My vest is full of patches both old and new,

Representing places I've been and things I do.

 

Most in the front and layered in a stack,

But none say more than the batch on my back.

 

I earned it in battle as a combat vet,

It services as a constant reminder to never forget.

 

The first thing you'll notice is the skull and spade,

Reminder that the debt of war is never paid.

 

Every color has a meaning and a story to tell,

And every story has a meaning we all know too well.

 

To show unity as soldiers we use the military gold,

For every branch of service both new and old.

 

Red represents the blood that my brothers have bled,

Not all known by me, but a tear for each I've shed.

 

With heavy hearts we display the symbolic color black,

For the missing, the prisoners, and those who never made it back.

 

Yes I know it's just a patch - made of cloth and thread,

But because of what it means, I'll respect it until the day I'm dead.