Sit down class. Quiet Please! Right open your books to page fifty four,
Yes, I know, settle down, today were looking at the “history of war”.

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But, Sir, Its boring ... we know lots of people have lost their lives,
But sir, they chose to go, chose to leave their families and their wives.

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Sir, we asked you once, where did you go? What did you do?
But you never said, no matter how many times we asked you!

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I’m sorry class. I was not being rude! Perhaps now I will tell you why?
Let me tell you of a friend, who went to war and chose not to die.

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When my friend woke on that fateful day,
He turned to me to say ‘Something’s wrong, I have never felt this way!’

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He sent a message to loved ones, but didn’t say “Don’t worry, all is well here”,
Today he simply wrote with a tear, “Don’t Worry, I will always keep you near”.

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Then he knelt silently … and started to pray,
I had not seen my friend do that before, it was not his way?

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Still he remained silent, as he prepared, no usual joking about the day ahead,
I think my friend somehow knew, by the end of the day he would be dead.

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Boots tied tight, packs heavy, tourniquets on arm and body armour ready,
His guns in his hand, ammo live and trigger finger steady.

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A brave man turned and smiled, leading his men through the safety gate,
He was proud serving his country and proud to walk to his fate.

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Then Helicopters buzzed, the medics all rallied round,
I saw my friend’s body in a stretcher being lowered to the ground.

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They worked on my friend until the breaking of the dawn,
But as the sun rose, so did my friend, he was already gone.

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My friend gave his life for his country! It was many years ago,
To me, he is not forgotten; he is still my friend and my hero.

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But you will never see his picture or read the story of his life,
How he died at war, leaving two sons and a wife.

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So when you ask me to speak about the true horrors of war or tell me my friend chose to die,
Don’t wonder why I don’t speak anymore, what I did and what I saw! Can’t all be learned, here on page fifty four?