Last Salute to a Soldier

Today I received a phone call that a soldier son of an old veteran has fallen prey to the War on Terror and his burial will take place at noon. I reached the graveyard and found a large number of friends, relatives and others in civvies and uniform to pay homage to the fallen son of the soil. And there I found the fallen soldier lying in the casket with great dignity and pride – for he had joined those of his comrades who had fallen earlier fighting the militants and saving their motherland from terrorism and extremism.

The soldier was in his 20s and had hardly seen life in its fullest bloom before a bullet took him to another world. He now lie buried here. A smartly turned guard fired a volley of bullets in the air and then presented arms while the buglers blew the final good bye. A soldier stood on the horizon watching the setting sun which soon dipped and marked the end of another day – another soldier.

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour while he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.