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You may publish or use to teach about American wars.

Tom Zart

The White House
Washington
March 16, 2007
Ms. Lillian Cauldwell
President and Chief Executive Officer
Passionate Internet Voices Radio
Ann Arbor Michigan
Dear Lillian:
Number 41 passed on the CDs from Tom Zart. Thank you for thinking of me.
I am thankful for your efforts to honor our brave military personnel and their families. America owes these courageous men and women a debt of gratitude, and I am honored to be the commander in chief of the greatest force for freedom in the history of the world.
Best Wishes.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush



SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF WORLD WAR III



Our sons and daughters serve in harms way
To defend our way of life.
Some are students, some grandparents,
Many a husband or wife.

They face great odds without complaint
Gambling life and limb for little pay.
So far away from all they love
Fight our soldiers for whom we pray.

The plotters and planners of America’s doom
pledge to murder and maim all they can.
From early childhood they are taught
To kill is to become a man.

They exploit their young as weapons of choice
Teaching in heaven, virgins will await.
Destroying lives along with their own
To learn of their falsehoods too late.

The fearful cry we must submit.
And find a way to soothe them.
Where defenders worry if we stand down
The future for America is grim.

Now’s not the time to fight one another
Or kiss our enemy’s cheek.
All through history it remains the same
The strong enslave the weak.

May God continue to bless America
Refusing evil, the upper hand.
It’s up to us to stay resolute
Defending the liberty of Man.


SO DEAR TO MY HEART


So dear to my heart are my loved ones at home
As I toss and I turn in my bunk all alone.
Everyday I see death, hate, and corruption
Combat is God’s proof of man’s malfunction

For family, comrades, and myself I pray
To my love with this poem I wish to convey.
I knew I loved you though never how much
Till by war, I’m forced beyond your touch.

Where violence thrives, there’s the stench of death
With the taste of fear on every breath.
Who shall prevail, who shall die
As the sadistic kill beneath God’s sky.

Baghdad has become man’s highway to hell
Where the hearts of darkness are alive and well,
I count each day till it’s time to come home
And be with my love and never alone.

Love You
Your Marine


FREEDOM



In their new uniforms,
The young march off
Not knowing who shall return.
With a proud devotion,
They brandish their flag
Leaving loved ones to wonder and yearn.

May we all be buried
By all of our children
Is an ancient tribal prayer.
They're so easy to lose
But so hard to forget;
Such a burden for a parent to bear.

Oh, the taste of victory
Shall soon be forgotten;
But, never that which was lost.
For those rows of white headstones
In peaceful green fields,
Make it easy to tally the cost.

America has survived all attempts to destroy
Knowing the cruelty of war,
And, we who remain
Must help keep her free
For those who can march no more!



OUR FLAG


Our flag is fabric wove of thread,
Carried by heroes live and dead.
She stands for justice and courage too,
With her colors; red, white and blue.

For all who serve her, there’ll be cheers,
For any who die, there’ll be tears,
For all who love her, life is swell,
For those who harm her, war is hell.

How many moms have cried before,
As they sent their children to war.
How many dads have not returned,
Because our freedom must be earned.

Wars were waged where brave men died
As patriots fought side by side.
Our flag is still the pearl of earth,
Because of those who prove her worth.


LOVE OF COUNTRY


I dedicate this poem from inside my tent,
As the desert winds keep it's silhouette bent.

My love of country is at full boil now,
I’d like to describe it but it's hard to know how.

Tomorrow I’ll hunt those who enjoy our death,
Cursed by their hatred and foulness of breath.

I don't care if it's another God they serve,
For their crime's retribution is what they deserve.

Their horde survives by a different set of rules,
Though soon they’ll learn the fate of murderous fools.

Proudly I serve my homeland and president,
Who I've sworn to defend one hundred percent.

While haunted by visions of what I must do,
I fight for justice, and the red, white, and blue.


VETERAN'S DAY


The cost of freedom is sometimes high,
Extremely more when our loved one's die.

Men and women pledged to fight and serve,
And it's our support that they deserve.

Mankind itself is the one to blame,
That all through history, the story's the same.

Peace, like love, can be hard to acquire,
Subject always to enemy fire.

Some how the righteous tend to prevail,
Over the miss-guided, prone to fail.

No wonder we fear the tongues that lie,
As mankind squabbles beneath God's sky.

The danger our solders face is real,
So lets let them know just how we feel.

Put forth your flag and show them your heart,
As those we love from us depart.



BAGHDAD


Determined though scared, I walk my beat,
On the deadly streets of Baghdad.
Searching for any who plot our harm,
Or by our death are joyous and glad.

Standing in shadows caused by the moon,
I'm reminded of my nights back home.
I wonder if the woman I love
Is growing tired of sleeping alone?

I feel remorse for all who live here,
For this place is a madman's hell.
And those who wish to keep it that way
Must be killed or locked away in jail.

My greatest fear is not my death,
But that I'll end up in a wheelchair.
Disabled for the rest of my life,
Depending on others for my care.

My wife, she prays for my safe return,
As night and day more GI's are killed.
She knows quite well, whatever it takes,
The oath I've given will be fulfilled.



SADDAM

The king of Baghdad has fallen,
Never to dictate again.
Man shall sentence him for this crimes,
And heaven shun him for his sin.

For his tyranny, he was famous,
In every capital on earth.
‘Till apprehended in his spider hole,
Completely stripped of his worth.

He is guilty of rape and genocide,
While he ruled without remorse.
His power and prestige were toppled;
Once George Bush set his course.

Though it may seem that the wicked triumph,
And have conquered by their brutality of hand,
Through the power of faith “They are defeated,”
By the seed of goodness in man.


FORMIDABLE FOE


America is the birthday cake of earth,
As the ants march from every direction.
Thank God for all who have sworn to defend her,
Serving with love, honor, pride, and affection.

Since the first day George Washington marched off to war,
There have been those who have wished our demise.
Their hatred, fueled by jealousy and greed,
Was defeated by our brave and the wise.

Once again, we must face a formidable foe,
Who have pledged by their God to destroy us all
Misusing their faith as an excuse to kill,
As for a worldwide jihad, their leaders call.

Some say we should try to appease them,
For if we resist, they’ll hate us even more.
But the David's among us shall cast our stones,
Defeating them, as it was done before.



SHOULD TOMORROW START WITHOUT ME


Should tomorrow start without me
Remember I love you.
Looking down from up above
Seeing everything you do.

If I become a casualty
I pray you will love again
Whom ever makes you happy
I’ll consider my friend.

Should tomorrow start without me
Remind our boys, God loves all who care.
And when life seems too harsh and cruel
With “Him” they must share their prayer.

I have proven I’m not a coward
Who breaks and runs to survive.
Always fearing death will kiss me
As the streets of Baghdad I drive.

Should tomorrow start without me
Be proud I choose to serve.
Our faith and our patriotism
Earn the freedom we deserve.

I miss home more than ever
It breaks my heart to stay away
I can’t help but want to hold you
And whisper what I say.



AMERICAN SOLDIER


Our soldiers line up to be remembered
As the best of the best at their job.
They wish to be needed and depended on
To save all we love from the mob.

They risk their life and limb for liberty
Standing firm against evil unwilling to break.
To be part of something greater than themselves
They are willing to sacrifice whatever it will take.



THANK HEAVEN FOR HEROES


Thank heaven for the heroes of life
Who lead us to overcome those who are not.
The wise are grateful for all God’s blessings
Where fools never realize what they’ve got.

America is the grain train of earth
Whose people exercise rule by their vote.
All have a chance to partake and prosper
As they arrive by foot, plane or boat.

Our freedom relies on the law of the land,
Our future depends on our grit.
Our past has known both good and bad
And our mistakes we are willing to admit.

The grim of heart hate America
And choose to put her wonders to shame
The devotion of most who love and live here
Rise up to defeat the soldiers of blame.



THE LONELINESS OF WAR


I know I’m still here so far, far away,
As I fight for what I believe is right.
I wonder about you and your mom,
Every moment of every day and night.

The loneliness of war can drive you insane,
If you don’t get letters of concern from home.
Left, right, behind and ahead,
Death awaits leaving love ones alone.

We pray to God that we will be saved
To return home or live the here after.
Bloody, dirt-covered men, we see everyday,
As we yearn for those times of laughter.

The far off stare of a fallen comrade,
As you stay by his side till his end.
No mother ever carried her infant child,
More carefully, than we do a friend.

Many have their own personal diaries,
To help keep their faculties together.
Watching hot steel crash into human flesh,
Always makes home seem far away and better.

I’ve become an expert at dodging, weaving and diving,
So try not to worry too much about me.
Just help your mom and stand up from the ground,
And while I’m gone be all you can be.



Sacrifice, Transformation, And Unrestricted Warfare




The Japanese hadn’t lost a war since 1598
Each man carried 400 rounds of ammunition
(twice as many as an American infantryman)
With five days rations and fearless determination.

The men in the badly wrapped brown uniforms
Since their early childhood had been taught
That to die for the emperor and one’s country
Was the greatest of all glories to be sought.

Moreover, the hardware backing them was awesome
As sharpshooters they were accurate up to a thousand yards and more.
Their ships were faster, their guns bigger, Their torpedoes better,
And their planes matchless in quality, aerobatics and score.

Only by sacrifice, transformation, and unrestricted warfare
Was America able to overcome and prevail.
Again America must stand firm to survive
As we face a new monster from Hell.


ByTom Zart

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN =BULLETS AND BARBWIRE= VIETNAM

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN


I’m just a soldier who stands in the rain;
My memories of home are what keep me sane.
Back home is a land of milk and honey,
Ruled by lust and love of money.

But, what can I say, when I serve her true,
For I volunteered to see this war through.
Now, that I’m here, it's hard to believe,
We're just the victims of those who deceive.

As darkness falls on the rice fields of Nam
Scared men with rifles walk the shadows of the calm.
It's thousands of miles to the steps of my church,
With its stained glass, steeples and lost souls who search.

Off in the distance I see an arc light,
Bombs being dropped on children at night.
I've seen that evil they call the "yellow rain,"
And how life withers when it's sprayed by a plane.

All of my buddies have been taken away,
No more touch football will they ever play.
Zipped in their body bags for the long trip home,
Are some of the bravest, I've ever known.

War is a hell, devised by man,
There's death in the sea, the sky and the land.
Lord, I can’t help but wish I were home,
Back with my love, whom I hope is alone?



DADS AT WAR


Where would I be without you dad?
My hero of night and day
I'm so glad you love my mother,
And take time for us each day.

The last time we played baseball,
You reached for me with your hand.
I looked at you, then made a wish,
That I might be just half the man.

I love my father of this earth,
And I love my father of heaven.
It's a lot for me to love, you know,
For I’m only eleven.

Mom and I sure miss you,
Since you left to defend our flag.
When others ask, where is your dad?
I can't help but boast and brag.


BULLETS AND BARBWIRE


We awoke to the crack of rifle fire,
With mortar rounds hitting the ground near by.
The flying shrapnel was absorbed by sand bags,
Which saved lots of us who wished not to die.

The hot spent shell casings fell to the ground
As the VC charged our fortified hill.
We killed so many the stench made us sick,
While we fought to live and not for a thrill.

Barbwire, bullets and clay-mores took their toll
As red and green tracers lit up the sky.
Before long I was the last GI left,
When napalm caused my enemy to fry.

Fleeing the sound of our choppers gunfire
The enemy retreated to the caves and trees.
Then I cried, "thank you " to heaven above,
As I checked out my buddies on my knees.

Somehow I managed to survive the day
Though many I've served with names I have read
Carved in the shinny black stone of The Wall
Are my comrades of war, among the dead.


By Tom Zart

KOREA 1950


UN soldiers fought and were forced to retreat
Behind sandbags protected by barbwire hoops.
Many GI's died as they held off attacks,
By 810,000 Communist troops.

Our guys used phosphorus, flame-throwers and napalm,
For without these weapons they could not survive.
The Communist charges led by buglers,
Till the UN could start it's offensive drive.

On the battlefield of death and misery
Many froze with their hands still stuck to their guns.
While others hobbled with their boots wrapped in rags,
City boys, farmers, students, fathers and sons.

With a million and a half dead or wounded,
Both sides singed a truce before generals involved.
July 27th, 1953,
And though thousands were orphaned, nothing was solved.


By Tom Zart



WORLD WAR II


War



As war is fought it takes charge,
And events spin out of control.
The madness of men can alter the soil
Which nourishes the roots of their soul.

Many things will forever change,
Far more then wished to be.
As the wrath of war starts to destroy,
Those things we fight to keep free.

War is the greatest plague of man,
Religion, state, and sanity.
Any scourge is more preferred,
Than the one which disables humanity.

When war breaks out, boundaries change
And all who die are a token,
Of the rage that must run it's course,
Before words of peace are spoken.



TROOP SHIP


Our ship had sailed before the dawn
Surrounded by the thickest of fog,
Still ignorant of our destination
Or what was written in the captain's log.

It didn't take long for me to see
Our cruise was not for fun;
An experience of a lifetime
With nowhere for us to run.

Twenty knots per hour we cruised
As the white caps passed us by;
Ten thousand young Americans
Off to Europe to die.

A sailor told us not to worry;
Someday we’d get our mail.
Uncle Sam would make sure
No matter how far we sail.

Thirty feet deep I tried to sleep
Beneath our ship's waterline,
Just the place for claustrophobia
To enter into my mind.

My favorite vest was my May West
Which I wore all the time
Just in case of German U-boats
Or an underwater mine.

Thirty-three days we were at sea,
We crossed the equator twice.
Many years have passed since then,
Those years of sacrifice.

BRAVERY


Many brave souls lived before now,
Unwept and unknown by their face.
Lost somewhere in the distant night,
'Till a poet chronicles their grace.

True bravery is shown by performing,
Without witness, what one might be
Capable of before the world,
Without any or all to see.

How great the brave who rest in peace,
All blessings from heaven to earth.
They gave our country but their best,
Those destined to be brave from birth.


PEARL HARBOR


Sunday, December the seventh,
In the year of 1941,
While most of Hawaii still slept,
Came the planes of the Rising Sun.

Waves of bombers and fighters flew,
From the decks of the Japanese ships.
While our planes were still on the ground,
"Banzai" was spoken from their lips.

The winds of war had been blowing
Across the oceans of our earth,
Though not till Pearl had been bombed,
Did we realize what freedom’s worth.

Wars are fought and won on two fronts,
At home and on the battle line.
Both are equally important,
When war consumes our heart and mind.

The attack brought us World War II,
With death, pain and separation.
All who had served were well aware
Of their sacrifice for nation.

CONFLICT


The harder the conflict we sometimes face
The far more glorious is the victory.
Tyranny like hell is tough to defeat,
When it raises its head throughout history.

War never leaves a country as it was,
When neutrality is a word disregarded.
As the murderous hands of man himself
Are to blame for all who have departed.


D DAY - THE WALL


Over two hundred rangers scaled "The Wall"
A stone cliff over one hundred feet tall.
Some of them made it all the way to the top,
While others fell and perished from their drop.

Those who climbed over, had answered God's call;
For men to stop evil once and for all.
They fought the Germans and destroyed their guns,
To save the lives of our fathers and sons.

So many years have passed since then,
When our world's future was saved by brave men.
We cannot forget the hell they went through,
Before the skies, again turned blue.


D-DAY


D-Day raised the curtain on the conflict
That fore shadowed the end of Hitler's dream.
The largest joint combat landing ever,
Though the blood from both sides flowed like a stream.

When their boats hit the sand, their ramps went down,
And all within paid a visit to hell.
They jumped out to do good for their country,
And to kill the enemy without fail.

They fought the Germans, tides, winds and the waves,
In conditions not easily foreseen.
By night the battle was in our favor,
With bravery, valor, death, and men who scream.

The corpses littered the beach for five miles,
Though heroism had carried the day,
With literally thousands dead or wounded,
Those who were left were determined to stay.

They faced great odds and chose not to protest,
And won the war that put evil to shame.
Most came home, married and raised their babies,
But those who could not we recall with pain.



MI DWAY


It was June the 4th 1942,
As I was floating in the ocean alone;
The ship I had sailed on, sank to the bottom
And I thought I would never again, see home.

The Japanese fleet had steamed in from the east
With the intentions of capturing Midway.
Though they were stopped by American war ships,
Whose guns, bombs and torpedoes planes saved the day.

All night long, I watched the fireworks of war
And on the second day we turned up the heat.
As big bombers from Hawaii dropped their loads,
On Japanese ships who soon chose to retreat.

An imperial pilot came floating close by,
Who had been chewed on by the beasts of the sea.
I couldn't help but feel passion for this is man
Who had answered his call just like me.

When it was over, I was plucked from the deep,
By men in a lifeboat just after the dawn.
For two days I had watched the battle for, Midway;
Now it's quiet and the enemy has gone.


SURVIVAL

I drifted all night and was loosing my hope
Before by the moon's light I saw dry land.
I floated over and through its reefs to the beach,
Where I quickly smoothed out my tracks in the sand.

All I had was my dagger and a canteen
And it was May 4th of 43.
Just me alone on an enemy island,
Wasn't a safe place for a sailor to be.

I felt I could kill in less than a heartbeat
If that's what it took for me to survive.
I’d already said thanks so many times,
For” God” was the reason I was alive.

Off in the dark, I herd two men's voices,
Laughing and talking in a language not mine.
Inch by inch I crept to their campsite,
Where on what they were eating, I would soon dine.

I stabbed them both and took their fish, rice and wine;
Then ran my way back to the raft by the beach.
Soon I was floating in the ocean again
And far enough out where bullets couldn't reach.

The next day I was picked up by a seaplane,
Whose crew spotted my sail from the air.
Once inside and safe, I cried like a child,
For the dead whom would forever be there.

It was hard to believe heaven let me live;
A farm boy from Kansas, in high school last year.
My girlfriend is blond and she hates it I 'm gone.
Though I'm a veteran of battle, death, and fear.


OKINAWA


Okinawa was to be our last stop
Before we invaded Japan.
The largest landing of the Pacific war,
As our soldiers ran across the sand.

At first our marines were scarcely opposed
But on the fifth day hell they found.
A solid wall of human resistance
Firing their weapons from caves in the ground.

Air power and big guns had little affect
On their cliff forts carved deep in the limestone.
It took man against man to root them out
As flying bullets pierced flesh and bone.

Kamikaze pilots crashed their planes
Knocking out transports and war ships.
As the Imperial air force struck our fleet,
Cries of fear and hate spewed from lips.

One hundred, ten thousand Japanese
By the end of the battle were killed.
Over twelve thousand Americans died,
Before, just our flag flew over the field.



BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC


After the fall of France in 1940,
The Germans soon began their own blockade,
With most their efforts in the Atlantic,
Hoping to cut Britain's flow of war trade.

With fast surface raiders like the Bismarck,
Merchant ships caught at sea, had little chance.
The German’s small navy sank ship after ship,
Till the British Navy destroyed war's romance.

Shipping losses from German U-boats increased,
And the battle of the Atlantic seemed lost.
But soon America would enter the war,
To defeat freedom’s enemies at all cost.

Multitudes would die and their families cry,
Before World War II would be fought to its end.
What a waste of mankind, which had lost its mind,
Though now, our enemy is our friend.


PARTING


The truest words, which portray my love,
I speak to you from within my heart.
May we always recall how we feel,
Though through conflict we're forced to part.

No one can say how long they will last,
For life is not everlasting.
Yet most hope to be blessed by love,
By he who does our casting.

As the fear of battle bites my flesh,
My thoughts of home help keep me sane.
There’s no guarantee that I’ll survive
But either way, I'll serve without shame.

Should the cold hands of death reach for me,
I pray my soul will awake from sleep.
To the voice of God assuring me,
That my spirit, he's chosen to keep.

So try to remember while I'm gone,
That the person I need most is you.
I’ll fight like hell to stay alive
To return home to the love I knew.


P.O.W.


When you become a P.O.W.
You find you've lost your liberty and more,
The guy with the gun tells you what to do,
As you yearn for freedoms you had before.

Your will to serve helps keep you alive,
Though sometimes you wish you were dead.
Tortures far beyond any normal mind,
And there's no safety, even your bed.

Bullets, barbwire, searchlights and sharp teeth,
Keep you in a place you don't wish to be.
The food is quite awful and sometimes it moves,
And you've no choice of what you hear or see.

The lucky are released and return home,
Though in their dreams their fate is unsure.
War may be hell, but confinement is worse,
Cause afterwards you're never as you were.


GENERAL QUARTERS


General quarters, general quarters,
All hands man your battle station!
Sunday morning, December the 7th,
As war confronted our nation.

We soon found out it wasn't a drill
But instead it was war for real.
As you watch the death of friends and shipmates,
It's more anger than fear you feel.

Japanese warplanes came flying in low,
As I took aim with my gun sight.
From the deck of a ship anchored at Pearl
Damaged, though crew still eager to fight.

I saw the face of a pilot, who crashed,
Surrounded by black smoke and fire.
Some of my bullets must have found their mark.
For his death was but my desire!

Two thousand, three hundred and twenty-three killed,
In a battle less than two hours.
With the heart of our Pacific fleet gone,
Japan had flexed their naval powers.

The bombing and strafing of ships and troops
Caused our congress to declare full war.
Where many a man laid down his life
Fighting for flag, country and more.


KENNEDY= THE WAR YEARS
PT-109


After the attack on Pearl Harbor
He applied for sea duty in the war.
Where Lieutenant John F. Kennedy
Became known for his bravery and more.

In the dark hours before dawn
On August 2, of 43.
Kennedy commanded a torpedo boat
Through the blackness of night at sea.

PT – 109, was on Solomon’s patrol
With a 12-man crew in a plywood craft.
A Japanese destroyer plowed through the night
Ramming and cutting Kennedy’s boat in half.

Two of the crew just disappeared
A third was badly burned.
Kennedy himself was thrown to the deck,
Where in pain his leadership he earned.

Some of his men had never learned to swim
As he gathered them on the bobbing bow.
The hours passed tell it seemed it would sink
So they made for an island and here’s how.

He ordered those who could to swim
The others were to hang on to a beam.
Kennedy grabbed the injured sailor
And off they tread through the ocean stream.

With his teeth clenched on the burnt man’s vest straps
Skipper Kennedy swam 3 miles.
5 hours later they all made it
Despite their hardships, sharks, and trials.

The next problem was how to summon up help
Without arousing the enemy all around.
After several attempts swimming to other islands
Eventually two natives in a canoe were found.

Kennedy scratch a note on a coconut
To be delivered to a base 38 miles away.
The message made it and they were saved
And their courage still lives us today.

By Tom Zart



WORLD WAR I

FLY-BOYS


World War I gave us the fly-boys
Who flew by the seat of their pants.
Many would never return from war
While others survived by chance.

Their planes were mostly canvas and wood
Gasoline, bullets, bombs and poison gas.
Every pilot carried his own pistol
Wearing leathers, scarf and goggles of glass.

Aviators had no Parachutes
To escape their burning plane.
Many were forced to jump to their death
Or self inflect a bullet to the brain.

Blimps where known as battleships of the sky
The roar of their engines gave reason for fear.
They flew so high they were hard to shoot down
Hiding above clouds till their targets drew near.

Tracer bullets for the first time were used
In the guns of airplanes to set blimps a fire.
The skies became man’s highway of death
With duty and honor their driving desire.

How many Fly-boys have we lost since then
Those days of the Great War and more?
Where do we get such brave souls of chance
Who rise from the rest in the battles of war?



By Tom Zart



LEAF ON THE WATER


America’s East Coast was settled by the "Brits,"
As the Indians rule began to recede.
After many a battle, they lost their land,
Giving into the white man's power and greed.

In years to come like a leaf on the water,
The Indians were swept away by the white man.
As trappers and pioneers pushing westward,
Brought death and disease to the land.

With the white settlements came the fur traders,
Followed by soldiers, forts, whiskey and form tools.
None of which helped the Indians to survive,
Who chose to wage war, and break the white man's rules.

Many treaties were made, just to be broken
By those eager for land, timber, furs and gold.
Prospectors arrived to plunder the land
And to be farmers, the Indians were told.

The combat raged on, to the western prairie,
Over mountains and down through the desert sand.
Indians proved to be formidable foe,
As both sides fought from afar and hand-to-hand.

Lieutenant Colonel Custer, led his cavalry
In search of fame and tribal disgrace.
But instead he and his men were butchered
By hostile Indians with paint on their face.

Around the campfires of Rosebud and Pine Ridge,
Singing warriors danced till Sitting Bull's death.
Most were forced to surrender at Wounded Knee,
Where many sad Indian would draw their last breathe.

With their fighting spirit completely broken
And their ancient tribal ways forever gone.
Proud Indians were moved to reservations
Where their once great history in song lives on.

By Tom Zart


THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR


In 1860 life was good,
Till its simpleness ceased one day.
The North wished to save the Union
While the South chose to break away.

America was torn apart
As six hundred thousand died.
Throughout four years of total war,
Women without husbands cried.

The sad fact of the Civil War
Is what was left at its end.
Too many times, men’s evil acts
Destroyed both foe and friend.

The problem was, once it began,
There was no peace or compromise.
Total victory must be proclaimed
Before rage would leave men’s eyes.

Destroy all that helps the enemy,
Was the cry of either side.
Anything to obtain victory,
As death on horseback did ride.

Black men dressed in old uniforms
Became the Union’s reserve.
They fought and died for their freedom
And their rights they earned and deserve.

Lifestyles would forever change
For all who survived the war.
It had ended as it began,
With sadness, misery and more.

Both sides prayed to the same God,
And spoke words from the Bible.
The prayers of both were not answered,
For all involved were liable.


FREEDOM


In their new uniforms,
The young march off
Not knowing who shall return.
With a proud devotion,
They brandish their flag
Leaving loved ones to wonder and yearn.

May we all be buried
By all of our children
Is an ancient tribal prayer.
They’re so easy to lose
But so hard to forget;
Such a burden for a parent to bear.

Oh, the taste of victory
Shall soon be forgotten;
But, never that which was lost.
For those rows of white headstones
In peaceful green fields,
Make it easy to tally the cost.

America has survived all attempts to destroy
Knowing the cruelty of war,
And, we who remain
Must help keep her free
For those who can march no more!


THE KANSAS FRONTIER


Coronado, in his search to find gold for Spain,
Was the first European on the green Kansas plane.
Explorers and traders were arriving from France.
They saw the buffalo and the Indians who danced.

At the mouth of the Kaw were campfires in the dark;
Two men by the river named Lewis and Clark.
Large numbers of Indians, forced out from the East,
Resettled to Kansas where the buffalo feast.

So, many a cowboy decided to stay,
It wasn’t very long and most Indians were forced away.
When Missouri joined the Union; the slave states equaled the free.
Which way would Kansas vote, congress was anxious to see?

The Heart-Landers were bleeding; their towns were on fire;
As raiders from the slave states tried to force their desire.
The settlement of Lawrence was sacked by a mob,
In revenge came John Brown, who would murder and rob.

Kansas joined the Union as the Civil War began.
After four long years of tragedy, many women lost their man.
Cattle trails met the railroads as they pushed across the state.
Farmers planted corn and wheat as the buffalo awaited their fate.

Those frontier days have long since gone, though the sunflower is still here;
My childhood home of Kansas where the buffalo roam with the deer.


BLACK POWDER BRIDGE


A courier rider hands his papers to me;
They are instructions from Robert E. Lee.
I am advised now is the time,
To stop the troop movement on the Rock Island line.

I muster my men and they load up the boats,
We powder our pistols and darken our coats.
Traveling the currents, the sun slips from sight,
As brave men with a purpose have gathered to fight.

We capture a bridge before the moonrise,
The Yankees who are here shall soon feed the flies.
The evil of war feeds on my brain
As I light the fuse to destroy a train.

Above us a trestle of timber and tar
As we pull our oars for a willowed sandbar.
From the banks of the river; we watch it approach;
There’s shadows of soldiers, in the windows of a coach.

With a burst of bright yellow and a roar in my ear,
I hear them scream as they ’re falling in fear.
The river is boiling in steam, steel and stems,
Back home their families shall soon sing funeral hymns.

The one lone survivor was a red stallion stud,
I lassoed his neck, and freed him from the mud.
As I ride in his saddle beneath the stars that shine,
I pray for forgiveness and some peace of mind.

War is a lesson we ‘re eager to learn
When man has that fever to murder and burn.
Lord, please forgive me for what I have done,
For all those I’ve silenced were some mother’s son.


THE FEVER OF FEAR


Cannons are bursting hot metal from the ground.
Soldiers are looting and burning our town.
The fever of fear rushes through my veins,
As too many Bluecoats jump from troop trains.

Smoke from hot barrels is swirling around,
As four thousand muskets volley their sound.
All of my comrades have stopped a lead ball;
Most cry out, then stumble and fall.

Even the young lad who carried our flag,
Now he lies dead as he clings to that rag.
Wagons with the wounded trail blood on the ground,
Death and destruction are easily found.

The Generals are crying ’cause they can’t stand defeat;
But it’s always the soldier who dies on his feet.
Horse hooves are pounding on a bridge made of boards,
As the sunlight reflects from the blades of their swords.

Quickly I hide out in the roots of a tree,
Where the dirt has eroded and there’s just room for me.
After dark I sneak out with the cover of fog,
Then float down the river, as I cling to a log.

Songs of their victory, ring out through the night,
While from the cold, muddy water, I see their firelight.
It makes me remember my old country church,
Where the preacher spoke God’s word from his holy perch.

That the seed of all conflict began in a cave;
When man, like the wild wolf had to prove he was brave.


THUNDER IN THE GROUND


Cannons are bellowing from a ridge far away.
The battle lines are forming and there’s little time to pray.
Musket balls are pelting like hailstones from the sky;
I’m so full of fear cause I don ’t want to die.

From beyond yonder hill comes a terrifying sound,
It’s the music of the buglers and there’s thunder in the ground.
The fast-riding troopers have all drawn out their swords.
They ’re shouting and screaming as they charge up the gorge.

It’s hard to believe how many make it through;
As they’re hacking and shooting at the boys dressed in blue.
Then come the soldier men who run upon their feet,
Every time I drop one, my heart skips a beat.

There’s a storm on the ground made of death, dust and smoke.
My throat is so dry, I can ’t help but choke.
The fury of the battle is bound to settle down,
When most of the fighters lie dead on the ground.

After dark, the stretcher-bearers are afraid to search around.
The wild hogs eat the wounded and I can ’t stand the sound.
Come dawn, we dig ditches for all the brave, lifeless men.
Then quote words from our Bible praying heaven lets them in.


SLAVERY


When you chain the neck of a slave,
The other end fastens to you.
Your heart and soul become corrupt,
And all which is evil you’ll do.

No government shall exist for long,
Who’s people are not really free.
Though around the world there are those,
Who stay blind to how life should be.

Any who must enslave others,
Will dwell in their own living hell
After death, they’ll join their master,
In that place from heaven he fell.

But till then we’ll fight and resist
Making them put their chains away.
And those of us who may die first,
From heaven shall watch and pray


BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER


In the course of becoming officers
The young men of West Point bonded like brothers.
Till roomers of Civil War transformed friend to foe,
As many cadets chose to serve others.

Fifty-five of sixty major battles fought,
Were lead by graduates of the long gray line.
Yankees and Rebels ravaged one another,
For to kill and plunder were virtues of the time.

Over six hundred thousand soldiers were consumed,
Not counting multitudes of population.
Cities, farms and the countryside were laid to waste,
Before our Union was restored to a nation.


THE LITTLEST SOLDIER


Nine year old Johnny Clem who stood just four feet tall,
Ran away from Ohio to answer his country’s call.

He joined up with the Union and became a drummer boy,
Soon to prove the gun he wore was far more than a toy.

Armed with a sawed-off musket, cut down to just fit him,
He shot a Rebel horseman who tried to do him in.

Awarded his sergeant’s stripes and the silver medal,
His comrades offered him hot coffee from their kettle.

The newspapers of the North, gladly published his story,
Telling of the nine year old who earned his country’s glory.


THE BATTLE


The moon is sky high
And perfectly round
As it highlights the beauty
Of disputed ground.

Life is a journey
Where the passage is free.
After, there’s judgment,
By the living and Thee.

Tomorrow’s carnage,
We’ll survive if we can.
Death and dismemberment
By the hand of man.

Some will stumble
With absence of breath.
While others charge
Into the face of death.

We’ll race toward the battle
And pray for the best,
Hoping somehow
We pass God’s test.


BUGLES


Their red and blue, ragtag flag stood out,
Against their dust covered uniforms of gray.
Savagely we fought to kill our enemy,
As the battle raged on in the heat of the day

Volley after volley we put forth our blaze,
With thousands of led balls snapping flesh and bone.
Blistering sweat rolled down every face,
As the tunes of war by bugles were blown.

There was a clanking sound of ramrods in barrels,
As each new minieball was loaded and fired.
Some shot aimlessly into the smoke,
While others took aim at the worn and tired.

Bullets were popping like the fourth of July, S
Yet our enemy kept surging ahead.
All at once they broke and ran off in groups,
Scattering as for the forest they fled.

From behind the protection of a stacked-stone wall,
The victorious cheered or just sat starring,
At all the bodies of friend and foe
While for the wounded the surgeons were caring.

Soon the war was over and I survived,
Despite it’s brutality on trampled ground.
From boy to man I was transformed,
Though, still in the night I hear its sound.


THE HINGE OF HISTORY


The hinge of history swings in all directions
As the happenings of the past are written down.
Out of all that has occurred since man’s beginnings,
Less has been recorded than waits to be found.

Babylonians kept chronicles of history,
Hebrews wrote the past as a dramatic story.
Greeks had no faith in the future at all,
Believing mans repeated errors doom his glory.

Christians added a new dimension to history,
Looking forward to Christ’s return to earth.
An on going drama involving man and God,
Believing all are created of equal worth.

Some have asked why must we study history;
It just encourages us to live in the past.
When we forget history we repeat its mistakes,
As the outcome of humanity is cast.

All Poems By
Tom Zart

THE ALAMO



The leaves of the cottonwoods hung motionless
As outside the walls Santa Anna’s horde closed in.
A small band of Texans watched and waited
Preoccupied by combat and how life would end.

The battle raged from building to building
Till the old mission’s chapel was the last to fall.
Over 180 Texans died fighting to the man
Never to yield, surrender or crawl.

Six weeks later Sam Houston rallied his forces
With “Remember the Alamo” as their battle cry.
Attacking and defeating Santa Anna’s army
To win independence for Texas or die.

The Spanish word for “cottonwood” is “Alamo”
The long time popular name for the mission.
Today the stout-walled old chapel still stands
Preserved as a shrine of sacrifice and tradition.


By Tom Zart

GENERAL WASHINGTON


Once in command, he boxed in the British
At Boston where he captured Dorchester Heights,
Overlooking the Brits at his mercy
As his men took aim with their cannon sites.

The British commander had but one choice,
To sail to New York to renew the fight.
Where the English had much greater forces,
Who soon chased Washington's men in full flight.

They continued on to Pennsylvania
After crossing the Hudson in retreat,
With the British forces in hot pursuit
It looked as though George was doomed to defeat.

When winter seemed to have stopped the fighting
That's when Washington crossed the Delaware.
On that Christmas night he captured Trenton
Where Hessians were surprised and unaware.

He whipped the British at Princeton,
Where in victory his men began to sing.
Washington then wintered at Morristown,
Training his troops for the combat of spring.

Washington fought bravely at Brandywine
And again at a place called Germantown,
But the British were the victorious ones
As the dead of both sides covered the ground.

Americans were blessed early that spring,
When the French entered the war on their side.
Though most suffered frostbite at Valley Forge,
With the help of the French they marched in stride.

The battles raged on, in the North and South
As the King’s soldiers laid waste to the land.
Washington himself was in great despair,
Pleading for aid for his weakened command.

His prayers were answered by 5000 troops,
And a French fleet who took Chesapeake Bay.
They bottled up Cornwallis at Yorktown,
Who surrendered to victory drums at play.

Yorktown was really the end of the war
Though not many quite realized that fact yet.
But the British soon grew tired of the fight
And the terms for its end were signed and set.

Washington yearned to retire at home,
But his country chose him first president.
Cheering crowds waved flags of love and support,
For they believed that "he," by God, was sent.

By Tom Zart

MWSA Book Review

TOM ZART THE MOST PUBLISHED

POET ON THE WEB

Love, War & More

Author: Tom Zart

Publisher: Publish America

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

A Poet’s thoughts, on history, emotions and more…

Normally you pick up a poetry book and it may run about 50 to 80 pages but not the man who is called “The Westport Poet." Poet Tom Zart gives the reader their money’s worth of poetry in his fine collection called “Love, War & More." His book, at 267 pages, is filled with the thoughts and emotions of a dedicated poet and his vast spiritual tastes for life. His prose runs the gauntlet from relationships, battle, butterflies, and even one that ends the book called “Katrina,” about what happened in New Orleans.

My favorite poem in his collection deals with turning 60 years old since I can relate to that experience. His poems are easy to read and more traditional in nature, as opposed to all those beat and new age writings that flourish in newer poetry books. It is readable by all mature family members and thought provoking at times.

His war poetry covers everything from Pearl Harbor and D-Day to present day battles. He honors Soldiers and Sailors and our nation through many well thought out pieces of prose. There is something of interest in his collection of poetry for all readers. This is one of the most assorted and diverse collections of poetry ever assembled in one volume. For poetry lovers this will be a great book to buy.

This book is given the MWSA's highest rating for a poetry book - 5 STARS