year at Arlington Cemetery.
Throughout history, many have sacrificed for our country.
American Revolution: 4,435
War of 1812: 2,260
Mexican War: 1,733
Civil War: 497, 732
Spanish-American War: 385
World War I: 53,402
World War II: 291,557
Korean Conflict: 33,741
Vietnam War: 47,424
Desert Storm/Shield/First Gulf War: 147
Afghanistan: 497
Iraq: 4,082
Multiply the number of deaths by three and you get an idea of how many have had their lives irrevocably changed by war.
On Memorial Day 2008, I'm playing Taps in my mind for those who have given so much. As with Louis, there is a debt that must be repaid.
2 comments:
What about the Philipinne-American War. . . Over 4,000 American dead. . . .Oh that's right, it was an insurrection.
I'm in favor of adding that, too. Those numbers weren't easily accessible in my local newspaper on Sunday. In fact, we should also add, Kosovo, Panama, Grenada, Somalia, and Hawaii.
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