Slaughter in Chattanooga

The day started out as business as usual

In Chattanooga, Tennessee

At two military complexes until

A cowardly killer went on a spree

Killing four U.S. servicemen.

A day that started out calm instead

Became a nightmare of mayhem and horror,

And two days later one more was dead.

Sergeant Sullivan and Lance Corporal Wells

Were two servicemen killed at the scene,

Along with Staff Sergeant Wyatt,

And Sergeant Holmquist, another Marine.

Naval Officer Randal Smith

Died in the hospital two days later.

All five were unfortunate victims

Of a misguided thug--a vindictive hater.

The gunman was also killed at the second

Site of the shootings. That put an end

To the killer's savage, senseless slaughter

That is so hard to comprehend.

The murdered servicemen were not just soldiers,

But also husbands, fathers, and sons.

Their fate was not to escape the bullets;

They weren't among the lucky ones.

As we mourn these five we must

Also mourn the fate of humanity:

When hatred, ignorance, and twisted ideas

Kill so many, that is insanity!

Did the killer murder "for God"

To secure a place in Paradise?

That doesn't make any sense at all.

If so, he's in for a big surprise!

(7-18-15) By Bob B