This is the ballad of those who died at the battle for Reach;
For it was their determination to finish a fight instead of calling retreat;
That gave humanity a chance to recover and avoid defeat;
A fight where loss was not measured in bodies, blood, or bullets;
But rather in the towns and cities that were suddenly destroyed.
It is hard to see how it all could have happened;
When just the day before there were sounds of laughter;
The parks were full of families spending time together;
There was no cause for alarm, nor reason to fear the future;
For unknown was the true fate of the days thereafter.
That morning they awoke to shrikes and screams;
As soldier and citizens fought the inevitable demise of Reach;
But the final chapters were written in blood by Noble team;
for they started the fight that John-One-Seventeen would complete;
But they knew they would fail while they charged into the beast.
We may not know what exactly occurred;
On that day when the first shots were heard;
What matters is that their deaths be preserved;
So if you must forget, forget the reason it all occurred;
But always remember Reach
