29/10/2026
Stand Tall. Stand Proud, Brother.
A Modern Poem of Remembrance, written by Mark RĂĽssell
Stand tall. Stand proud, brother.
For we have walked where others fear to tread,
We've shared the laughter, faced the darkness,
And mourned the names of those now dead.
We came from different towns and cities,
Different lives, yet stood as one.
We wore our different uniforms,
But shared a purpose till the job was done.
United in our common calling,
Through darkest nights and breaking dawn.
Whatever badge, whatever service,
We stood together, side by side, as one.
We knew each other's hopes and worries,
The secrets that we'd never share,
The loved ones waiting for our homecoming,
The silent burdens each would bear.
We stood together through the good times,
Through darkest nights and breaking dawn.
And when one stumbled, others lifted,
For no one faced the storm alone.
Stand tall. Stand proud, my sister.
Your courage stands beside our own.
For bonds are forged beyond our differences,
And none shall ever stand alone.
Some came home to loving families,
Some returned forever changed.
Some remain upon foreign hillsides,
Their names remembered, lives unchanged.
And though the years may dim our uniforms,
And time may take our youth away,
The bond we forged through shared endeavour
Lives within our hearts today.
To those who marched these roads before us,
To those who serve in years to come,
The fellowship shall never falter,
Though many voices now are gone.
For brotherhood is more than service,
And sisterhood more than a name.
It's trust, it's love, it's sacrifice,
A bond that time cannot reclaim.
So stand tall. Stand proud, my brother.
Stand tall. Stand proud, my friend.
For though our time in arms may finish,
Our fellowship shall never end.
And when the world falls into silence,
When heads are bowed and flags are lowered,
We stand for those no longer with us,
Whose lives and courage we still honour.
Remember them.
Not just today, but every day.
In every heart, in every memory,
Their names shall never fade away.
Remember them.
Those who came before.
Those who stand beside us.
Those who will follow.
Now and forever.
We will remember them.