Terry D. Sutherland

RITES OF PASSAGE

Awarded: July 10, 2008Rites of passage celebrated
In a jungle so hot and damp
No happiness was generated
For passage in a soldier’s camp

Boys who couldn’t drink or vote
Died alone for you and me
No music, not a single note
No angelic harmony

Dreams that would never be
Consumed in a jungle floor
This they said to set men free
Well, the trade was mighty poor

Freedom is a state of mind
It lives in the minds of those alive
There is no freedom you will find
When a young brave soldier dies

Rites of passage come and go
In a jungle so hot and damp
The young man you used to know
Is now a man in a soldier’s camp