by Cpl. Robert L. Cook
Jan. 1942-Sept. 1945
Come walk with me
That we may speak
Of places we have been,
Of islands hot,
Of mountains cold,
Of plains and valleys
That unfold
As we remember
Them.
Of the time when
We were young and green,
And not much
Of the world had seen.
When we were awed
By tropic scenes
And by mountains
High
And valleys green.
By oceans wide
And oceans deep,
That we had crossed
To challenge men
Who stood in ranks
With gun and tank
And said to us,
Who came to fight,
That we would die
Before the night
Was nigh.
It mattered not
What was said,
We were Marines
Who had bled,
On foreign soil
For a cause
That was not always
All our own.
So let us part
With this in mind:
We are warriors
For all mankind
Who on this planet
Do abide,
And are a foe
To those who
Kill and torture.
Let those who
Stand before us
Know
We have no mercy
On the foe,
And will not stay
Our hot pursuit
Until the day is won.
* * *
The author: Robert Lin Cook served with Reg. Weapons Co. (2d-2d) from 1942-44, at Guadalcanal and Tarawa, during a 33-month overseas tour.
Come Walk With Me
Eniwetok. . .
Kuwait. . .
Peleliu. . .
