Wednesday, November 14, 2018

100 year anniversary of end of World War I


It was supposed to be the war to end all wars
It was supposed to be swift not four years of blood and gore
A Western Front that moved in feet at incredible cost
With gas attacks and bombardments any humanity seemed lost
Submarine warfare against merchant ships at sea
Starvation blockade of a starving Germany
17 million civilians and soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice
For a few yards of devastated earth not worth the price
Men charging across of barren field protected by helmet and cloth
Mowed down by machine guns cutting down in wide swaths
Nations in Europe on their last legs ready to crumble
The wailing of civilians drowned out by the cannons’ rumble
After staying out the fray until 1917
On April 7, the U.S. entered the Martian scene
Black Jack led the American Expeditionary Force
2.8  million fresh troops to change the war’s course
To fight as an army not as replacements to fill gaps in the French and British lines
To shed their blood as units was Black Jack’s steadfast design
They beat the best the Germans had to offer
Until worn down and out, an Armistice the Germans had to proffer
100 years ago the sound of gunfire came to an end
American troops never broke and only sometimes had to briefly bend.
The war to end all wars ended World War I but planted the seeds
To in less than 22 years witness a world once again at war forced to die and bleed
Thank God we honor the sacrifices of the veterans on Veterans Day
May our memory of their sacrifices in war and in peace never fade away
© November 11, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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