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Written by Tony
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Wednesday, 25 October 2006 |
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The following poem is written by a friend of mine. He is an Air Force Warrior that has served in two deployments in Iraq. This poem is about his struggle to really come home. And then one day you wake up... ..and you are home. And you’re afraid it might be another dream. But there you areSurrounded by young sons…….yours and others’ At the baseball diamond, Sitting on the bench, waiting on the call. “Play Ball!” This is real; it’s too quiet to be a dream. ------ And all is right with the world…. Almost. If the kids weren’t there, you’d cry But you can’t, or you won’t, because you’re the dad, And the young Marine whose hand you held As he drew his last ragged breath Just Won’t let go,He’s still dead. And you can’t change that. You can’t bring him back, Even if you could trade your life for his. But that doesn’t keep you from wondering What he might have become? And you Honor his Family, and you Honor his life, But you still wonder what might have been? One day you realize that you are not alone. Your family wants to Honor him, and you too, But they can’t do that until you come home…. And one day you will be “all the way home” But until then you trudge on….and you cry Especially when no one else is around, Because of the terror of the evening news Because of the next sad song on the radio Because of the nightmares Or because of the fact that you just can’t let it go. ------ And you pray to God that you don’t have to explain, Or answer another question like You are thankful that they care But wish that it would all just go away ------ That no one could have been where you’ve been And not be changed….Somehow And you make up your mind That when you’ve learned the lesson That you were sent here to learn And climbed the hill that you were sent here to climb, That it will all be okay someday, And you wonder what you need to do Before the faces of the dead and wounded Finally quit dragging themselves through your dreams? And you might finally realize that your family needs you as much And that they sacrificed too And, like you, they did it for all the right reasons ------ So when you finally learn the lesson that God sent you to learn And acknowledge the sacrifices of those that didn’t make it home At night you can lie down and have A peaceful night’s sleep ------ And then finally one day you wake up and you’re home…. And you pray it’s not just another dream. ------------------------------------------------ Master Sergeant Anthony Johnston Balad Air Base, Sunni Triangle, Iraq 2006
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