Dover By John Flynn

Elijah was a sergeant, 42 years old

from Mesa Arizona, Elijah won’t grow old

Patrick was with C Troop, Second Armored Cav

His buddies all remember how Patrick loved to laugh

Seth was from East Brunswick, just a newly wed

Somewhere in New Jersey a young widow bows her head

Daniel was from Boston shipped out from Fort Bragg

His mother got back Daniel with a folded flag

Chorus:

Oh big airplane bring’em down easy

Out of the Delaware skies

Oh big airplane Dover is waiting

to welcome the heroes you fly… home

William was in Anbar, combat engineer

1st Marine Division, William isn’t here

Alan rebuilt bridges for Battalion B

Next to cause of death they wrote the letters I E D

Gussie was a scrub nurse hailing from Fort Bliss

Gussie had a spirit this world’s gonna miss

Jeremiah’s son cries on his mamma’s knee

There was no armor plating on his dad’s humvee

Chorus

Scrubbed wooden pallets with white straps cinched over

Long boxes of flag draped aluminum

The C-5 is crowded when it lands in Dover

The honor guard boards and makes room again Making straight for Nineveh, just like Jonah’s whale

Holy truth you swallow, overseas you sail

Precious is the cargo sacred was the gift

offered in the sandstorm from which your wings lift

Those who would pay homage can’t watch you set down

Behind barbed wire sentries miles from their town

No one breathes to question this silent parade