NAMING OF PARTS

	November 11, 1999
	Some Veterans Day words from "NewsHour" contributor Robert Pinsky, Poet Laureate of the United States. He recorded this earlier today at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington.

ROBERT PINSKY: Veterans don't always talk about the dramatic valor and sacrifice represented by the great image behind me. Sometimes they talk about military life as though the military were a foreign country with its own language and customs that make a person feel homesick. Henry Reed was a British airman in World War II. His poem about a rifle lesson, the naming of parts, contrast it is language of the rifle lesson representing the military with the vegetation, the flowers, and branching surrounding the soldiers, taking the lesson. Here is "The Naming of Parts" by Henry Reed: Today we have naming of parts. Yesterday, We had daily cleaning. And tomorrow morning, We shall have what to do after firing. But today, Today we have naming of parts. Japonica Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens, And today we have naming of parts. This is the lower sling swivel. And this Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see, When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel, Which in your case you have not got. The branches Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures, Which in our case we have not got. This is the safety-catch, which is always released With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see Any of them using their finger. And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers: They call it easing the Spring. They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt, And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance, Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards, For today we have naming of parts.