The Thief of Honor
The Thief of Honor
The Phony Hero, the fake marine
with their stolen valor, bemedalled chests.
These are the lowest of the low
Who steal the honors of our best.
Those who never took the field
Never came face to face with death.
Presume to wear the highest honors
And campaign ribbons on their chests.
True heroes lie in Arlington,
Or in a hundred foreign fields
Or else live quiet private lives’
And never boast about their deeds.
The thieves of honor think to gain
high office from their pilfery.
But they will only garner shame
Once we expose their perfidy.
poem by John F. McCullagh
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Related quotes
The Thieves of Honor
The Phony Hero, the fake marine
with stolen valor, bemedalled chests.
These are the lowest of the low
Who steal the honor due our best.
Those who never took the field
Who never had to face the foe
Common thieves usurp the medals
owed to men who lie in rows.
True heroes lie in Arlington,
Or in a hundred foreign fields
Or else live private quiet lives’
And never speak about their deeds.
The thieves of honor think to gain
high office by casuistry.
But they will only garner shame
Once we expose their perfidy.
poem by John F. McCullagh
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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We ought to be beating our chests every day. We ought to look in the mirror, stick out our chests, suck in our bellies, and say, 'Damn, we're Americans,' and smile.
quote by Jay Garner
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I And I
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed.
Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams.
In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed
To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Think Ill go out and go for a walk,
Not much happenin here, nothin ever does.
Besides, if she wakes up now, shell just want me to talk
I got nothin to say, specially about whatever was.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift dont win the race,
It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth.
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justices beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Outside of two men on a train platform theres nobody in sight,
Theyre waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track.
The world could come to an end tonight, but thats all right.
She should still be there sleepin when I get back.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Noontime, and Im still pushin myself along the road, the darkest part,
Into the narrow lanes, I cant stumble or stay put.
Someone else is speakin with my mouth, but Im listening only to my heart.
Ive made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I & I
Been so long since a strange woman has slept in my bed.
Look how sweet she sleeps, how free must be her dreams.
In another lifetime she must have owned the world, or been faithfully wed
To some righteous king who wrote psalms beside moonlit streams.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Think Ill go out and go for a walk,
Not much happenin here, nothin ever does.
Besides, if she wakes up now, shell just want me to talk
I got nothin to say, specially about whatever was.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift dont win the race,
It goes to the worthy, who can divide the word of truth.
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justices beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Outside of two men on a train platform theres nobody in sight,
Theyre waiting for spring to come, smoking down the track.
The world could come to an end tonight, but thats all right.
She should still be there sleepin when I get back.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
Noontime, and Im still pushin myself along the road, the darkest part,
Into the narrow lanes, I cant stumble or stay put.
Someone else is speakin with my mouth, but Im listening only to my heart.
Ive made shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot.
I and i
In creation where ones nature neither honors nor forgives.
I and i
One says to the other, no man sees my face and lives.
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Your Hero
The heroes of the masses they live for their renown
And the masses create their heroes and then drag their heroes down
And the masses are unpredictable they change from day to day
And some of their heroes like the Autumn flowers are quick to fade away.
Yet there are millions of unsung heroes and they live on every street
And every day a hero I feel privileged to meet
True heroes male and female yet by the masses unsung
The World is full of heroes of heroes old and young.
Some heroes of the masses are arrogant and proud
And their egos over-swollen from the adulation of the crowd
But give me the unsung heroes who go their own quiet way
Who out of the kindness of their hearts perform one good deed every day.
Many heroes of the masses are not heroes to me
Though every day I walk the street some true hero I do see
Your hero is chauffeur driven and drinks the most expensive wine
And you can have your hero but your hero isn't mine.
poem by Francis Duggan
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The Empty Tomb
In Arlington, where valor sleeps,
there is a marble Tomb
where heroes rest whose names are known
to God and God alone.
From Korea and the fields of France
Brought here to hallowed sleep
The unknowns of our nation's wars
Are honored with a wreath.
One body from the tomb is gone-
He served in Vietnam.
The mystery of identity
Found in a shard of bone
Rededicate his empty crypt
To the missing of that war-
To honor and keep faith with them
who never have come home.
poem by John F. McCullagh
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The Nobel Prize is given as a personal award but it also honors the field of research in which I have worked and it also honors my students and colleagues.
quote by Robert Hofstadter
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Heores
Heroes
Being a hero means little to me,
For I have see men labeled as a coward die as a heroes
And men called heroes run like cowards.
A name means nothing when it is all outside
And being called a hero is only a name.
For I have seen countless men live and die,
As only a hero could.
And yet they received nothing more,
Than a little golden star.
Countless heroes have lived and died,
But only a few ever truly earned such a title.
A true hero never worries about titles,
They do what is needed no matter the price.
A true hero is willing to make,
That ultimate sacrifice.
They will lay down their lives,
For their brothers-in-arms,
And give what they can for all those they love.
That is why I willingly gave,
My right leg for the man standing beside me.
I gave what I could so that he would live,
Hoping that he would do the same for another.
poem by Chad LaRowe
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Heroes Are Dead!
Like sacrificial lambs
were heroes quite dead,
with courage they thread
the fate that others feared
to die for sake of majority.
No matter what obstacles
or threats to their mortal lives
heroes dare risk their own honor
to prove the innocence of victims
who succumb to the devilish souls
Heroes stand for justice
and bring back the lost pride
grabbed and stolen by loan sharks
whose only concern is self interest
to enrich more thus wrecking the poor
Heroes deserve a monument
as memoir of their great sacrifices
in every race and country a hero is born
who fights against dictators of destruction
Heroes are the epitome of social justice
poem by Marvin Brato Sr
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We find greatest joy, not in getting, but in expressing what we are...Men do not really live for honors or for pay their gladness is not the taking and holding, but in doing, the striving, the building, the living. It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught. It is good to get justice, but better to do it fun to have things but more to make them. The happy man is he who lives the life of love, not for the honors it may bring, but for the life itself.
quote by R.J. Baughan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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We find greatest joy, not in getting, but expressing what we are. Men do not really live for honors or for pay; their gladness is not in the taking and holding, but in the doing, the striving, the building, the living. It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught. It is good to get justice, but better to do it; fun to have things, but more to make them. The happy man is he who lives the life of love, not for the honors it may bring, but for the life itself.
quote by R.J. Baughan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Madman - His Parables and Poems
You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long
before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all
my masks were stolen,--the seven masks I have fashioned an worn in
seven lives,--I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting,
'Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves.'
Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear
of me.
And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top
cried, 'He is a madman.' I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed
my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun
kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for
the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I
cried, 'Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks.'
Thus I became a madman.
And I have found both freedom of loneliness and the safety from
being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in
us.
But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail
is safe from another thief.
poem by Khalil Gibran
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Amongst The Heroes
When God calls me Home, and Eternal Life greets me,
Promise that, at the very least, this one honor meets me:
Lie me down amongst the heroes, one of which I longed to be-
With one American flag, which belonged to me!
Once the mourners have scattered and the grave is filled,
Say a silent prayer for us, which honors the blood we spilled,
And the courage we displayed, 'For God And Country';
With my earthly death comes an Empyrean Life, which He would want me
To embrace and want you to accept, in all its glory;
I implore you-do not allow those left behind to forget our story:
We selflessly sacrificed, '...so that others may live'.
Please ensure our memory remains pervasive,
Amongst all left behind, to provide for inspiration;
Help us leave this last gift, for our great nation!
poem by Maurice Harris
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Sonnet XXXV: And Yet I Cannot
And yet I cannot reprehend the flight,
Or blame th'attempt presuming so to soar;
The mounting venture for a high delight
Did make the honor of the fall the more.
For who gets wealth that puts not from the shore?
Danger hath honor, great designs their fame,
Glory doth follow, courage goes before.
And though th'event oft answers not the same,
Suffice that high attempts have never shame.
The mean observer (whom base Safety keeps),
Lives without honor, dies without a name,
And in eternal darkness ever sleeps.
And therefore, Delia, 'tis to me no blot
To have attempted, though attain'd thee not.
poem by Samuel Daniel
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Cowardice Act
“To leave the field and run for life”
Leaving the children behind and wife
To hide the face and not face the challenge
To deceive somebody and retract the steps or renege
These are called cowardice acts
Everybody may come forward and sharply react
You will find no place to hide
Its implications are more and wide
Life may be sharp but not edge of the knife
You got to act when situation is rife
Kill or get to be killed is suddenly forgotten,
Thousands of thoughts invade and come often,
Who stands alone amidst ruins,
Bury the dead for honor and not coins,
Worries for dead to offer descent burial
Not to offer any excuses or denial
Not all becomes commanders in field,
Sacrifice life but never submit or yield,
Stick to position and ground very well hold,
Recover more and bring glory to their fold,
With sudden burst of fire shells,
Coward sees it as raining hell,
Think not of holy land but ready to sell,
Let country suffer but I must do or fare well,
It is not confined to war zones alone,
Every field is engulfed and very prone,
the question is where to start and where to end?
All mixed signals received but where to bend?
Material gain can be even compensated,
Loss of lives can still be tolerated,
Food sometimes, we find, may be adulterated,
but how the cowardice can be equated?
Russians lost the war not because they were not brave,
fought valiantly but fallen with honor to graves
It were human waves after waves that stood ground,
New elements in history where honors was found,
To witness the injustice and not to act,
Tolerate the tyranny and not to react,
Shut the eyes to reality or fact,
It is cowardice act in matter of fact,
World cares for brave and pays the homage,
Cowards finds no favor and name only damage,
History remembers them for their brave acts,
Not a word to their dishonor as a matter of fact
Why country or nation has to face the shame?
Why to go after damage control blame game?
Why have we to go for remedial acts?
Only for their action country has to sign humiliating pacts
What can be done with land already parted?
How national pride is revived and started?
How can any nation stand with lost face?
Have we to try sincerely for steps to retrace?
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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On The Execution Of Timothy McVeigh
He will be long remembered due to his heinous crime
For such barbaric acts of cowardliness don't fade away in time
Because of him one hundred and sixty eight had died and he left many with horrific injuries
And memories of him will live on like all bad memories.
But before condemning Tim McVeigh we ought to not forget
That there are as bad still alive as he who will never be put to death
Who are looked upon as heroes where can one draw the line?
So many innocents have died in the name of war yet to many that seems fine.
The leaders who have ordered foreign cities to be bombed from the carnage far away
Live in happy retirement our ageing heroes of today
The blood of innocents on their hands but that seems quite okay
But the wrongs and rights of the taking of human life not for mankind to say.
The war leaders order their fighter pilots to bomb cities far away
But for acts of terror in their homeland there is all hell to pay
And Tim McVeigh for act of terrorism died tightly strapped to a chair
Whilst the one responsible for thousands of deaths lives as a free millionaire.
One seen as a villian and the other a hero though I see them as the same
For one cannot make an excuse for brutal acts of shame
One died though lethal injection the other ageing and gray
Lives in the lap of luxury and a hero still today.
poem by Francis Duggan
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'Tis nobler to lose honor to save the lives of men than it is to gain honor by taking them.
quote by David Borenstein
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Your Hero Will Never Be Mine
By the way you talk of your hero one would swear out of him the sun shine
Don''t try to convince me of his worth your hero will never be mine
To me your hero is responsible of crimes against humanity
Because of him thousands have died and thousands more maimed and injured why do you talk of him to me.
Our values are so very different I''m not saying you are wrong and I''m right
The one that you say is your hero I look on as a lesser light
I won''t argue with you about politics that''s not why I came in here tonight
I came here for a few quiet drinks and all I need is peace and quiet.
Go tell someone else of your hero since of him I do not wish to hear
You know how I feel on that subject so leave me for to drink my beer
For an argument you seem to be looking though for such I am not in the mood
You tell someone else of your hero forgive me if I do seem rude.
I don''t talk to you of my heroes as my heroes would seem cowards to you
But each to their own I believe in and those words as ever ring true
How come all of your heroes are war men did war ever solve anything
The war dead we well may remember but they can''t hear those whom their praises sing.
Don''t talk to me about your hero his type to me does not appeal
''Twould seem you are trying to annoy me since about him you know how I feel
I came here just for a few quiet drinks and since your hero is not a hero to me
Go talk to someone else about him and with what you say they may even agree.
poem by Francis Duggan
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Olney Hymn 50: The Christian
Honor and happiness unite
To make the Christian's name a praise;
How fair the scene, how clear the light,
That fills the remnant of His days!
A kingly character He bears,
No change His priestly office knows;
Unfading is the crown He wears,
His joys can never reach a close.
Adorn'd with glory from on high,
Salvation shines upon His face;
His robe is of the ethereal dye,
His steps are dignity and grace.
Inferior honors He disdains,
Nor stoops to take applause from earth;
The King of kings Himself maintains
The expenses of His heavenly birth.
The noblest creature seen below,
Ordain'd to fill a throne above;
God gives him all He can bestow,
His kingdom of eternal love!
My soul is ravished at the thought!
Methinks from earth I see Him rise!
Angels congratulate His lot,
And shout Him welcome to the skies.
poem by William Cowper
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