If You Fall Down! Poem by Robert Edgar Burns

Go to your left your right, your left!
Company, one two, Halt!
Right-Face! Atten-Shun!
Present - Arms!
Your right arm level with the ground,
And your finger tips are straight.
Your thumb is tucked in smartly
Taps plays as it’s getting late.
No one dares to say a word
As the flag lowers to the ground.
Four soldiers standing at the base
As building one is coming down.
The flag will never touch the grass
For the General will explode.
There is a story behind it,
But you are never told.

Order-Arms! Left-Face!
Company- Forward-March!
Hey little soldier where would you be,
If Uncle Sam hadn’t taken you
And sent you here to me?
If you try to run and go to town,
We will find you and
Knock you to the ground!
There’s only two ways for a soldier to quit.
One is get killed and the other gets a whip!
Company-Double time-March!
One two three four, I love the Marine Corps!
Go left oh left, left right left!
Company-Halt! - Stand at-Ease!
At Ease! -Fall out!

If today was great fun for you,
Just wait for tomorrow
It’s coming quickly too!
You wake in your foxhole
And what do you hear
But the return of tracer rounds
Zipping by your ear!
One round in seven with
White phosphorous inside.
Will tell if someone’s shooting straight
When it hits you in your eye!
Keep your head low boys,
It’s now you finally see
That flag that can’t hit the grass
Was a substitute for thee.
For if you fall down
We will lift you back I say
By the best soldiers in the world,
God Bless The USA!