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This song was sung by the West Point Glee Club at the end of the movie "We Were Soldiers"
The Mansions of the Lord To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
to the mansions of the Lord
No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the Lord
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard tho the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord Words by Randall Wallace
( to play this video click on arrow, make sure to stop player above first)
Requiem for a Soldier
You never lived to see
What you gave to me
One shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
With a host of brave unknown soldiers
For your company, you will live forever
Here in our memory
In fields of sacrifice
Heroes paid the price
Young men who died for old men's wars
Gone to paradise
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see we can live together
When all the world is free
I wish you'd lived to see
All you gave to me
Your shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see - we can live together
When all the world is free
I spent some time doing this page. I'm sure part of it is my background as a former First Sergeant in US Army. I spent many evenings over a few beers talking with soldiers in my unit who had been there. Some were deeply scarred by what they had seen and been through. Mostly I listened, for I have never seen combat. I often wondered why they were so forthcoming with me. I was in the convent for most of the war and although we prayed for our soldiers and their families and listened to the news, the war was somewhat remote for us. In my searching for information on John the war became more real for me in a way it wasn't then. I have little personal recollection of John. I'm hoping that that some of you classmates can flesh out the person John was. Sleep well my brother. I salute you. Please click on the banner below to visit a page I've created for John at the "Army Together We Served' website in tribute to him.
This is a post I left for my friend a number of years ago on "The Wall" web site....
Joseph Ward
Friend
Johnny was one of the best friends a guy could have. He lived across from my aunt. We played ball together, gambled on small card games, and shared more than a few beers together. (Weren't old enough, but they went good with the pizza) He was one of a dozen of us who hung together, and probably the smallest. What he lacked in size, he made up for in heart. His folks were in ill health, and I remember going with him to visit his dad in the hospital once. His sister Marybeth was a few years older, and his brother Robbie, a few years younger. We did everything together, but I did the Army Reserve in mid-1964, and he went in the Army in 1965. You should have seen him come home after basic. The jacket on his greens wide open and his saucer cap cocked on his head. One day my sister came in my room and told me a friend of hers heard that Johnny had been killed. I remember sitting their crying, as I never knew anyone who had been that close to me who died like that. He was the first soldier from Belleville to die in Nam. I never got to see his face again, but I'll never forget him. He'll always be 20. After re-enlisting in the reserves, My brother and I were coming back from an exercise in VA around 1991, and decided to stop at the Wall, as neither one of us had been their before. I located his name in the book, and searched for his name on the panel. It's ironic that for someone who was teased for his short stature, his name is too high to touch from the walkway. The emotions that ran through me were so strong, even after all the years had passed. I guess I must have looked strange, stretching, and yet not being able to touch his name with my fingertips. The tears I shed in 1966 welled back up again a quarter of a century later. I'll always miss you my friend. Friday, November 09, 2001
Patricia Fantin
I spent some time doing this page. I'm sure part of it is my background as a former First Sergeant in US Army. I spent many evenings over a few beers talking with soldiers in my unit who had been there. Some were deeply scarred by what they had seen and been through. Mostly I listened, for I have never seen combat. I often wondered why they were so forthcoming with me. I was in the convent for most of the war and although we prayed for our soldiers and their families and listened to the news, the war was somewhat remote for us. In my searching for information on John the war became more real for me in a way it wasn't then. I have little personal recollection of John. I'm hoping that that some of you classmates can flesh out the person John was. Sleep well my brother. I salute you. Please click on the banner below to visit a page I've created for John at the "Army Together We Served' website in tribute to him.
Joe Ward (Class'59)
This is a post I left for my friend a number of years ago on "The Wall" web site....Joseph Ward
Friend
Johnny was one of the best friends a guy could have. He lived across from my aunt. We played ball together, gambled on small card games, and shared more than a few beers together. (Weren't old enough, but they went good with the pizza) He was one of a dozen of us who hung together, and probably the smallest. What he lacked in size, he made up for in heart. His folks were in ill health, and I remember going with him to visit his dad in the hospital once. His sister Marybeth was a few years older, and his brother Robbie, a few years younger. We did everything together, but I did the Army Reserve in mid-1964, and he went in the Army in 1965. You should have seen him come home after basic. The jacket on his greens wide open and his saucer cap cocked on his head. One day my sister came in my room and told me a friend of hers heard that Johnny had been killed. I remember sitting their crying, as I never knew anyone who had been that close to me who died like that. He was the first soldier from Belleville to die in Nam. I never got to see his face again, but I'll never forget him. He'll always be 20. After re-enlisting in the reserves, My brother and I were coming back from an exercise in VA around 1991, and decided to stop at the Wall, as neither one of us had been their before. I located his name in the book, and searched for his name on the panel. It's ironic that for someone who was teased for his short stature, his name is too high to touch from the walkway. The emotions that ran through me were so strong, even after all the years had passed. I guess I must have looked strange, stretching, and yet not being able to touch his name with my fingertips. The tears I shed in 1966 welled back up again a quarter of a century later. I'll always miss you my friend.
Friday, November 09, 2001