composite, composite material, ceramic matrix composites, inventor

Mark Rauschert's 2010
Tribute to
Lucas Starcevich

A  life time, yet no time.

If he were my son, and I had made such an investment in him,

I would weep that my country is so callus, so shallow, so weak,

But the failings of our society, of our nation, of ourselves,

does not weaken, nor even detract of such concrete sacrifices, 

of such heroes as Lucas,

and all the other now nameless, faceless, patriot graves of this nation.

I see them all now...

They are standing at roll call... snapping 'to' and sounding off...

and I am living just the same... perhaps I am thinking of them,

perhaps I am not, 

Yet they have paid the price for my inattention,

and my wandering devotion...

235 Years of patriots' graves...

Each one... by himself... a hero...

I see them all now...

Young, boyish, staid in their time...

Not transfigured, not aged, not polluted by time...

and here we thought, all along,

here we grieved,

that they were the ones cheated,

they were the ones,

early to the grave....

And now we learn,

through momentary glimpses,

brought about by God's great graces,

of windows in time,

supernatural to we mortals,

that these heroes, that we thought dead,

and forgotten, and numberless,

now stand... in numbers beyond what they

thought possible in life...

I snap to attention...and see

in an eternal cobblestone yard,

dressed in all formalities they bear,

and march in step thru all eternity,

with more classes than we count,

and walk by, armaments high,

and elbows, shoulders, all in line

(never before have they marched so... 

so perfectly in line)...

and I see my son...

the one sacrificed,

standing once again in line...

and although they are legions, thousands,

of men such as mine, 

that as he passes, I can see him, still proud,

still in line....

stepping with more energy

than he had in this life,

more intently, more completely,

as if this were his life...

and he snaps at attention, left face, 

still in line....

grins at me, but not speaking,

and says, with his beaming,

confident smile, 

'Dad...this is what I wanted,

I am fine.'

Read "One Last Message" TIME magazine May 24, 2007

In Remembrance

Please Visit "Salute for Fallen Soldier" and watch the video

Please Visit Soldier Wall

Kaziah Hancock "The Goat Woman" paints portraits
of the fallen. Visit the gallery at the "Project
Compassion" web site.

Please, also Visit The American Bronze Star Recipient Registry

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Copyright © 2007 - 2010 Brad Starcevich