Yes, ring the bells, and blow the horns, and wave the banners high,
But do you mind if some of us just sit quietly by?
The ticker tapes are falling in the city streets like, rain
The wind is blowing sand across the graves at Alamein

Here come the bands, with majorettes responding to the cheers
A boy is looking at his sleeve and winking back the tears.
"What shall we wear to the dance tonight? Let's get some fancy things".
She's just a girl- the one in black, they sent her back his wings.

We won a brilliant battle and we loved a gorgeous fight
"The blondes beneath the Bering Sea are bitter cold tonight.
"Don't you get excited now, when all the flags are flying?"
That woman with the Gold Star Pin, I think I saw her crying

"So Hitler thought that he could fight! We had to show him how!"
The blood and tears and toil and sweat have been forgotten now
"Let's go and eat and drink until we're positively filled
Tarawa was the place I think, they said that he was killed

"Let's move along; we can't stay here till all the marchers pass."
That fellow with the ribbons on--- his eyes were made of glass.
Yes, ring the bells, and blow the horns, and wave the banners high.
But do you mind if some of us just sit quietly by?

The above poem, written by Howard N. Simpson, US Marine Corps, was donated by an American lady who worked in a used bookshop. It was found many years ago between pages of a book that had been taken into the shop. She has kindly passed it on to this site for others to read.
As you read it you will realise that although the Marine was happy the war was done he could not join in the celebrations because he was still thinking of his lost comrades.