[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8469]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THEY'RE NOT COMING HOME

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2017

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this Memorial Day in honor and 
remembrance of all The Fallen who gave That Last Full Measure. I 
include in the Record this poem penned in their honor by Albert Carey 
Caswell.

                        They're Not Coming Home

                       (By Albert Carey Caswell)

     They're not coming home
     To their families where they belong,
     who now must live so all alone
     And to their Brothers In Arms,
     who heard their last most heroic moans
     No, they're not coming home
     As up to Heaven they have flown
     On the wings of an Angel which they now own
     As Angels In The Army Lord to fight this new battle,
     but not alone
     They are not coming home
     Could any of us such courage own?
     And go off to war
     And leave all that you so love and adore
     For all the more
     And for all their Brothers and Sisters to their left,
     to their right endure
     Oh the dreaded cost and horrors of war
     Am sorry my dear child,
     your Daddy or Mommy are not here no more
     To hold you and tell you how much you they adore
     To tuck you in at night
     To assure you everything's all right
     I know it's hard to hold the tears back you fight
     Daddy, Mommy, oh how I wish you were here tonight!
     As it gets harder to see their face with each year insight
     But, they're not coming home
     And as you awake in the middle of the night
     Hush my child and don't you cry,
     everything is going to be all right
     Your parents are Angels now at the height
     As they watch over you in the middle of the night
     Both day and night,
     as you will always be in their sights
     Can't you feel their angel's breath envelop you,
     and hold you so very tight
     And one day up in Heaven together again you'll take flight
     America, on this blessed day
     Give thanks,
     and give your most solemn praise
     As you kneel and pray
     For all those heroes who gave
     That Last Full Measure,
     who make up the home of the free and brave
     On this Memorial Day
     Give thanks to all of those who gave
     As out to their loved ones call each and every day
     And tell them how much their sacrifice means to us in every 
           way
     For the real heroes are the ones who fell,
     who now lie in deep dark cold quiet graves I do tell
     Who on Christmas mornings we no longer hear,
     their laughter as they appear
     Even the warm memories we take,
     in our hearts still can't replace
     Just to look into their face
     Oh how your hearts break
     Cause they're not coming home
     But, in a box with the names they own
     And some will never be found,
     only our Lord God knows them now
     No, they're not coming home
     Sadly, for any Nation to grow and thrive
     Our most precious and most courageous of all loved ones must 
           die
     Must lay down their lives
     As it the price of freedom so very high
     The price all of their loved ones so despise
     Who must now live with tears in eyes
     The magnificents who upon this Nation relies
     Am so sorry but they're not coming home tonight
     Amen

                          ____________________