He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Curtis has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While Thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung,

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
And often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary soldier,
Who offers up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times,
That our Curtis's and Fletcher's
Went to battle, but we still pine.

It was not the politicians,
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stands,

Or would you want a Soldier,
His home, his Country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would until the end?

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when Countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a Simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"Our Country is in mourning,
A Veteran Died Today."

Author Unknown
Curtis E. Litten
OCTOBER 29, 2010

1st SGT. Retired Curtis E. Litten, 58
of Canton, GA passed away Friday
October 29, 2010 at Canton
Nursing Center.  Funeral services
are scheduled for 11:00 A.M.
Tuesday at Macedonia Methodist
Church with Rev. Sam Newman
officiating.  Interment will follow at
1:00 P.M. at Georgia National
Cemetery.  Family will receive
friends on Monday November 1,
from 4-8 P.M.  Survivors include
Wife, Mary Ann Litten, Canton, GA;
Mother, Ruth Alice Litten, Collin,
MS; Daughter and Son-in-law, Amy
& Steven Ordahl, Alpharetta, GA;
Brothers, Earl Litten, Grenada, MS;
Ralph Litten, Jr., Petal, MS; Sisters,
Fredonia Ocel, Hattiesburg, MS;
Mary Westmoreland, Ocean
Springs, MS; 2 Grandchildren,
Jackson Elias Ordahl, Walter Nolan
Ordahl, Alpharetta.
2010 Reunion Fort Leonard Wood Missouri

July 2010 members of the 104th Engineers attended the 20th
Engineer Brigade Reunion, this was the second reunion for
Curtis and sadly also the last but all there were glad to see him.

Back ROW: Left to right
John Fraser, Benny Wilhelm, Jim Geisler, Roger Kriz, Guy
Livingston, John Wilson, John Groh, Pete O'Malley,
Curtis Litten, Andy Mulliis, John Fraser, Benny Wilhelm, Jim
Geisler, Roger Kriz, Guy Livingston
John Wilson, John Groh, Pete O'Malley,
Curtis Litten, Andy Mullis
An early Curtis
Curtis and I talked on the phone about
twice a week, he would tell me what to
put out on the Internet about him and
Mary Ann, A strong Christian
background and belief in the Lord
seemed to be his driving force and
always praising Mary Ann for her care,
even the parts he didn't like. He was a
friend to all who knew him and my
belief a great Grandfather to all the
kids. He was very proud of his Military
Service especially the time spent with
the 104th Engineers. As part of his last
3 requests, two of which I remember
were that the Cross he received from
Benny and Linda Wilhelm would be in
his hands, and he wanted to speak
with me and the words will always be in
my heart.

It was a very special privilege to have
him come out to the 2010 Reunion
never knowing this would be his last, it
should be remembered by all to get to
at least one as we are all growing older.
Ralph Keiper.
Something to say about Curtis, E-Mail it to rlkeiper@104thengineers.com we will cut and paste it on
his pages.