Thank You For Your Service

My childhood friends'
Father passed away--
Sadly, but appropriately,
On Independence Day.

You see, he was a member
Of The Greatest Generation.
He will get full military honors,
And the thanks of a grateful nation.

He was wounded in the war--
And met his future wife
While recovering in the hospital,
They had a long and loving life.

Out of their union,
Four children were born.
They made their folks proud--
Now they're left to mourn.

The family was close knit and as
Their parents grew older--
They got the care that they needed,
And the responsibility was on their kids shoulders.

To the nation he was
A soldier in World War II,
But his family saw him as
The loving father they knew.