Memorial Day

Do not thank me for my service today,
  for I stand among the living.

Those honored today gave up their lives.

Some volunteered and some were drafted,
  but all responded when called.

From many faiths and religions,
  from many cultures and races,
  from different political creeds,
  but unified in that all were American.

Do not thank us for our service today, for we stand among the living.

They died to defend their right to live as they wished;
  to worship the way they wanted;
  to vote the way they believed.

They defended their freedom to be themselves,
  and in dying, passed those freedoms in trust to us
  to pass on to future generations.

Today, remember their service,
  we who stand among the living.

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Note:
Written for Memorial Day 2019. The Veteran's Committee decided I needed to write a poem for our Memorial Day celebration--while I wasn't in the room. There is another one I "volenteered" to write for Veteran's Day which just demonstrates I don't learn from my mistakes.