Ave Maria! Today is Veterans Day, when we honor ALL American veterans, both living and dead. These are the men and women "Who more than self their country loved, / And mercy more than life!" (America the Beautiful) A brief history of Veterans Day can be found here, here, and here, plus facts about the current veteran population in the USA can be found here. And that's just for starters. A Google search of "Veterans Day" returns over sixty-two and a half million hits! While briefly checking out a few of them, I found at BBC the following by an unknown soldier who died at Dunkirk. He may not have been American, but his prayer to the Unknown God has undoubtedly echoed in the heart of every valiant soldier who has sacrificed everything for the sake of peace, justice and freedom. May we always remember and honor our veterans, and may God bless them richly and abundantly!Stay with me God, the night is dark!
The night is cold, my little spark
Of courage dims, the night is long -
Be with me God and make me strong.
I love a game, I love a fight,
I hate the dark, I love light!
I love my child, I love my wife -
I am no coward, I love life.
Life with its change of mood and shade,
I want to live - I’m not afraid
But me and mine are hard to part -
Oh, Unknown God, lift up my heart.
You stilled the waters at Dunkirk
And saved your servants, all your work
Is wonderful dear God; you strode
Before us down that dreadful road.
We were alone and hope had fled,
We loved our country and our dead
And could not shame them, so we stayed
The course, and we were not much afraid.
Dear God, that nightmare road! And then
That sea - we got there, we were men!
My eyes were blind, my feet were torn,
My soul sang like a bird at dawn!
I know that death is but a door -
I knew what we were fighting for -
Peace for our kids, our brothers freed,
A kinder world, a cleaner breed.
I’m but the son my mother bore,
A simple man, and nothing more,
But, God of strength and gentleness,
Be pleased to make me nothing less.
Help me again when death is near,
To mock the haggard face of fear -
That when I fall, if fall I must,
My soul may triumph in the dust.
The night is cold, my little spark
Of courage dims, the night is long -
Be with me God and make me strong.
I love a game, I love a fight,
I hate the dark, I love light!
I love my child, I love my wife -
I am no coward, I love life.
Life with its change of mood and shade,
I want to live - I’m not afraid
But me and mine are hard to part -
Oh, Unknown God, lift up my heart.
You stilled the waters at Dunkirk
And saved your servants, all your work
Is wonderful dear God; you strode
Before us down that dreadful road.
We were alone and hope had fled,
We loved our country and our dead
And could not shame them, so we stayed
The course, and we were not much afraid.
Dear God, that nightmare road! And then
That sea - we got there, we were men!
My eyes were blind, my feet were torn,
My soul sang like a bird at dawn!
I know that death is but a door -
I knew what we were fighting for -
Peace for our kids, our brothers freed,
A kinder world, a cleaner breed.
I’m but the son my mother bore,
A simple man, and nothing more,
But, God of strength and gentleness,
Be pleased to make me nothing less.
Help me again when death is near,
To mock the haggard face of fear -
That when I fall, if fall I must,
My soul may triumph in the dust.
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