You wake up every morning in a place you dont want to be,

pursuing a goal that no one understands and few appreciate.

Most of your days are spent thinking of reasons to continue and

ways to defend yourself against the onslaught of protesters and the media.

All they see, know and care about is the negative.

They search for reasons to condemn you,

while blindly abusing the rights and priveliges that you fight for.

The only true believers are the ones who have been there, past and present.

The only alies you have against a nightmare that not only haunts your sleep,

but your waking hours as well.

The beast you fight on a daily basis is much larger than anyone knows

and seems more invincible as time goes by.

Every day, more lives are lost to a cause that seems unworthy to most.

All you can do is pray for their souls and hope your not the next to die.

Some days you regret what you do.

Some days your so filled with pride its unbearable.

Thoughts and emotions tear you apart on the inside.

Outside, you show none of this. You have no weakness.

The uniform you wear is the mask that protects your identity,

like a new-age superman, and death is your only kryptonite.

This is my life. This is our life, the life of a soldier.

29Oct2006

JD