Brave Young
By
David G. Bancroft,
USA Patriotism!
Founder/Owner
I see the young Marine walk through the front door back from war and cannot help but think about how close he came to being a sad memory.
Oh, so very near is the proud hidden tear.
He only told me about this one time, where he felt the breeze of spraying bullets around his head with one coming a whisper away from an ear.
Oh, so very near is the proud hidden tear.
Nor will I forget the look in his much older eyes when he finished by telling me that he would not be here today if it were his Marines shooting at him. "We don't miss!" still echoes strong.
Oh, so very near is the proud hidden tear.
And it is the same with this Marine's fellow troops... all doing their noble best, meeting each difficult test that comes their way out of love for the USA, and to keep us all free and safe from what could be.
Oh, so very near is the proud hidden tear.
They are our brave young who should never go unsung; are deserving of the utmost respect; and, need every prayer asking God to protect with special heartfelt thoughts for all those wounded and the ones
who do fall while answering America's call to keep Her standing strong and tall.
I wrote the poem, Brave Young, in response to my youngest son's near death miss that he told me about while serving in Iraq ... It took him over a year to tell me, after I originally asked about "any close calls". He also received two Navy and Marine Achievement Medals for outstanding performance in combat during the Iraq War
in 2003.
Then nearly 16 years after writing the poem, I decided to create the associated video that was still emotionally hard to do, especially the narrative that resurfaced the heart grabbing emotions felt when learning how close he came to paying the ultimate sacrifice for
our beloved country ... as is the case for many troops and veterans who experienced death's passing embrace.
And then there are the heart wrenching emotions that his near death admission ... deeply stirred in my wife, including the overriding happy one of still being able to ... hug him ... as only a mother can!
"Brave Young" also honors all USA active,
veteran, wounded, disabled, and fallen military members
for valiantly going beyond self for country sake!
It is illegal to use this poem without David Bancroft's permission.
By David G. Bancroft
