Silent Warriors

What is the make-up of this breed....
these strange and special few?
Where do they come from, year-on-year?
What is it that they do?

They are like shadows in the night
or vapor in the air
so seldom seen and rarely heard
but rest assured, they're there

They come not from a single place
they come from far and wide
the open plains, the city streets
the rural countryside

They are the farmer's little boy,
the girl who lived next door
the uncle of a high school friend
who gave his life at war

They are the barber's youngest child
who heard his country's call
or friends with whom we laughed and sipped
whose names are on "THE WALL"

And what they do, you needn't ask
for none will ever tell
in silence based on "need to know"
they proudly serve so well

They're much the same as all before
who vanquished freedom's foe
they are the ones who fuel the fire
which keeps THE TORCH aglow.

Russ Butcher
USAFSS 1961-65