THE FINAL POSTING OF A MILITARY SOLDIER

Just received this poem titled FINAL POSTING by email from an ex-Navy friend.

Let me share it with you. 

FINAL POSTING 

Last night while sleeping

I died or so it seemed ... 

Then I went to heaven

But only in my dream 

Up there my Record Keeper met me
Standing at the Entry Gate,

He said: "I must check your record.
Please stand here and wait."

He turned and said "Your record
is covered with terrible flaws,
On earth I see you rallied
For every losing cause."

I see that you drank rum,
smoked and killed too,
Fact is, you've done everything
A good person should never do.

We can't have people like you up here.
Throughout your life all you did was listen.
You carried out orders without pausing to think.
You never asked for instructions in ink.

Then he read the last of my record

And his eyes grew moist.

He took my hand gently and said:

"Come in, my dear friend
You stood in isolated places and shivered alone
You left your kith, kin, hearth and home
You come from an unresponsive, ungrateful nation
You were denied your rights by every Pay Commission" 

He led me up to the Caretaker of Heaven and said to him:
"Take him in and treat him well,
He has served in the Indian Military.
He's done his time in Hell."