Hymn for Fallen Soldiers

DPAA Hymn for Fallen Soldiers
by Michael R. Burch

Sound the awesome cannons.
Pin medals to each breast.
Attention, honor guard!
Give them a hero’s rest.

Recite their names to the heavens
Till the stars acknowledge their kin.
Then let the land they defended
Gather them in again.

When I learned there’s an American military organization, the DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency), that is still finding and bringing home the bodies of soldiers who died serving their country in World War II, after blubbering like a baby, I managed to eke out this poem.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

I had never heard of the DPAA until I read this one. After every war, but especially after huge conflicts like WW2, the remains of many warriors are not initially recovered. It's good to know we have an agency still working toward full recovery nearly 75 years after the war ended. The words of the hymn are stirring and well rhymed.

[Michael R. Burch]

I was very touched to see the extents the DPAA will go to, seeking to recover lost bodies and give the families closure. For instance, diving for days or weeks to locate submerged planes, looking for anything that might have survived. I'm glad you liked the poem.