"Beneath A Diamond Sky" A crisp and clear late summers night, my mind is drifting far Back nearly forty

years or so, to the fields of South Armagh Back to the time when I was young, when life was new, And death was, too And in my mind, I catch the smells, of new cut grass, and late night dew Of whispering trees, and whispering grass, and all those sounds of night The sudden run of unseen hare, the sounds that gave us all a fright Then on we`d walk, with silken step, between the hedgerows, body`s forced Avoiding gaps that may be wired, avoiding paths where streams once coursed Skirting round abandoned farms, with mouldy smells of rotting wood To venture into unseen ruins would not be wise, would not be good And slowly, as the night progressed, we made our torturous route Stopping every now and then, on haunches sat, adjusting straps, re-hanging kit, tightening up a loosened boot Until at last we find our way, to our new `home` of many a day Just fallen stones, where in the past, a wall once stood, but now collapsed And here we`ll stay, to watch and wait, the `shuftyscope` hums low and green Watching deep into the night, for distant cars, for men unseen And as the dawn comes from the East, the pale light bathes the breeze bent grass The blood drenched fields of South Armagh revealed now to all who pass And so in age, my head lifts up, a tear of memory fills my eye And I remember friends who died, so long ago, beneath a diamond sky

a soliders view" I look up in the sky And watch as the smoke clears away. I see the flag still wave and these are the words that come to mind You represent the land I love. The home of the brave. Every heart beats strong and True under your colors Forever you will wave keep your eye on the emblem That represents the...... U.S.A

"Devils" For the rest of my life, I will have to live with the inhumanities I have seen.

Soldiers, civilians, even children, Bleeding to dearth in front of my scarred eyes Kill me inside. No longer can I claim any innocence, For I am a Devil. A bottle of whiskey and I will forget everything, For a while. However, at the end of the day, Im still a Devil. As I lay my fist into a wall to cope with my loss, I realize it is not my loss at all. Its my trained soldiers families that lost everything. How selfish am I? Too selfish I suppose, I am a Devil. "Daughter and Wife" I want to be home with my daughter and wife I left long ago I put a hold on my life My daughter has grown My wife has stayed true I pray you both know I do this for you My time here was long but the end now grows near I'll take my last flights with a new burning fear My daughter wont know me My wife feels betrayed The decisions I made a life thrown away Will they forgive me for leaving Can they trust me to stay Will they hold and embrace me or have I pushed them away I'm counting the days til I'm with them once more So I can start giving the life the life that I swore I know that they love me I know that they care But the thought of them leaving Is a thought I cant bare The count down is over The day is now here No more time for the worries Its time to face all my fears They run up and hug me

My fears fade away Their love had not faded As if I was gone just a day Now that I'm home With the loves of my life I'll cherish the time With my daughter and wife

"A Letter From Home " I come back in from patrol I throw my webbing on the floor I put my weapon in my locker My body is aching, tired and sore Lying on my bed, thinking of you The tears are filling in my eyes Upon my bedside table A letter from you, what a nice surprise I open the letter, I smell your scent I read it for the umpteenth time I still can`t believe its over You no longer want to be mine I`m thousands of miles away I need to hold you near You`re having another mans child I read it again and wipe away a tear It had been so long, since your last letter And now I know the reason why I will love you always and forever Within my heart and my soul, goodbye They knocked on her door to break the news That her husband had taken his own life She knew he could not live without her Knowing she no longer wanted to be his wife

The right of Billy Little to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.. All rights reserved. No part of these poems may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going it means a tough person is a survivor.. he may fall and hit rock bottom but the difference is .. he will see this as a challenge and not stay down defeated.. he will get up and dust himself down

and try to make the best of a bad situation and get his feet back on the ground. Today my dear fellowmen, You will learn about some men, Who are for their country, More than just someone who brought them victory, For when their nation was in danger, their blood boiled in anger, Without caring for their personal life, They left their parents,children,and wife, And off they went like real heroes, To make the enemy feel like zeroes, These men had muscles like Iron, And had the hearts of a Lion, When the enemy faced these men, The enemy didn't know where to go then, For one of these men, Was enough for the enemies then, The enemy then ran away like rats, Like rats run after seeing the cats, Thus these men saved the country, Giving it a proud victory, The heroes of this story, Work for the world's best military, These are the great and ever victorious, Our Proud Indian Armed Forces!

"A Soldier's son" Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray dear Lord, my soul you'll keep, My mommy says I need to pray, For many others on this day, But my daddy - he's a soldier of this I'm sure you know, He helps protect our freedom, I was sad to see him go. Although I know he's sage with you, I'd rather have him here, 'cause he's the one who always said, With prayer, there's no fear. Dear Lord , I know you hear me, Way up in the sky, Please protect my daddy, I wish he was here tonight.

I love you daddy! Author: Unknown

"The Forgotten Soldier" This country needs a reminder That sons and daughters we hold dear Who are so very far away Have become forgotten I fear Our soldiers are reminded daily Why they are over there Mass graves and atrocities The reason to them is clear But we do not see these things And our news is biased at best So our soldiers are forgotten While they face this ongoing test So lets not forget our soldiers Who are overseas for you Instead lets show them we love them Lets show them the whole year through Send letters to uplift them And keep them from despair Care packages to keep them going And let them know we care "Why The Soldier Doesn't Quit" A soldier doesn't quit because his artillery isn't firing A soldier doesn't quit because his airplanes aren't flying A soldier doesn't quit because his tanks aren't driving A soldier doesn't quit because his navy isn't supporting A soldier doesn't quit when his officer isn't yelling A soldier doesn't quit because his gun is jamming A soldier doesn't quit because his brothers are getting shot at and dying So then why doesn't a soldier quit? A soldier doesn't quit because nothing is worse than dying without trying!

"TODAY" Today it feels like I lost a part of me I feel like I cant go on. Today I want to turn back the hands of time. Turn back to the days when you were my little boy. Today I want you here. In your room watching TV, playing your game or standing here next to me asking me one of those crazy questions you always ask.

Today is the day that I have to let go, let go of your hand. You are on your way to becoming a man. Today is the day you leave for the Marines 2-8-10. I love and miss you. LOVE ALWAYS YOUR MOM

"Proud Army" My whole world seemed to be falling apart, Then to a Soldier I have given my heart. Though no truth is better known, I still have pride even when I'm alone. I find it not miles that distance us, But, the dragging lull of time that must. I will stand by his side, And my emotions won't ever die. This is his choice, With patriotic call of voice. HE IS MY PROUD ARMY LIFE. "My Duty" Do not get angry at what I plan to do For what I plan to do I do for you. My plan involves me leaving for a far off place. All I ask is that you embrace What I see as my duty. Yes I plan on joining the Marines. I plan to leave after college And I hope that you acknowledge That what I plan to do is all for you. It may seem selfish and unfair But I do it because I care. I don't plan on dying in some far off land But I would if that is the demand, If that is what keeps you free from harm. I want to return home and see your face. Even if it is just a passing glance. This is not a plea for you to return, Nor an attempt to make you concerned. I just wanted to explain What my thoughts contain.

So please understand That I plan to make a stand Not for myself but for those that I love and hold dear. "I Am The Unknown" I am the one who keeps mothers awake at night. I am the one whom she lives in dread, for whom her tears are sadly shed, the one for whom her tears never dry, I am the one memory that will never die. I am the one who lives to die forever; the one whose name given in life, will become unknown due to wartime strife. I am the one who harbors the weight of all who have suffered and died, unrecognizable, doomed to an unknown fate. I am the one whose guarded and protected by day and by night, with millions of visitors worldwide; most not alive, when I died, yet, come to visit and grieve. The one they remember in hushed monotones, afraid I might hear that I am unknown. I am the one who will never go home; the one whose bones nobody knows. I am the one a nation mourns, every day I lay here, I become better known, every war we fight adds several more, of all who have died, I am the one all America knows. I am the Unknown, I am soldier, sailor, airman, or marine, not alone; I represent millions of whose blood has been spilled. I represent millions who returned, to suffer nightmares, until death calls them home. I represent millions ready to step forward when freedom rings. I lie in the Tomb Of The Unknown, I rest comfortably, at peace, I will never be alone, it grieves me not to rest in this tomb, my soul rests in heaven, where I am well known.

"Go and be my Hero" My girlfriend wrote me a Poem and i'm gonna post it here. Go and be my hero: I'll Be here when you get back, I'll be waiting to fall into your arms again. I'm not going anywhere, I'll be exactly where you left me. So go do your thing, Because i will promise, You will have someone to come back to. I love you. I'll love you for the rest of your life, if you let me. Where you may go, I'll be sure to welcome you home. From, Sarah Harris United States Army Girlfriend

"A Prayer for Daddy" Dear Lord, Please watch over our family Keep us safe while Daddy is deployed. May you keep Daddy in your loving arms, holding him tight each night. May you protect him each night and day. Let him know we miss him and we love him too! Our stuffed animals he bought us before he left, we hold tight in our beds each night. We pray for Daddy's safety while he's away. Let Daddy know that we're okay. We miss him and love him and will see him soon. Until then we will pray for him. In Jesus Name, AMEN

"Daughter and Wife" I want to be home with my daughter and wife I left long ago I put a hold on my life My daughter has grown My wife has stayed true I pray you both know I do this for you My time here was long but the end now grows near I'll take my last flights with a new burning fear My daughter wont know me My wife feels betrayed The decisions I made a life thrown away Will they forgive me for leaving Can they trust me to stay Will they hold and embrace me or have I pushed them away I'm counting the days til I'm with them once more So I can start giving the life the life that I swore I know that they love me I know that they care But the thought of them leaving Is a thought I cant bare The count down is over The day is now here No more time for the worries Its time to face all my fears They run up and hug me My fears fade away Their love had not faded As if I was gone just a day Now that I'm home

With the loves of my life I'll cherish the time With my daughter and wife