The Third Row
The Third Row
(A Medal of Honor Ceremony Held Nov 16, 2010)
There in the third row
Invited to see
The Medal of Honor
Presented to me
There sat the parents
Of soldiers who died
Out in a far field
With me by their side
Not in the front row
No, that couldn’t be
They’re in the third row
Crammed in knee to knee
And just cross the aisle
The third row again
There sat my parents
And my closest kin
There, barely seeing
Past shoulders and heads
There sat my parents
As honors were read
Why not the front row
Who ranked above these
Congressmen, Senators
I beg of you – please!
They were there for the pictures
That were sure to be taken
As the president left
It’s their hands he was shakin’
And what of my parents
There in the third row
And the parents of soldiers
What respect did that show?
We soldiers signed oaths
To give up life and limb
Defending our country
But what about him
He’s shaking the hands
In row one and row two
While the folks in row three
Don’t know what to do
With all due respect
We would all like to know
Why were all the parents
There in the third row?
Ssgt Sal Giunta was presented the Medal of Honor at the White House on November 16, 2010 for his heroics during a firefight on Oct 25, 2007.
Copyright © Mike Dailey | Year Posted 2014
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