Our Hero Is not with Us Today -- Memorial Day

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He was in love with life.

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He finished his school, he
lied about his age, and he enlisted. 
Enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp.
Became a soldier, he did.
.
Flight school was a dream,
learning to soar, learning to
fight, and best of all, learning
to fly. Fly his P-38 he did, 
.
He wrote his mother,
who was expecting.
A new sister for him in January. 
.
He wrote his father. 
He was so proud of what
the Air Corp had made him. 
Trained him to fly, trained him
to follow orders, they did.
.
He took his plane, the P-38,
to Italy to help fight the war. 
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We don't know what he did from there. 
We imagine escorting bombers,
we imagine shooting his enemies down. 
We imagine Eugene Jr. was loving his life.
He was so brave.
.
We don't know how it happened
but we know on a December day 
he was shot down along with his plane. 
A priest had found him and retrieved
his dog tag.  Then he covered him
with his chute.  Junior had lost his life.
.
We know the German soldiers came.
They buried him by the church. 
.
After the war he was moved
to New Orleans and buried
there with his kin. 
.
After the war, there was no life for him. 
A sister for him was born
in the month after he died. 
Life goes on, for one or another.
.
Junior we know. 
We know from his letters,
the life he would have loved.
. 
Live it he couldn't.  War is Hell.
. 
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Originally written and posted on my other blog,
Jim's Little Photo and Poem Place, May 27, 2012.

Photos and Poem Copyright
© 2012 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

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Prompt, 'in love with life,' was suggested by Laura at  Shine the Divine
Find more poems using 'in love with life' as prompt words
at One One Single Impression
Note:
... Mrs. Jim is the 'sister' in this poem, a sister very proud of her brother.  She never knew him except from what she was told and from what she gained from his few letters.  Mrs. Jim wore a red poppy flower to church yesterday.  She wore it for Junior. We are flying our flag for him today.