MILESTONE?

Four thousand dead… a milestone;
His name forever known.
A dubious claim to fame
In future books of history.
But what of all the others
Like number eight or sixty three?
Will only friends remember names
Of friends who died too young?
Will only families shed a tear
At the death of someone near?
And will there be a monument
To all the fallen dead?
Each one of them is a milestone,
Each one forever known.

‘Four thousand dead’ the newsman said
As if he said just one.
They call this man a milestone.
I call this boy my son.

Author’s Note: I just saw a headline saying we were nearing 4000 casualties in the war