05/25/2026
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The Burden They Carry
A poem
By William H. McRaven
Wheeling the old warriors
off the Honor Flight plane
with flags and banners,
people calling their names.
From Chosen to Kabul,
from Baghdad to Hue,
after all these years
today was their day.
Oh, the burden they carry,
I heard one woman say.
I wonder if our children
would serve todayBut not far off
another plane left,
with soldiers and sailors,
their solemn duty kept.
Nearby, a young wife,
two children at her side.
It’s the burden she carries
as the plane took flight.
And across the sea
in an ancient land,
a lowered steel ramp,
a song from a band.
A flag-draped coffin.
A fallen hero inside.
It’s the burden they carried,
and they carried it with pride.
Emptiness and sorrow,
pain and loss.
It’s the burden they carry.
The unbearable cost.
They swore an oath
to support and defend.
It’s the burden they carried
to the very end.
Wheeling the old warriors
off the Honor Flight plane
with flags and banners,
people calling their names.
From Fallujah to Khe Sanh,
from V-E to V-J,
after all these years
today was their day.
A young child waved
as the old men passed.
Home to a hero’s welcome.
Home at last.
It’s a burden they carry
for a day like today.
It’s a hallowed price
that they gladly pay.
But to those who carry
the greatest burden of all,
for their loved ones who never
came home—
May God be with you
and let you know,
you’ll never carry that burden
alone.
