The Battle of Rainbow Pass

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away (Lyrics from an old army ballad quoted by Gen, Douglas MacArthur in his resignation speech).
“Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
Those who survived to get old.
Young soldiers who fell,
Their memory will never fade away.
Many wars
Many battles
Many years
Many scars
Many died
Many tears.
A grateful nation forever indebted to thee.

On this day and within the ranks,
not with guns and tanks,
but equality unmet,
let us ne’er forget,
The great battle of Rainbow Pass,
Fought by the marginalized class.
The battle they won’t talk about,
and soldiers can never tout.
On the land, the Sea and in the air,
they were always there,
fighting for freedom but never free,
never free to just be.
O’er the years our flag still flies,
to take our freedom our leader tries.
Many allies, they take our side.
They grab our banner and stand for pride.
So, much ground we’ve gained,
that won’t ever be stained,
with hatred and bigotry,
as we hold our dignity.
We won’t surrender nor concede,
because freedom and equality are forever our need.

Rainbow soldiers never die, nor do they fade away,
They stand and fight for all that is right!
Patsy, 2017

