An original Veterans Day Poem, A Tribute by Jane-Ann Heitmueller, pays tribute to all those who have served our country to preserve the freedoms we so often take for granted. A Tribute does not have to be used as a Veterans Day poem only. It can be used as a Memorial Day poem, too.
Veterans Day and Memorial Day
Veterans Day and Memorial Day are days when we are thankful and celebrate those who sacrificed for us. It is fitting that Veterans Day is in November, a month when we take note of all that for which we are thankful. Memorial Day is held in May, a spring day representing not death but rebirth…lives sacrificed so that other lives could live on after death and destruction. Let us not forget to thank our veterans and the men and women now serving around the world, not just today but everyday.
Veterans Day Poem
The following poem is appropriate for both Memorial Day and Veterans Day. A Tribute, by Jane-Ann Heitmueller, pays tribute to both those who served and those who sacrificed their lives.
by Jane-Ann Heitmueller
We gather on this sacred ground with solemn, thoughtful heart,
To pay tribute to those whose souls this earth did once depart.
The freedoms we cherish today were not earned by our hands,
But rather by brave men and women who fought for this land.
From Panama to Germany they gave both limb and life,
When answering the call that came, to quell both fear and strife.
A fierce commitment to the end, they met the final goal.
Not for themselves alone they fought, but for each living soul.
Because the call they answered true, protecting hearth and home;
We honor them with grateful hearts and we are not alone.
Down through the ages we’ve enjoyed the fruits they made secure,
So that our lives would never face things these brave ones endured.
We’ll strive, each day, with gratitude to keep the memory clear,
Of everything these soldiers gave to make our lives so dear.
And even though some honored here are missing from our view,
Our heartfelt thanks, appreciation we now send to you.
Were it not for your heart and life you gave long years ago,
We’d not be here to honor you with freedoms we all know.