They Bravely Fought: Tales of Brave Deeds and Bells That Toll

Author Jerry Staub returns with his third collection of poems in "They Bravely Fought," honoring courageous Americans who served in combat, recounting some of the brave and heroic actions of those soldiers while recognizing some of the harsh realities that they, and many others, face during war.

After introducing his theme with the poem "They Bravely Fought," Staub, recounts the especially tragic, and poignant, stories of men who were "The First and Last to Die in American Wars." He then explores his own mixed feelings about serving in a maintenance battalion and its rear echelon duty, supporting our combat troops, instead of serving on the front lines in the Vietnam War, in the poem "We Also Served."

Combat in war is often thought of as a man's domain. Staub reminds us that women, too, have fought and sacrificed. In "She Bravely Serves," Staub salutes the women who currently and previously dedicated themselves to the armed forces during times of war.

Staub focuses next on some renowned personalities whose actions during war have impacted many Americans during our history. Among them is General Robert E. Lee whose audacity and brilliant tactical maneuvers during the American Civil War almost won the war for the Confederacy. Then, in the narrative poem, "He Could Not See or Hear," he explores some of the events and misdeeds leading up to Colonel George A. Custer's devastating last stand at the Little Big Horn.

The next sequence of poems in this collection focuses on the fact that the effects of war have never been limited to the battlefield; its physical, mental, and emotional wounds affect soldiers and their loved ones long after the battlefields have cleared, and the dead have been buried.

Innocence is another casualty of war as many of us learned on a fateful September day in 2001. Staub recounts his memories while honoring the men and women who tragically lost their lives on that day in the poem "9-11: A Remembrance." Staub then addresses other realities of war such as, being surrounded by an overwhelming force in Iraq with little hope of reinforcements saving the day, a final reunion of two mortally wounded brothers just prior to their deaths during the Civil War, and the complete destruction of an entire village in Holland during World War II, prior to the Allied invasion into the German heartland.

Next, he relates some other examples of war's casualties which many of us never consider, recounted in the poems, "Prisons Bleak and Gory," "The Ranch House Still Stands," and "In Fields Forever Staying." Finally, we are gravely reminded of war's final toll in the poignant poems, "Where Brave Soldiers Sleep" and "Remember Us."

Staub has a deep and abiding respect for those who have answered the call to fight for our freedoms throughout history. Those who take up the mantle are our first heroes. However, the casualties of war begin on the battlefield and ripple out beyond the front lines and create heroes lesser known. The cost of war is borne by the soldiers on the front lines and the innocents at home, and they, each in their own way, bravely fought.

Author: Jerry L. Staub

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: Sep 21, 2023

Number of Pages: 68 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798862040326