Of the left and the right,
The posturing of politicians,
The desire to understand evil,
The lies told by our enemies
And the gullibility of those who believe them,
Stands the soldier,
Young and proud,
Eyes full of fire and conviction,
With arms strong enough to crush the enemy
And gentle enough to carry a child to safety.
Far away from the mayhem on the surface
Caused by those free from danger,
Free to speak out against their country,
Free to fearlessly slander their President,
Sleeping under the blanket of safety
Which freedom provides,
Stands the soldier
Protecting that freedom,
Fighting and dying
For those who support his cause
And for those who don’t.
Living daily with a kind of courage
Few will ever know;
The courage that comes from knowing
That he could die at any moment
For something larger than himself.
Beneath all the anger and confusion,
The yelling and protesting,
The demonstrations and flag-burning,
We who can’t agree on anything,
Who refer to each other as traitors or sheep,
All share the same wish for a better world,
Though we may differ on how to create it.
None of us want this war.
Necessary and desirable are not the same thing.
So please, soldier, forgive us.
We are sometimes blinded by grief
And confused by so many voices.
Before all this began,
We were not used to so much pain.
We were not used to such terrible sights.
We were not so familiar with evil.
But most of all, we were not willing
To have our loved ones taken from us,
Not for any reason.
We didn't want to have to steel our hearts this way.
And though we may curse each other;
Though we may disagree
About what you’re fighting for,
We are all joined by one thing ~
Our love for you.
And we all share the same dream ~
To see all this horror end, somehow,
And to welcome you finally, safely, home.
Silver trophy winner
Adding your comment:
Good Work!!!
---Sara 
15 old applause
