I am a soldier. My blood permeates the soil of many countries.

I have gasped my last breath on many a desolate stretch of beach.
For you…all of you, the children who play in the parks, the mothers
who watch over them, the fathers who struggle to sustain them.

There are those in our land who have belittled and reviled me, who have made
a mockery of me and what I stand for.
For you, also, have I fought, suffered and died for.
I've withstood extremes of heat and cold, insects, vermin and disease
so the right to dissent would be yours.

I endured the pain and terror of battle and the maiming of my body to
ensure that you might worship as you please. I died in agony but not in vain in order
that you, no matter who or what you are, have the freedom to choose your
own destinies.

AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN.
Because I believe in the ideals that made this
country what it is today… FREE.

I love her with a deep and abiding love that transcends mere physical pain.

I AM AN AMERICAN SOLDIER.

Pray that I will always be there, for if I disappear from this country, so will you.