Comment from Ginda Simpson

Excellent

It is a solemn voice, but oh, so very important. Thank you for writing this piece and bringing awareness to not just loss of life, but to loss of well-bring which robs them and their families of the best part of these soldiers. Too little, too late from our government.

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Dear Ginda, thank you so
much for caring. I hope the
passage (finally) of the
PACT Act will be the beginning of good
medical care for our soldiers
Many blessings to you &
your family. ~

Comment from kiwisteveh

Exceptional

I saw your title and my mind immediately leapt to Cinderella, but oh no, your graphic and soulful piece describes a group of people who were treated so much more harshly and certainly did not have the happy ever after ending of that fairy-tale character.

Vivid word choice and warts and all description make this into an intensely powerful free verse piece that will almost certainly fare well in the contes.

Good luck.

Steve

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Dear Steve, thank you so much for taking the time to
read, and for the generous
review of my sad poem. I
hope the passage of the
PACT Act (finally) will give
our sickened soldiers the
good care they deserve.
Many blessings to you and
your family. ~

Comment from Jim Wile

Excellent

You've brought to light a sorry chapter in our military's history, Regina, with this graphic poem portraying the horrors of the burn pits and the seeming uncaring of the leadership in not providing protective gear to those whose job it was to man them. With all the rules and regulations put forth by the EPA for some time now, it's such a shame that the government couldn't have shown the same interest in safety for it's own servicemen. It almost strains belief.

Thank you for bringing this to light with this honest and heartfelt poem. Jim

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Dear Jim, thank you so much
for taking the time to read
and review my sad poem.
I hope the passage of the
PACT Act, finally, gives good
care to our deserving soldiers. It sure is about time
Many blessings to you and
your family. ~

Comment from barbara.wilkey

Excellent

Thank you for sharing this contest entry with us. Also thank you for speaking up for so many who can't. It's unbelievable what our government has put our soldiers through. Good luck with the contest.

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Dear Barbara, thank you so
much for taking the time to
read and review my sad poem. I hope with the passage of the PACT Act,
finally, our soldiers will be
given better care. Many
blessings to you and your
family. Thank you for the
5 stars. ~

Comment from GWHARGIS

Excellent

Have you published your work? I would think many former military men and women would take solace in your words. You make them feel heard. I enjoyed (if that is the proper way to describe reading) the subject matter and Thank-you for keeping their voices in our ears. Great poem. Gretchen

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so much, Gretchen, for caring, and for
your generous review of my
sad poem. I pray that with
the PACT Act, finally, our
soldiers will get the good
care they deserve. Thank you
so much for caring. Many
blessings to you and your
family. ~

Comment from Ginnygray

Exceptional

Regina, this poem is vivid in description! I feel those horrible burn pits and weep for all those who were lost to such heinous cruelty in defense of our country. You have written with a compassionate pen that evokes all who read your poem to support the tunnel to towers efforts in the hopes to improve the VA and it's efforts to provide better health care for our severely injured warriors! Thank you for this lovely poem and free verse!

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so much,
Ginnygray, for your kind words for our military. The
PACT Act finally passes. I
sure hope this is what will
usher in better care for
our soldiers. They deserve
superior care. Thank you
for your empathic heart.Blessings to you and
your family. ~

Comment from Richard Montfort Cary

Exceptional

R,
Such an important poem you've penned. Hard for us who love this nation to hear, but vitally important. To imagine, our own leaders creating this nightmare, not only for our own children, but for the rest of the world. Makes me want to throw things against the wall...
R

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so much, Richard.
Yes, the U.S. has such a
tragically abysmal track
record in its neglect of our
military. What I'm hoping
for is the PACT Act that
recently passed, actually
gives good care for our
deserving soldiers. Thank
you for your empathic
caring, and for the generous
6 stars. Many blessings to
you ~

reply by Richard Montfort Cary on 24-May-2023

:>)

reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Hi Richard, yes, there are civilian
victims too, such as contractors,
and civilian men, women, and
children of those two countries.
I don't know what's being done
for them. Thank you for your
empathic caring. This poem has
gotten a huge response. Many
blessings to you. ~

Comment from John Ciarmello

Excellent

Regina,
The sincerity in your tone and the pureness of your poetry never falls short of honoring our fallen men and women of the military.
You have done them proud! Best, JohnC

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so very much,
John, along with other voices, I want to give our
neglected military the
attention they deserve. I
hope the passage of the
PACT Act, will get them the
medical care they so bravely
earned. Thank you for
caring, and for the 5 stars.
Many blessings to you. ~

Comment from Terry Broxson

Exceptional

Regina, a powerful poem and beautifully written. This is a sad reminder that our politicians hate war...but do it anyway. They love to speak about supporting the troops...and sometimes, because of voices like yours, they are actually forced to do so. Exceptional. Terry.

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so much, Terry.
I pray that with the passage
of the PACT Act, our troops
sickened will get good care
that they earned, and deserve
Thank you for caring, and
thank you for the very
generous 6 stars. Many
blessings to you & your
family. ~

Comment from evilynne

Excellent

How terribly sad. It is a well written thought provoking work that remembers the plight of our soldiers. I was not aware of this situation; I am educated through your writing. Best of luck in the contest! Evi

 Comment Written 23-May-2023

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reply by the author on 24-May-2023

Thank you so much, Evi.
And also, thank you for
caring. I pray that with the
PACT Act, our sickened
soldiers get the good care
they earned and deserve.
Thank you for the 5 stars .
Many blessings to you. ~