This page is for the men and women who served in Vietnam — many of whom came home to silence instead of thanks, and carried their stories alone for decades. These poems are written to give families the words that were never spoken, to honor the courage that endured, and to offer peace at last.
All poems use he/him pronouns by default. Please feel free to change them to she/her, they/them, or any language that honors your loved one.
Vietnam veterans came home differently than those who came before them. Not to parades or outstretched hands, but to silence — or worse. Many were met with hostility. Some were told not to wear their uniforms in public. Others came home to families who didn’t know how to ask, and to a country that had moved on without them.
The wounds didn’t end at the war’s edge. Agent Orange followed men home in their bodies, taking decades to surface. PTSD didn’t have a name yet, but the nightmares did. The Wall — that long black mirror in Washington — became the memorial they never got at the airport: 58,318 names cut into stone, finally acknowledged.
Many Vietnam veterans spent decades carrying what they saw without ever being asked about it. They built lives, raised families, showed up — and kept the worst of it locked away, because no one seemed to want to hear it.
A funeral for a Vietnam veteran holds all of that history. The grief in the room is layered — loss, yes, but also something older. A recognition that should have come sooner. Words that were never said while there was still time to say them.
The poems and ceremony scripts in this collection were written for that specific weight. They are for the veteran who kept the worst of it locked away, for the family who saw without fully understanding, and for the room full of people finally ready to say: we see you. We are proud of you. Welcome home.
All poems were written by C. Lindorfer of Noted & Charmed and are free for personal funeral program use with credit to Noted & Charmed. They are not available for republication or resale.
Looking for more veterans poems or a practical guide to building the program? Visit our companion posts:
Original Poems for a Military Veteran’s Funeral Program | More Poems: Invocations, Tributes & Benedictions | What to Include in a Military Veteran’s Funeral Program
Jump to a poem:
Welcome Home •
We Saw You •
The Quiet Years •
At the Wall •
The Long Shadow •
The Long Road Home •
For the Soldier Who Waited •
After Fifty Years •
Welcome Home, Soldier •
The Watch Is Over •
The Things You Never Said •
From One Who Was There •
Benediction for a Soldier •
Ceremony Scripts
How to Use These Poems
Families often aren’t sure how to work a poem into a service — or where it belongs in the program. Here are the most common ways these pieces are used:
Read aloud during the service or graveside. Any of the poems in this collection can be read by a family member, fellow veteran, chaplain, or officiant. “Welcome Home,” “The Long Road Home,” and “Welcome Home, Soldier” work especially well as spoken readings. “The Things You Never Said” and “We Saw You” are particularly powerful when read by someone who knew the veteran personally. “From One Who Was There” is written specifically to be read by a fellow Vietnam veteran.
Print in the funeral program or memorial card. Shorter pieces like “The Watch Is Over,” “Benediction for a Soldier,” and “At the Wall” fit cleanly on a back cover or interior page. “After Fifty Years” — with its haiku close — works beautifully as a standalone insert or memorial card. Include the credit line: Poem by C. Lindorfer / Noted & Charmed.
Use as part of the folded-flag presentation. The Folded-Flag Presentation Script in the Ceremony Scripts section below is written specifically for this moment. It can be read by the honor guard member presenting the flag, or by the officiant while the flag is being folded. Print it in the program so guests can follow along during the honors portion of the service.
Pair with the reading of names at The Wall or a memorial display. “At the Wall” was written for exactly this moment — when a name is spoken aloud in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or a local replica. It can be read before or after the name is called, or printed on a card placed at the base of a memorial display.
Include in a memory table or shadow box display. Print a short poem on card stock and place it alongside photos, medals, and insignia. “The Quiet Years,” “The Long Shadow,” and “For the Soldier Who Waited” work well in this context — quiet, dignified, and personal.
If you’re designing the program yourself, our Military & Patriotic Funeral Program Templates are fully editable in Canva and available for instant download. No design experience needed.
Welcome Home
The recognition they never got
We should have been here then —
on the tarmac,
hands outstretched,
calling your name over the roar of the engines.
Instead, the years closed in around you,
and you carried your own parade in your chest,
marching alone through the noise and the quiet.
So hear it now,
from every voice gathered here:
Welcome home.
Welcome home to the place
where your service is honored,
your courage is seen,
and your name is spoken with pride.
We Saw You
From the family’s perspective
We didn’t know the weight you carried —
the nights you woke before dawn,
the way certain sounds
made you leave the room without a word.
We didn’t understand
why you kept some stories locked away,
or why your eyes sometimes looked
at something far beyond us.
But we saw you.
We saw the way you worked,
the way you showed up,
the way you kept going
when no one had thanked you.
And if we didn’t say it then,
we say it now:
We are proud of you.
We love you.
We saw you.
The Quiet Years
For the veteran who never spoke of it
You never told the whole story.
Maybe you thought we wouldn’t understand,
or maybe you just wanted
to keep the worst of it
from touching us.
So you carried it —
through jobs,
through birthdays,
through long drives with the radio low.
That’s a long time
to hold something that heavy.
You can set it down now.
The watch is over.
The burden is not yours anymore.
At the Wall
For when their name is spoken aloud
Your name is here,
cut into stone,
but it was carved in us long before.
We speak it now,
not in mourning alone,
but in honor —
so it will not fade,
so it will not be lost
to the wind between these panels.
You are more than the letters here.
You are every year that followed,
every person who carried you forward,
and the welcome — long overdue —
that you have at last.
The Long Shadow
For those who died decades later from Agent Orange and the war’s lingering wounds
The war did not end when you came home.
It followed in the air you breathed,
in the soil beneath your boots,
in the quiet years when no one knew
what you carried inside.
It took its time,
but it could not take your courage.
You fought again,
this time without medals or parades,
and you fought with the same resolve.
Today we name it,
and we name you —
not as a victim,
but as a soldier who gave his life
in two wars,
decades apart.
The Long Road Home
Lyrical free verse — for a reflective reading
You came back
to streets that did not cheer,
to voices that did not ask,
to a country that turned its face away.
So you built your own homecoming —
in the steady work of your hands,
in the laughter of children,
in the quiet pride of a folded uniform
tucked in the back of the closet.
Today, the road ends here,
and we line it with our voices:
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
For the Soldier Who Waited
Formal verse — dignified and ceremonial
No banners met your weary steps that day,
no music marked the ending of your war.
The years went on; you bore the weight alone,
and silence was the medal you received.
But here, among the ones who know your name,
we speak the thanks that should have met you then.
Your watch is done; the burden’s laid to rest.
The peace you earned is yours at last.
After Fifty Years
Haibun — prose and haiku
You never told us everything.
We learned to read the pauses — the way your eyes shifted when the news came on, the way you stood a little apart at parades. The war came home with you, and it stayed.
Now, the silence is over. We speak your name, and we speak our gratitude.
autumn wind rises
your shadow walks beside us
into the sunlight
Welcome Home, Soldier
Ghazal — musical and elegiac
You crossed the ocean with no welcome home, soldier.
You walked through crowds that would not meet your eyes, soldier.
The years were long, the nights were longer still,
and no one asked what haunted you inside, soldier.
But you kept going, built a life from quiet,
and carried all the weight you could not hide, soldier.
Today we stand, the honor guard you earned,
and give the words the world denied, soldier:
Welcome home. Welcome home. Welcome home, soldier.
The Watch Is Over
Short graveside verse
You stood your post through fire and rain,
through years of silence, loss, and strain.
Now rest, where no more orders call —
your name is spoken, remembered by all.
The Things You Never Said
Prose poem — conversational and true
You never told us what it smelled like there,
or how the air felt heavy in the mornings.
You never told us about the faces you remembered,
or the ones you tried to forget.
But we saw the way you stood when the anthem played,
the way you folded the flag with both hands,
the way you kept certain dates in your head.
We didn’t need the stories to know the truth:
you gave more than you got back.
And now, we give you what you should have had all along —
our thanks, our pride, our welcome home.
From One Who Was There
Written in the voice of a fellow Vietnam veteran — for a comrade to read at the service
We were young then,
and the world was loud with fire.
We learned to move fast,
to trust the man beside us,
to keep going when the ground shook.
I remember your laugh in the dust,
your steady hands when mine shook,
the way you never left anyone behind.
We came home to a silence
we didn’t deserve,
and we carried it for years.
Brother, you’ve made it home now —
the real home,
where the noise is gone
and the watch is over.
I’ll see you on the other side of the wire.
Benediction for a Soldier
Universal, non-religious — for the close of the service
Go now in peace,
your duty done,
your burdens laid down.
May your name be spoken with honor,
your story remembered with pride,
and your rest be deep and unbroken.
The road is clear.
The watch is complete.
Welcome home.
Ceremony Scripts & Citations
The following pieces are designed for use during the ceremony itself — spoken by a chaplain, officiant, VFW post commander, or honor guard member. They can also be printed in the program so guests can follow along.
Formal Citation
Suitable for reading aloud by an officiant or printed on the inside cover of the program.
For conspicuous courage, steadfast duty, and unyielding devotion to comrades and country during and after the Vietnam conflict.
[Name], having served with honor in the face of hardship, returned to a homeland divided, without the welcome owed to one who bore the nation’s burden. In the years following, he conducted himself with quiet dignity, building a life of service to family, community, and those who shared his path.
He carried the unseen weight of war without complaint, embodying the highest traditions of the United States Armed Forces: loyalty, integrity, and perseverance. His resilience in the absence of recognition stands as a testament to his character and to the enduring spirit of the American veteran.
In recognition of a lifetime of honorable conduct, and in solemn acknowledgment of the sacrifices borne in silence, we hereby render final honors.
Rest now, soldier. Your watch is complete. Welcome home.
Graveside Honors Citation
A shorter spoken tribute for graveside services — read by a VFW post commander, chaplain, or family member.
For faithful service in the Republic of Vietnam,
for courage under fire,
and for a lifetime of quiet duty after the war,
we honor [Name].
He returned to a divided home,
yet lived with dignity,
upholding the highest traditions
of the United States Armed Forces.
Today, in the presence of family, comrades, and country,
we render final honors.
Rest now, soldier.
Your watch is complete.
Welcome home.
Folded-Flag Presentation Script
For use during the flag folding ceremony. The honor guard member kneels before the next of kin, holding the folded flag in both hands, voice steady and respectful.
On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States [Branch of Service], and a grateful nation,
we present this flag in recognition of your loved one’s faithful service.
[Name] served with honor in the Republic of Vietnam,
returned to a divided home,
and lived the rest of his life with quiet dignity and steadfast devotion.
Though the thanks he deserved came too late,
we speak them now, with full measure:
Welcome home, soldier. Your watch is complete.
The honor guard member presents the flag to the next of kin, pauses, and renders a slow salute.
Browse More
- Original Poems for a Military Veteran’s Funeral Program
- More Poems: Invocations, Tributes & Benedictions
- What to Include in a Military Veteran’s Funeral Program
- Military & Patriotic Funeral Program Templates
A Note on the Name in the Header Image
The name Thomas Hugh Amos appears here because it’s how I chose to honor him. I wore his POW/MIA bracelet for years —(Major) Captain Thomas H. Amos, U.S. Air Force.
He was shot down on April 20, 1972, over Quang Tin Province, Vietnam. Missing for more than two decades. His remains were recovered in 1994 and identified in 1999 — twenty-seven years after he was lost.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Promoted post humorous to Major.
Some gave all. Captain Amos was one of them. This page is, in part, for him.
Thank you for considering Noted & Charmed to help honor your loved one. Sending comfort and heartfelt condolences as you create a beautiful tribute.
© C. Lindorfer / Noted & Charmed. All poems in this collection are original works and are free for personal, non-commercial funeral program use with credit to Noted & Charmed. They may not be republished, redistributed, sold, or included in any collection — print or digital — without written permission. For licensing inquiries, contact us directly.