military man

kilgore78

New member
Awards
0
<SPAN class=404393315-27032003>

<DIV>I received this as an e-mail earlier today and thought that some of you might like to read it.  Sorry, I don't know who the author is.</DIV>

<DIV>
This says a lot about why we are free.
</DIV>

<DIV>The average age of the military man is 19 years.<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who,<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to
die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either. 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 and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm Howitzers.
</DIV>

<DIV>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<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>dark.<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
</DIV>

<DIV>He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>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.
</DIV>

<DIV>He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>then he should have in his short lifetime. He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them.<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
</DIV>

<DIV>Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>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<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>200 years. He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>his blood. For our Military "Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN>in our time of need. Amen."<SPAN class=220305314-27032003> </SPAN><SPAN class=220305314-27032003>Pray for our t</SPAN>roops battling Iraq and for those still in Afghanistan.</DIV></SPAN>
 
Last edited:

msclbldrguy

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
well, i was just about to post the exact same thing....gives a different perspective.....and makes you appreciate the effort even more. Thanks for posting this...
 

Similar threads


Top