“The true key forthe construction of everything doubtful in a law is the intention of the law-makers. This is most safely gathered from the words, but may be sought also in extraneous circumstances provided they do not contradict the express words of the law.”– Thomas Jefferson (1808)
In honor of my brothers and sisters who have also served this country in time of war and peace and those who are active duty and continue to serve in the present, Aloha Promises Forever wishes you all a Happy Veterans Day 2021! To honor this day as best that as I might, I offer up two poems that I have written over the years.
From 2014:
The Art of War (Parts I-IV) by Michael Doyle
Part I:
War today does not match the designs Left over from glorified yesterdays No longer nation against nation As much as warlord against warlord The blood and treasure expended Will seldom match expectations going in
Today requires a cadre of the highly trained Lightning quick. orchestrated commandos Once there was a work called The Art of War Now in this insurgent environment War itself has become largely art Modern and just as ugly to the eye
It requires men such as us And most of us are dead So proclaims a Highland toast But when the challenge is high It is us who are needed most Success is hard to argue against
The public sees a shroud of secrecy They talk about gunfights and The mind blowing training But it is the openness and honesty Of dedicated, patriotic men That makes for the art of valor
Part II
Heraclitus once said That of the hundred in battle One brought the rest back alive He was a dreamer One alone is dead Banded brothers like Mongols in saddle That’s what it takes; the rest is just jive Still you want each man to be that dreamer
If you’re going to walk through hell Do it with those who will keep going See the victory and be it It’s the man not the weapon Choose your brothers well Trained in a school of pushing and pulling Willing to give their every little bit This is no fairy tale of once upon
Each of us with can do confidence Melded within an interlocking team Learned to never swim alone And to have a fortitude of stone That’s what makes the difference Arm in arm, no chink in this seam Separately tough to the bone But a brotherhood never alone.
Pt III
Red –Green–Green Red–Green–Red Green–Green- Green Click, bang times three Three pirates fell dead
Tonight the good captain smiles Delivered by three snipers on a fan tail Who had crossed 10,000 miles So that all might end perhaps this well
Trained up right at the killing school Where the only easy day is yesterday All lessons written in blood is the rule Until mankind finds its better way
We step from the shadows played With war remaining an ugly thing Thank God that’s how it’s always stayed Yet at times there are worse things
Like being willing to do nothing at all As we live in and through this age of terror An impatient rhythm takes hold of us all Perhaps fear of death is the greater error
The varsity team slowly took 10 years time To seize the headlines in a moment of glory But this text book moment in time Manages to miss the deeper story
What of Mikey who took the grenade So that his platoon would live? What of John who though shot in the eye Refused to stop fighting and die?
What of the thousands of incursions That could not be planned out? Into the hostile battle space of insurgence Where every moment is spent in doubt?
A question to those of you who live for peace, Do you keep these men in your prayers? Or do you call them names like head hunters And instead of smiles greet them with stares?
Art of War IV
Down at the water’s edge we circle up Offering our prayers silently and spoken Reminders of vows we have made Truest of brothers, through the years we’ve stayed
Each of us, servants to our nation and our homes Each of us, loyal to the core and twice as sure Of the love behind why we make this sacrifice We have sworn to protect against those less nice
From this point forward until we get home We are together and yet still alone Each of us longs to hear “mission complete” And our return to our loves so sweet
Through the years, in the prayers I have heard None of my brothers fear that we may die The dance of battle is both patience and time And all we fear is making our families cry
And so we shall live as long as we can Though moving fast into harm’s way To the gates of Hell and back again We strive to live to fight another day
We have lived with much deliberation Into the battle, all thinking done Thoughts of glory a wasted temptation We fight for each other that it may be won
Our inner lights having been led by courage Into where even angels fear to tread Having had willingly taken the risks we take The way of my brothers both living and dead
(c) January 3, 2014 Michael Doyle (All Rights Reserved)
One from 2017:
My Daughters’ “American We” by Michael Doyle
Looking on the America of today With all of its conflicts in the way It reminds me of post Revolution life Ablaze with near anarchy and civil strife
We of today should be under little confusion The unity we’ve stood for has always been illusion Competing interests have always been more the norm As we have sought to find ways to more or less conform
We did not slip into an easy peace Nor, then did we find man willing to appease Instead, we very nearly broke apart And that’s how it has been since the very start
Last night as I watched my youngest daughter Performing in a school musical, I was a proud father Loving how she belted out about an “American We” There’s a sense of pride in my patriotic family
I watched her searching eyes probe the audience Seeking out her father’s approval and preference Something easily gained as I watch her grow Loving her no less than her sister; and they both know
They both know my firm set of beliefs And those things that give me grief They and I stand for God, family and country Embracing our essence in our call to duty
But, they also know my insistence on truth I have endowed this in them since their youth As I have never allowed this to be compromised And lies bring quiet wrath to be realized
Still, I have also instilled a sense of fairness And a belief that a better America prevails for this So, it brings to me happiness to hear her sing Knowing her eyes are set on these noblest of things
That all Americans should live in liberty Each of us inheriting a strong love of country It’s a blessing to see her proud eyes look out on me As she sings in honor of my time of service in the Navy
There is something in raising my American daughters A blessing that swells in being their fortunate father Last night belonged to my youngest and her generation Snapping to, I stood at attention, holding her in veneration
So very blessed to know that she will hold true to our ways That she and her kind will keep America free beyond my days There is a boldness in her style and love in her sweet smile That’s made all the difference and all I’ve done worth while
(c) November 10, 2017 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” – Douglas MacArthur
“No government, any more than an individual, will long be respected without being truly respectable; nor be truly respectable, without possessing a certain portion of order and stability.”– Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Federalist No. 62, 1788
However you look at it, this nation of ours owes a huge debt of gratitude to all who serve or have served. This is especially true when it comes to that special sort of person who dares to take the honor of serving as a United States Marine. God bless you, one and all! Happy 246th Birthday, United States Marine Corps! Semper Fi!!
A special message put out the by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs:
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
