Can't Come Home, Till The Last Shots Fired

[Texas]

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The sound of cannon fire filled her ears as she moved through the wounded in a crouching gait. It was horrible, so much death, so much destruction and for what? If this was just over slavery, losing so much life didn’t seem worth it to her. So many young men lay strewn around her.

A bloodied hand reached out towards her and she knelt down, touching the young man and holding his hand tightly. He was one of her boys, one of the men she had helped to train for this fight she had not truly believed in. She had joined it, to try and keep them safe and yet, she had not been able to do that. He lay there before her with grape shot in his chest and she felt the tears burning in her eyes as she held onto his hand.

“Miss, tell ma that I love her.” Her eyes clenched shut as she heard this words, just a breathy gasp that was taken by the wind. She nodded her head, knowing he couldn’t see it, but she couldn’t find any words to speak as her throat was burning so badly. ”You’ll be in good company Johnny. Yer momma will be proud of ya.” He had seemed to hear her words, a soft smile falling onto his face before he was finally taken. It hurt more then words could tell seeing this young men fall, her own boys were around their age and the thought of them getting hurt or worse tormented her every waking moment. She gently placed the young man’s arm onto his chest before she straightened up, the fighting had died down, night was falling, they would be able to give these poor boys the rest they deserved.

When the Yankees charged and the colors fell
Overton hill was a living hell
When we called retreat it was almost dark
I died with a grapeshot in my heart

She raised a hand, her sleeve wiping off the sweat that had formed on her brow as she had moved digging graves for the fallen. The sudden sound of fire came to her ears and her eyes opened wide. No! Not now! There was no time for them to place the rest of the fallen in their graves!

Her eyes raised, seeing New York moving over the hill, his men following after him. She narrowed her eyes, there was one young man she was not going to allow not to have a burial, or to get burned. She knelt down, gently placing Johnny into the grave, she placed a soft motherly kiss onto his forehead before she quickly started to fill in the grave. She wasn’t fast enough.

“You shouldn’t have taken the time to bury them.” That tone, that condescending tone made her skin crawl, but she slowly turned to look at him, not reaching for the pistols on her hips. She stared right at him, her eyes never wavering. ”I won’t let my boys be tread upon and treated badly by ya and yer men. If I lost time in runnin away, then so be it. I don’t like ta retreat anyways.” Her words seemed to have some effect on him, as it gave her time to pull her gun, but a sudden stinging and burning sensation spread and she dropped it. She had been shot right in the wrist, shattering it. “Take her prisoner.”

In June of 1944
I waited in the blood of Omaha's shores
Twenty-one and scared to death
My heart poundin' in my chest

Tensions were high in that boat, she could feel all of it, feeling all of them fidgeting. She had been offered to be with the officers, to be kept ‘safe’ during this, but she wanted to be in the thick of the battle, fighting with the men and fighting against the enemy. It was how she had always done things, how she had always worked and she wasn’t going to change that for anything.

She reached her hand out, placing it onto one of their shoulders and smiling at him. ”It’ll be alright. Just keep lookin forward and never look back.” Her words seemed to help him, and he nodded his head turning to look ahead again, readying himself.

They beached suddenly and the ramps fell down. Instantly there was a blaze of life. Gunfire from the beaches rained upon them and the men surged forward. Christine moved with them, a beacon to the men who served underneath and with her. They followed her through the waters, glancing only once or twice at the men who were shot and felled, their blood turning the once gray waters bloody red. The beaches were soon swarmed with activity as well as the first sea wall was finally reached.

I almost made the first seawall
When my friends turned and saw me fall
I still smell the smoke, I can taste the mud
As I lay there dying from a loss of blood

Another burst of gunfire reached them, hitting them solidly in the chest. Christine staggered and then moved forward again, the only one from her group moving. She glanced back, seeing her men on the ground but she knew she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t rest she had to get up the beaches with the rest of them.

Energy coursed through her legs as she ran, moving from one cover to another as she kept her m16 in front of her, shooting at the Germans that came into her view. There was nothing but fighting fueling her now, nothing but a woman working to fight for her country, wanting to save the people who were being taken advantage for. Fighting for the Freedom that Alfred had inspired in so many people.

She had reached the end and she grabbed one of the men just as he aimed for her, he had been operating a turret. She grabbed him, pulling him through a slit of the barricade and pushing him into the sand. Her knife came out of her boot and she slit his throat quickly. She should have made him suffer, like her men had to, but she was not that kind of woman. She moved quickly with the rest of American’s, English, Free French and Canadian’s who joined her then.

Victory rested with them, they had taken the beaches.

I'm in the fields of Vietnam,
The mountains of Afghanistan
And I'm still hopin', waitin', prayin'
I did not die in vain

The anthem played, the crowd saluted. Men and women walked through the streets, the returning heroes being praised by those they protected. A smile spread across her features as she slowly donned her hat again. It always pleased her, seeing the people acting so patriotic, especially her people. She raised her eyes to the sky, smiling softly at the clouds before she let her eyes close slowly.

”My gun will rise up to fight forever with these brave men and women. When the last shot is fired, Lord, welcome your children home.”

Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til
the last shot's fired
'Til the last shot's fired

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