We Give You Our All

The cry for help is answered by a man who wears a badge,
The life that’s risked is his, he gives everything he has.
His wife in peaceful slumber, his children safe at home,
Don’t know as yet what happened; loving husband, faithful father gone.

The funeral brings out many. Folks he didn’t know are there.
Today they cry and mourn him, to show the family they care.
As the flag draped casket passes, all question how this came to pass,
As taps sound across the silence, he’s laid to rest at last.

Is this the way it has to be before a hand extends to help?
Must a life be lost protecting before others give of themselves?
We wear the badge with honor; others come before our families and homes,
We give to you our all. Please don’t let us stand alone.

Written by Captain F. Allen Riley in 1989, two years prior to his line of duty death