I was jogging with my Ipod on shuffle the other day when a Trace Adkins song, “Arlington,” came on. I had never heard it before. The lyrics start out benign enough…
“I never thought that this is where I’d settle down,
I thought I’d die an old man back in my hometown,
They gave me this plot of land, me and some other men, for a job well done”
“Oh man,” I was thinking, “this is going to be one of those typical country songs. Maybe his dog and girlfriend left him too.”
Here is the rest of the song…definitely not your broken down truck country lyrics. Kudos to Trace Adkins on this song, a perfect song to post on Veteran’s Day!
The man inside he cried the day they brought me home,
They folded up a flag and told my mom and dad, we’re proud of your son
And I’m proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,
I’m on sacred ground and I’m in the best of company,
I’m thankful for those thankful for the things I’ve done,
I can rest in peace, I’m one of the chosen ones, I made it to ArlingtonI remember daddy brought me here when I was eight,
We searched all day to find out where my granddad lay,
And when we finally found that cross,
He said, “son this is what it cost to keep us free” Now here I am,
A thousand stones away from him,
He recognized me on the first day I came in,
And it gave me a chill when he clicked his heels, and saluted me.And every time I hear twenty-one guns,
I know they brought another hero home to us
We’re thankful for those thankful for the things we’ve done,
We can rest in peace, ’cause we are the chosen ones,
We made it to Arlington, yea dust to dust,
Don’t cry for us, we made it to Arlington
Mike Slayen ~ Guitarist 
You might enjoy this poem about families and absence, “While He’s Away: A Poem About Being Gone.” http://wp.me/p3BzWN-lB