To My Veteran Friend

I don't know this man very well,
How he grew up or the stories he'd one day tell.
He served his country, a paramedic he'd be,
He fought in Nam and saw much he cared not to see.

His family abandoned him, while his life was on the line
Fighting every day for your life and mine.
He returned home to America with nowhere to go,
Lonely, tired, and beaten down feeling so low.

Realizing his life would never be the same,
He looked everywhere and to anything to numb the pain.
Alcohol led to drugs and the anger raged on,
Every night he whispered, "I am so alone."

The next thing he knew he was living on the streets,
Attending AA meetings he felt he had lived in total defeat.
Holding up signs "I will work for food",
He was degraded, belittled, and totally misunderstood.

Remember the next time you pass someone on the street,
You don't know their whole story so don't think they're a cheat.
Please, don't stroll by that person pretending not to see,
Instead tell yourself, "He might have been the one that fought for freedom for me!"


Dear special friend,
Thank you for serving and sacrificing your life, on and off the battlefield, for my freedom.
Blessings,