17th Airborne

The Reunion

Two Old vets met at the reunion hall
They embraced with a tearful eye
"I would not be here if it were not for you,"
His buddy replied, "And neither would I."

Their bond was forged in the white-hot heat
Of the battle scared fields of Belgium
Stronger than the weld on a battleship
A bond that will never be broken

Long into the night they counted
The times they shared like brothers
When their bodies were bloodied and Battered
Drawing strength and courage from each other

They talked of the scars imprinted
On the minds and bodies and souls
Of wounds of the spirit that will never heal
Until the last breath is over

They wept for the buddies that fell in the fray
Men who were better than they
Placing their lives on the altar of freedom
Hallowing the ground on which they lay

They talked of the debt that everyone owes
To the ones who will never return
Of the tear stained eyes and broken hearts
Of the families who lost a loved one

The treasure of a nation is not houses and land
Neither is it silver or gold
It lives in the hearts of women and men
Whose longing for freedom will never grow old

So members of the 17th, pack up your bags
Heed the call from Siergiej and Quade
To attend the reunion in San Antone
And tell once again about the history we made

Eugene W. Howard 155C
September 2, 2006

After Gene learned of the 17th airborne annual reunions, he became a faithful attendee of their reunions until the last one in 2008. Russell, Lynn, and Steve, were lucky enough to be able to attend that reunion with Gene and Emily. It was great to see the friendships he had forged with those guys! We also got to spend some time with Pete, his old army buddy. Once the internet got going good, we did a bit of research and found Pete so the two of them have corresponded and visited with one another since. This poem was written in anticipation of the Reunion of 2006.