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Our troops
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By:
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alsmith
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Mood:
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Neutral
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Date:
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04/08/2008 17:42:47
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Music:
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None
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He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued
some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady
girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting
when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock &; roll, hip-hop,
rap, jazz or swing and the roar of 155mm howitzer. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter
now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn
to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling , thus letter writing is a pain for
him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time
in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade
launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and
latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is
told to stop or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and
without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is
self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other.
He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his
teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own
clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with
you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in
the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like
weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take
it, because killing is his business and business is GOOD! He will often do twice
the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.
He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has
wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is
unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body
while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away'
those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop
talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their
right to be disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and
Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he
is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free
for over 230 years. He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and
understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and
admiration with his blood.
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