His thoughts were not in this place

The soldier fell to the ground
The cold mud and water splashes around him
Soaking through his uniform
His ears ringing, head pounding from the blast
Painfully he reached into his mud soaked pocket
He pulled out a small locket
The picture is of his wife and daughter
The pain from his wounds becoming overwhelming
He looked at the locket
His vision becoming blurry
His thoughts far from this place

He remembered his wife, her smile, her laughter
How it felt to have her in his arms
He thought of his daughter
How they had tried so hard for so long to have one
Then the war came, and tore across the earth
When he lost his brother in Pearl Harbor
Talking to his father, and knowing what he had to do
Shortly after his enlistment the news came from his wife
He remembered how that day felt
They had held each other so close laughing and crying
Both very happy
Both also very scared at what was to come
Though neither truly knew how much
His thoughts were far from the war

He remembered the letters from his wife and family
Letters about back home, changes in his old town
Where his friends were, how the towns football team was doing
A letter from his father telling him how proud he was
How he shared it tearfully with the guys from his troop
The touching letter and picture from his mother
That he was now a proud father, and his wife and baby were well
The picture of his wife sitting in the hospital holding their child
The letters continued from family and friends
Especially about the things their daughter was doing
His thoughts were far from the pain from his wounds

Months passed by when he received the locket
Now the bloodstained locket clenched in his hand
A tear fell from his cheek
He felt he would never see his daughters smile
The pain within him growing
The ground rumbled around him as a bomb went off nearby
His ears muffled and continued to ring
Another tear fell from his eye
Strange warmth held within his heart
The warmth from his wife’s love
The love of the eyes of his parents
The love of his daughter who he fights for
His thoughts were not of the war

He turned his head
All he saw was fog
He began to pray
His last breath would be for her
Their freedom paid
God willing it would last forever
Looking around he sees nothing but fog
He closed his eyes
Letting go of it all…
Again his thoughts were not in this place

He did not see the soldier coming through the fog
His brother in arms picking the soldier up
Disappearing into the fog
Another soldier would not pay his life
For the freedom of his daughter and wife