When America had an urgent need,

These brave ones raised a hand,

No hesitation held them back;

They were proud to take a stand.

They left their friends and family;

They gave up normal life;

To serve their country and their God,

They plowed into strife.

They fought for freedom and for peace

On strange and foreign shores;

Some lost friends; some lost their lives

In long and brutal wars.

Other veterans answered a call

To support the ones who fought;

Their country had requirements for

The essential skills they brought.

We salute every one of them,

The noble and the brave,

The ones still with us here today,

And those who rest in a grave.

So here's to our country's heroes;

They're a cut above the rest;

Let's give the honor that is due

To our country's very best.