Proud (contraversial)

This one's a bit black - you might be offended. I was merely looking for irony, the subject came to me as I marched with reps from my school today in the ANZAC Day parade.

He survived the landing at Gallipoli,
All his mates were killed,
It was that God was smiling on him,
And in preservation he was skilled.
He survived the Turks' machine guns,
He survived the frag grenades,
He survived catching dysentry,
And the ravages that made.
He survived his bloody capture,
And life in a prison cramp,
When all you have to dine on,
Is the occasional stomach cramp.
He survived his daring rescue,
And the perilous homeward trip,
He survived the loss of a leg,
And the loss of part of his hip.
He proudly marched down the street,
In the noble veterans' parade,
He marched through the heat and humidity,
When his tired legs abruptly swayed.
Proudly he sank to the ground,
Surrounded by his surviving mates,
He survived a Great War overseas,
To die decades later with his mates.