Mark S. Blackburn,  Veteran USA

In the height of our Vietnam tragedy, a giant of a man from England who was only about 5' tall wrote simple love ballads and timidly walked out on stage with guitar and harmonica.  He wrote this beautiful song.  It has always been one of my favorites because it appeals to all men to put an end to war.  Our government sent 58,000 of our best young men to SE Asia to die there for a cause only government could support.  Can you tell me one good thing which came as a result of this unspeakable tragedy?  I didn't think so.  

-Mark

The Universal Soldier  (click to listen)

By Donovan

He's five foot-two, and he's six feet-four,
He fights with missiles and with spears.
He's all of thirty-one, and he's only seventeen,
Been a soldier for a thousand years.

He'a a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain,
A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew.
And he knows he shouldn't kill,
And he knows he always will,
Kill you for me my friend and me for you.

And he's fighting for Canada,
He's fighting for France,
He's fighting for the USA,
And he's fighting for the Russians,
And he's fighting for Japan,
And he thinks we'll put an end to war this way.

And he's fighting for Democracy,
He's fighting for the Reds,
He says it's for the peace of all.
He's the one who must decide,
Who's to live and who's to die,
And he never sees the writing on the wall.

But without him,
How would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau?
Without him Caesar would have stood alone,
He's the one who gives his body
As a weapon of the war,
And without him all this killing can't go on.

He's the Universal Soldier and he really is to blame,
His orders come from far away no more,
They come from here and there and you and me,
And brothers can't you see,
This is not the way we put the end to war.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Thanks, Mark. I listened to this several times, and it touched me
very deeply :>)  

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Mark S. Blackburn, MBA

1310  E  Street Victorian

Sacramento, CA 95814
916.444.6500

Write to Mark:   Mark_Blackburn@Yahoo.com