Santiam Canyon Veterans & 1st Responders Memorial

Oh, war that terrible calamity, that unforgiving shaper of men,
how harsh are thy realities, how unkind thy lessons
Where may your sympathies lie—when all about one
the bodies of men lay face down upon every side—
All of war's sorrows borne upon the hearts of every fighting man
Where death's burden lies heavy inside of those who fought on both sides,
such, that none may lay claim to any lasting victory—what then?
Does one decide—to hide, to shirk one's duty, to die?
Or might one live in the pain of remorse or regret—
hidden away, alone someplace, in secret shame?

For it is the nature of war that the struggle lasts
long after the sound of the cries of men have faded
Yet, my fellow countryman,
bare not sorrow, carry no sense of sympathy,
harbor not any semblance of pity for me
Nor shall you be obliged to feel undue gratitude,
but please if you would carry a quiet welling of pride,
a heart awoken swelling with gladness
for the prospects of your nation, your family, yourself
Hold a heart buoyant with hope for the promise of life
full of love for this place and its people—this nation, our home
Look with fondness to our future—our children
free to play, free from worry
For them is secured,
for a time at least, the blessings of liberty

For it is my duty to this land, our country
that lays a valid claim upon the prompting of this—my valiant heart
A claim that echoes in the heart of this here canyon—Listen
and you will hear the patriot's response rise
like the sound of the rushing water
running in the Santiam River that rises up these canyon walls,
and resounds from atop these mountaintops—Listen,
for you will hear a tale told not simply of hardship and woe,
but one wonderful to tell, hear, and behold—
Of love's sacrifice for the very same places and people
that so freely gave one's life meaning—filled as it was
with the beauty of family, fellowship, love, and trust

If only to remember, "Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends"

On patrol, men-at-arms look to the man on point
to lead the way through danger—to see the outfit's way
to victory in battle—together as brothers
If they have but the strength of discipline to trust
their training, their equipment, most importantly—each other.
It is with the knowledge of the sacred trust we have been given
to safeguard those things we, as a society, deem most precious to protect
and defend, that we who are called—respond
when and wherever life and liberty is found to be in danger
—trusting as we do in Christ as our point man.

—Brandon M Pahl