The Soldier Poem by George L. Skypeck, as seen at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Madison, Indiana. Skypeck is a decorated disabled Vietnam veteran, awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze star among numerous other metals. He rose from private to captain during his service, and after the war became a well known artist.
“I was that which others did not
want to be.
I went where others feared to go,
and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing from those who gave
nothing, and reluctantly accepted the
thought of eternal loneliness …
should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror; felt
the stinging cold of fear; and enjoyed
the sweet taste of a moment’s love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped …
but most of all, I have lived times others
would say were best forgotten.
At least someday I will be able to say
that I was proud of what I was … a soldier.”
-George L. Skypeck