I know not why you went to war

So young, wide eyed, innocent

Did you believe in the reasons why

The world had come to chaos

Or simply in the knowing

That you must do what must be done

To live or die, to do your part

To give your all, your youth

Your future and your hopes

You went for that one dream, a nightmare to become

That you could hold back the storms of time

The tides of destiny and doom

By being what you were not, a man

Fifteen years old, how could you know

Of all that life could be in that far land

Full of death despair hatred and confusion

You did not, could not know the futility of it all

The loss of innocence, the abject overwhelm

Of losing mates and causing death

And yet

You gave up all, family, youth, and most of all

Faith in humankind to right the wrongs

To honour freedom and mankind

Protect dignity as much as life

Through peace and understanding

You knew that you must go

To take up arms, to stand the ground

To lead the assault on those who threatened

All that you held dear

Belief in life, in God, in justice, and in peace

Your very presence in that plane

Dropping bombs, on innocent and warrior alike

Caused such pain of responsibility

To do or die, and in the doing

Dying inside yourself, forever a walking corpse

A living dead who could not reconcile his choice

With all that had occurred in this war to end them all 

But did not end the one that raged deep within

For all your life

Long after the bugle sounded

Not just your youth was gone But all hope

For mankind’s goodness, rightness and respect

Home you came, shadow of a man

Not that brave youth who wore the uniform

With such hope, such anticipation of righting wrongs

Now a broken man, a hurting man

Hurting for himself for lost friends and lost beliefs

For lessons too well learnt and those so soon forgotten

By politicians and men of power

Who did not know the pain of those who went

Of those who came not home, and those who did

Who gave their life for freedom, but not for glory

Nor for the posturing of foolish men too quick to once more

Take offence Give offence and go to again war

Their arrogance stupidity greed

Can never diminish your gift sacrifice pride

I know not why they think you went to war

I know not what you went to war

But think I know why

And why my children follow

Hope Faith Belief Protection of the unprotected

A Will to take ones place upon the page

Where history is written not of man and war

But of Man and dignity, honour and integrity

I know not why you went to war

But Thank you that you did