Stalingrad: 70th Anniversary
Francis A. Boyle
February 3, 2014
We got off the boat at the docks
Walking into town I was asked
Could I lay some flowers
At the War Memorial
On the Banks of the Volga?
Of course I said yes.
Honored and pleased
My Dad had fought the Japanese
At Saipan, and Tinian and Okinawa
The Nazis were not his war
But We were Allies
In the Noble Cause to Defeat Fascism
As I neared the Statue
On the Banks of the Volga
A young Komsomol Girl appeared
All dressed in white
carrying a wreath of roses
A band was playing
Joyful, not somber
The Town Elders assembled
The sun was shining
a most beautiful day
On the Banks of the Volga
I lay my wreath of roses
To the Defenders and Victims at Stalingrad
And bowed my head in silent reflection
If the Soviets had not held at Stalingrad
All Europe today would be speaking German
And saluting: Heil Hitler!
Deutschland, Deutschland
But not Uber Alles
My Dad was smiling
On the Banks of the Volga
ENDS