As I watched the flag slowly pass by,
It moved in the gentle breeze.
A young soldier stood at attention,
His sorrow hidden beneath the ease.

In his uniform, so dignified,
He stood with such heavy pride,
I wondered how many like him
Had fighting and pain deep inside.

How many had lost their lives
In a land so far away?
How many mothers wept in vain
As their sons were taken away?

How many brave pilots
Never returned from the sky?
How many soldiers found their rest
In a foxhole where they lie?

I heard the haunting sound of TAPS,
In the silence of the night.
As I listened to the mournful melody,
I felt a deep sense of fright.

I wondered how many times
TAPS had echoed “Amen,”
As a flag draped a casket
Of a fallen brother, now condemned.

I thought of the countless children,
And the heartbroken wives,
Of the fathers, sons and husbands
Who lost their precious lives.

I remembered the graveyard
Beneath the deep, unforgiving sea
And the unmarked graves…
Yes, freedom comes with a fee.