A Couple of Poems for You.

IT IS THE SOLDIER

“It is the soldier, not the reporter,Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier,Who salutes the flag,Who serves beneath the flag,

And whose coffin is draped by the flag,Who allows the protester to burn the flag.”

Father Dennis O'Brien, USMC Ret.

A SOLDIER’S POEM

As I prepare myself for a journey to a country so very far away,I think of my wife, children and family, and all the things I would like to do and say.

One of the hardest things that a husband and father could ever do,Is to leave behind the ones that are so very close to you.

How can I ease the loss that they must feel within their very heart?How can I help them to understand the reasons we are apart?

I know they will miss me when I am away from their side,So I pray that their sadness will be replaced with great love and pride.

I am an American soldier, a protector of freedom and of all that is right,It is my duty and my honor when this country calls me to fight.

I must honor my promise to my family to protect them from all that is bad,That is my duty, not only as a soldier, but also as a husband and a dad.

I will fight with my brothers and sisters with fierce American pride,We will restore this country’s faith, and honor those who have died.

Do not think I am not afraid of the terror I am about to face,Or the thought of not returning home from such a horrific place.

Soon this war will be over and returning home you will see,Your husband, your dad and your son for all eternity.

So when people ask you where I am or what it is that I do,Look them in the eye and proudly say,“He is an American soldier fighting for freedom; he is fighting for you.”

GOD BLESS MY FAMILY AND THIS COUNTRY
©Copyright April 16, 2004 by Anthony D. Ewing

Read all about it.

In a recent Army Times, Blogs of War was published. Naturally, it peaked my interest and I read on to find out how the Army is handling the webblog world and ease of accessability for the troops. Apparently, many of these blogs are being read by field-grade officers (the high up strategy and policy makers) and the commanding generals are actually encouraging many to read them. The idea is that you will read candid statements of moral of the troops in the stuff.

I decided to jump and read the words of a few battle buddies. Like all blogs some posts are interesting, some are not. Some blogs focus on sharing opinion and others enjoy narrating their life stories. I enjoy reading both.

Here are a few I enjoyed:

Armor Geddon

Tank platoon leader posts of patrol and convoy activities. Leans more toward military activities of Armor platoons. ** Warning posts are realisitic and can contain some vulgar language**

Major K

An Infantry Major shares his diary of thoughts and opinion. Most of the posts are commenting on current events.

American Soldier

A SF sniper posts opinion and experiences "from family life to war." Fairly candid sharing of experiences as this soldier trains for another deployment. An interesting read, just because I will be in training for at least the next year, probably more.


I think it is great to have the freedom to read and write experiences from those on the frontlines. Of course, as with any opinion, you must take it with a grain of salt.
We all live in an altered reality, as seen through our own rose colored glasses or in this case green colored googles. These blogs are just good reads of people's experiences and their opinion on what is happening.