The Final Inspection

SGT Joshua Young — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:23:01 -0400

Enjoy this poem. It sure is a favorite of mine.

The soldier stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass;
He hoped his shoes were shining bright,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you turned the other cheek?
To my church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't;
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was rough;
I've had to break your rules my Lord,
Because the world is awfully tough.

But, I never took a thing
That wasn't mine to keep;
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear;
And sometimes ... God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here;
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand;
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints often trod;
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, soldier,
You've borne your burdens well;
Come walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in HELL!"
~ Author: Sgt.Joshua Helterbran ~

Response by SGT Richard H. made Oct 30 at 2014 10:27 AM

SGT Richard H. — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:27:15 -0400

I've never seen that one before. I like it...A lot!

Response by PO2 Jonathan Scharff made Oct 30 at 2014 10:27 AM

PO2 Jonathan Scharff — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:27:03 -0400

Thank you for sharing that! I have never seen that either.

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2014 1:42 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 13:42:26 -0400

I'm not religious in the least, but the imagery and intent are quite nice. Thank you for sharing SGT Young.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2014 7:38 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:38:30 -0400

Wow. I never heard that before, but wow. Great poem.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Sep 23 at 2015 9:10 PM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 21:10:04 -0400

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the final inspection poem - Bing Videos