Choir Notes

To Fallen Soldiers Let Us Sing

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4315

To fallen soldiers let us sing 

Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing; 

Our broken brothers let us bring 

To the mansions of the Lord.... 

No more bleeding, no more fight; 

No prayers pleading through the night; 

Just divine embrace, eternal light 

In the mansions of the Lord.1 

This stirring hymn was written by Randall Wallace and performed by the Armed Forces Chorus for President Ronald Reagan’s funeral recessional in 2004. It is a song for soldiers—for brave men and women who give their all to uphold freedom. 

Oh, that there can come the day when wars shall cease and peace shall reign on the earth. In the meantime, let us strive to be people of peace, and let us honor those who answer the call of duty to preserve that peace. Let us remember, on this day and always, the men and women who died while serving our country. 

One family woke up early on Memorial Day to attend a sunrise service at the local cemetery. They braved steady rain and cold morning temperatures to see flags fly and to hear retired soldiers play taps. They listened to community leaders recall the sacrifices of those who had served their country so well. They knew that this day of remembrance is so much more than the start of the summer vacation, more than picnics and parties and a day off work. It is a day to honor, to remember, and to cherish freedom and those who defend its cause. It is a day to recommit to our civic duty and to uphold the principles of freedom. It is a day to give fervent thanks for that eternal light and divine embrace in the mansions of the Lord, to which we have entrusted our beloved fallen soldiers. 

1 Randall Wallace, "The Mansions of the Lord” (2002).