[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6653-6654]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              A TRIBUTE TO SPECIALIST AARON DRAKE SANDLIN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM PRICE

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 6, 2009

  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to 
pay tribute to Specialist Aaron Drake Sandlin, a constituent of the 
Sixth District of Georgia and one of the many Americans who serve in 
our Nation's Armed Forces with honor and valor.

                       My Soldier--Only Yesterday

                        (By T. Maxwell Sandlin)

     Only yesterday--the pregnancy test was positive
     And your mom's face glowed
     Then you were born healthy
     And my pride showed--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--late feedings kept us up nights
     And you ooed and cooed at Christmas lights,
     As in your car seat you saw the sights--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--I snapped your picture
     As you slept like a log;
     With a little stuffed toy
     Called Brownie Dog--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--selling popcorn for the Scouts
     Day after day you went all out.
     We shed a tear--the both of us,
     As you got on that yellow bus--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--crayon artwork on refrigerator
     Drawn by the masterpiece that I would later
     Share with the nation in a cause greater;
     But, we didn't know it then--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--along a river at a family camp
     As you got to know cousins, uncles and aunts,
     And those veteran uncles in the firelight glow,
     Their WWII stories told--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--we faced the coming teenage years
     With their pitfalls, trials and fears.
     You grew so fast you stripped your gears--only yesterday!
     Only yesterday--driving in your first used car,
     The leash got longer
     And you drove far
     I saw you son as a rising star:

[[Page 6654]]

     Becoming a man--only yesterday
     Only yesterday--you were bringing us papers from Sunday 
           School
     And memorizing the Golden Rule.
     Hiking these mountains and swimming in pools.
     You can't be grown. . . . it was only yesterday!!
     Only yesterday--they called your name and you came down
     You and your brother in your caps and gowns,
     All those years we couldn't wait.
     Your mom and I saw you graduate--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--as I rehearse
     Your mother, well, she knew it first
     That after thinking about it hard
     You told her you joined the Army National Guard!!
     She knew I'd be proud and so I was--only yesterday.
     Only yesterday--you went to boot camp at the fort,
     And you did not sell yourself short
     You joined the army at a time of war,
     Like your family that went on before--only yesterday.
     All those yesterdays we enjoyed
     Only yesterday--we learned you were being deployed,
     To fight those who attempt to destroy. . . . Those yesterdays 
           . . .
     Only yesterday--I'll say it over and over:
     Only yesterday--it was me and my Cub Scout
     And today it was me and my soldier!!!

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