Many people the praises of warriors do sing
And they talk of war as if war is a good thing
There are tears in their eyes when the last post is played
And proudly they march in every war parade
Every day in war zones more people do die
And the war supposed to end all wars was based on a lie
And more wars are waged now than ever before
The lessons of history we tend to ignore
The coward from the battle turned and ran away
But the hero is dead and the coward lives today
They talk of the heroes in battles lost and won
But in war there's no winner when all is said and done
From the heat of the battle the coward ran away
But he is a very proud grand-dad today.

Francis Duggan

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-hero-is-dead/