THE WALL OF FACES

Leonard is buried at Fort Defiance Veterans Cemetery, Fort Defiance,AZ. BSM ARCOM PH

It is said a man hasn't died as long as he is remembered. This prayer is a way for families, friends and fellow veterans to remember our fallen brothers and sisters. Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift, uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight, I am the stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there, I did not die

We all grew up together in Fort Defiance, we worship together, played high school athletics together and you left for Vietnam.I remember how quick and fast you were in playing basketball, thank you for being my cousin and friend. God Bless You.

I gaze upon the ghost of myself reflected in granite

A shadow as distant, yet familiar as the life of Uncle
Lenny

Reflections of him I see within myself as I gaze upon
The Wall

My stuffed animals are with me in spirit to remind me
of those I love

As he kept his to remind him of those he loved

Have you ever had your ass kicked by a man who sleeps
with a teddy bear

Around me I am flanked by tourists and pigeons

Why do Bilaganaas look like they're about to fall
apart when they get old

There are fewer than I remember from my previous
visits

Regardless, with them are families, younger men,
women, children

I prefer the company of the pigeons

They don't chatter about fleeing to Canada

"No, I don't know where the subway is, go away"

Some couple walks away thinking I'm rude

They don't understand anything, mostly because that is
what they have chosen

There are many things I do not understand, but at
least I choose to appreciate

I appreciate that a person deep in thought should not
be interrupted with an arbitrary question

My uncle and I are unknown to them

How dare they interrupt our conversation without at
least introducing themselves

I prefer the company of pigeons

Taking my Uncle's name from The Wall I am introduced
to two men

I have never met them, but I have seen them before

Aside from the tourists and pigeons they will flank my
Uncle until granite dissolves to time

Philip L. Grieser

Kenneth J Joanis

It is a pleasure to meet you

If there is no one to visit you then I will

I hear night watch is the worst

In the darkness you hear them move

Your feet are always wet

And you can't beat the leeches

I got a leech once
Fly Fishing up at Berland Lake

I'll bet Uncle Lenny would have liked that day

There was nothing to be afraid of

Fear cripples

Warriors of old would sing the songs of their people
to show bravery

A Warrior could only be defeated if he showed fear

It was inconsequential if he or she died

As long as they died a good death, Unafraid


I can imagine Uncle Lenny leading his platoon in song

Mickey Mouse echoing through the jungle in nervous
tones

Very few have ever heard his rendition of Donald Duck
But I've heard it second hand through my mother

I imagine the looks of those around me if I started to
sing

Then I realize I am singing and their looks are just
as I imagined

They do not understand

It was his War Cry

He sang his War Cry

Until the night the Holy People called

Silently in the shadows he saw them move

In between the trees the fear passed through the night
And then he sang no more

A world away his sister fell to the floor
She reeled from the bullet that silenced his song
It was a good day

The loss of an Uncle, a Son, a Brother, and a Warrior

A star in the history of my family

Who fell from the sky

Before I took my first breath

Before I sang my first song