TEARS OF SILENCE
I raised you from a boy to young man
I thought I would never tell you a lie
Son I wish I knew why I said the things I did
I thought I would teach you
What my father passed on to me
Every boy one day will walk the walk of a man
When it came time to wear our country's uniform
My father once fought bravely in Japan
The day came when it would be my turn to serve
My father's advise to me "Son, real men don't cry"
Next thing I knew I was in plane off to Viet Nam
I volunteered to fight in a War
That till this day I don't understand
How fighting this War
Would turn me into a man
All I knew was, "Real men don't cry"
I served my tour without a single scratch
Not realizing the War for me would never end
The hidden wounds I would carry for the rest of my life
My father never told me
The things in War I would live to see
All I knew was, "Real men don't cry"
He didn't tell me about the brother's I would come to meet
The ones that would die courageously on the battlefield next to me
He didn't tell me about POW's who never felt freedom again
He didn't tell about the men, KIAs or now MIAs
He didn't tell me about the men we would leave behind to die
All I knew was, "Real men don't cry"
Dear God forgive me for the lies
I told my only son who died in IRAQ
He didn't need to go off to War to become a real man
My father was so wrong
Some of things he taught me
Couldn't save my only son
My tears are silent they will never bring my boy back
All I have now are the memories of my son
Our nation's flag covered on his coffin
The tears of his mother who cries every night
So I fight back the tears because...
"Real don't men cry"