Terry D. Sutherland

BEING A VETERAN

Those medals I won don’t mean very much
It was long ago and miles away
I outgrew them; they’re just not who I am
I guess, put away, in a box they’ll stay
Or, I could send them back to Sam
Life goes on; still there’s the memory of then
When I was young with a questionable mission
But it is what it is; it will never change
I’ll always remember; it was, ultimately, my decision
Remembering nineteen months out of a sixty year range
Has certainly left me in an awkward position
Once a year, on Veterans Day
I justify my experience out loud
But it’s really for friends that perished that day
So I’m a Veteran, of that, I’m still very proud