Part of who you were
Served three long years overseas.
Only mentioned obliquely
If asked, never really answered.

We knew you were battalion leader
Spending endless nights sleepless,
Unsure if you'd see the dawn
Only to dread the coming day.

We knew you lost friends
And your innocence;
Discovered strength
In the mama's boy who cried too easily.

Somehow life prepared you:
Pulled your daddy out of bars when you were ten
Watched him beat your mama
Until finally strong enough to stand in the way.

Then at twenty, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian:
Blood soaked beaches
Now restored, masquerading
As vacation resorts.

You thought about returning,
To see what had changed.
Instead chose to stay home
Sleeping soundly through the night.

I let you go without knowing
Your full story:
You could not share the depth
Of horror and the fear.

It was not shame that silenced you;
Simply no need to revisit the pain
Of recollection.
It was done; it was finished.

As I bring flowers and flag, instead
I lay down regret-
Questions unasked, unanswered
Of a sacrifice beyond imagining.

Sleep well, Daddy.
I pray you wake to a new and brighter dawn.