Array ( [sid] => 180913 [catid] => 1 [aid] => mick [title] => Reflection [time] => 2015-04-03 11:06:36 [hometext] => I have served this Country for 20 years, I now will retire and here is my reflection... [bodytext] => As I sit here and reflect on the past 20 years, I find it hard to hold back the tears,
At the age of 18 I raised my right hand, and begun a journey to defend this land,
The urge to serve was too great, and so I ask my self, was it worth the pain,
The nights alone, the holidays missed, the tears that fell, the emptiness,

The battles I've fought, the friends I've lost,
The blood that spilled, the scars that will never heal,
Everyday I put on my uniform, accepting the fact I may never come home,
Served with the greatest men and women the world will never know, some paid the ultimate price while others came home,

I followed my orders, completed my tasks, fought for this Country and felt the backlash,
I've cried myself to sleep, gone days with little to eat,
Fought the face of terror, and prayed for peace,
A child in a man's body, I made the choice to enlist in the Army,

Not sure what was in store, in 1998 I was sent to war,
Bosnia needed our help, The President sent the 1st CAV, I could have got out, but I put on my gear cause I wanted to help,
Genocide, and sniper alley, mass burial sites, three ethic groups unable to comprehend the reality,
Heading home in 1999, Kosovo kicks off, and we are rerouted mid flight,
Again I found myself in another's war, hoping to bring peace to a Nation scorn,

When the towers fell in 2001, the innocent lives lost angered every American,
2009 I was called upon again, Afghanistan was the mission and in we went,
The fire fights, and IEDs, a different kind of enemy, but one that we needed to end,
Protest after protest and that was your right, but remember, the only reason you were able to do that, was cause we fight,

Now at the end of my career, I consider myself lucky I'm still alive and able to reflect on the past 20 years,
As the day draws near, and I take this uniform off for the very last time, I see that 18 year old boy in the mirror,
I take a deep breath and look him in the eye, and I tell him... thank you,
I ask him, if you had to do it all over again, would you?
That young boy looks me right in my eyes and without hesitation... Yes sir I would...



[comments] => 6 [counter] => 238 [topic] => 48 [informant] => The_Phantom [notes] => Edited as requested ~ Moderator_18 Apr 3, 2015 [ihome] => 0 [alanguage] => english [acomm] => 0 [haspoll] => 0 [pollID] => 0 [score] => 0 [ratings] => 0 [editpoem] => 0 [associated] => [topicname] => EmotionalPoetry ) Your Poetry Dot Com - Reflection


Reflection
Date: Friday, 3rd April 2015 @ 11:06:36 AM AEST
Topic: Sad Poetry

Contributed By: The_Phantom
As I sit here and reflect on the past 20 years, I find it hard to hold back the tears,
At the age of 18 I raised my right hand, and begun a journey to defend this land,
The urge to serve was too great, and so I ask my self, was it worth the pain,
The nights alone, the holidays missed, the tears that fell, the emptiness,

The battles I've fought, the friends I've lost,
The blood that spilled, the scars that will never heal,
Everyday I put on my uniform, accepting the fact I may never come home,
Served with the greatest men and women the world will never know, some paid the ultimate price while others came home,

I followed my orders, completed my tasks, fought for this Country and felt the backlash,
I've cried myself to sleep, gone days with little to eat,
Fought the face of terror, and prayed for peace,
A child in a man's body, I made the choice to enlist in the Army,

Not sure what was in store, in 1998 I was sent to war,
Bosnia needed our help, The President sent the 1st CAV, I could have got out, but I put on my gear cause I wanted to help,
Genocide, and sniper alley, mass burial sites, three ethic groups unable to comprehend the reality,
Heading home in 1999, Kosovo kicks off, and we are rerouted mid flight,
Again I found myself in another's war, hoping to bring peace to a Nation scorn,

When the towers fell in 2001, the innocent lives lost angered every American,
2009 I was called upon again, Afghanistan was the mission and in we went,
The fire fights, and IEDs, a different kind of enemy, but one that we needed to end,
Protest after protest and that was your right, but remember, the only reason you were able to do that, was cause we fight,

Now at the end of my career, I consider myself lucky I'm still alive and able to reflect on the past 20 years,
As the day draws near, and I take this uniform off for the very last time, I see that 18 year old boy in the mirror,
I take a deep breath and look him in the eye, and I tell him... thank you,
I ask him, if you had to do it all over again, would you?
That young boy looks me right in my eyes and without hesitation... Yes sir I would...





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