Millenial – v3

One thousand more

of our best and brightest

our nation’s treasure,

given in the desert,

too young to die

But die they did

spent in the streets,

in the dust, the blood,

of that ancient land

The Tigris and Euphrates,

part of the fertile crescent

cradles of civilization

blood running down your courses

to the sea beyond

Land of the fighting factions

war lords, tribal feuds

ancient schisms,

we stand in the middle still

Four years of war

fatigues the nation

unceasing quagmire

no end in sight

Our treasure still in the field

in the desert, on station,

in the whirling sands

their legacy, their honor,

twisting in the wind

====

edited November 11, 2014

Millenial – v3

Veteran’s Day

edited May 25, 2014

Millenial – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/05/millenial-v2.html

Memorial Day, May 28, 2007 13:42

Millenial

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2007/05/millenial.html

In the period from Memorial Day 2006 to Memorial Day 2007,

982 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq (per AP reports).

At least 3,452 members of the U.S. military have died

since the beginning of the war in Iraq in March 2003 (per AP reports).

At least 325 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan,

Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion

of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 33,500+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.