Below is a poem written by Frank Montoya that I saw today and thought the its message and Frank's efforts in creating such a wonderful piece of poetry were exactly on par for this Veteran's Day 2010.  Thank you Frank for sharing such a wonderful piece of writing.  So here it is for you to enjoy as well, republished with permission.

A TRIBUTE TO ALL WHO SERVED

We stand here today to honor all who served.
To salute and to pay homage to one and all.
To those who left family, hearth and home
And proudly went to fight at their country’s call.

To those we sent to The Western Front
To the muddy trenches of World War I.
They suffered bullets and bombs and poison gas,
But they stayed “Over There” till the job was done.

To those who fearlessly fought in World War II
When our country called them up once more.
They served from Alaska to Asia to Europe and Africa.
They fought in the air, on the sea and on foreign shore.

To those we sent at the UN’s call,
When North Korea sought to take the upper hand.
That conflict extended to three long years,
In that strange and cold, relentless land.

To those that we summoned once again,
To take up arms, to take a doubtful stand
They waged an unpopular and thankless war,
As they tried to bring freedom to South Vietnam.

To those that we sent to the Persian Gulf,
Along with UN forces to free Kuwait.
And who fought in Somalia, Grenada and Panama,
In Kosovo and Bosnia, in the Balkan States.

To those who have been deployed time and time again,
Sent to battle terrorists in many a foreign land.
To those that have served and are serving yet again, today
In the mountains of Afghanistan and on Iraqi desert sand.

Let us honor those Veterans that are with us here today,
Our gallant heroes, standing among us, proud and tall;
A most heartfelt honor to the POW’s, to the MIA’s
And to those valiant souls that we sent forth... to fall.

Frank J. Montoya, CW3, USA, Retired
Poet Laureate, City of Fountain, CO