Our Military Boys
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, 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 a 155mm howitzer. 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 dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity.
He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and 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. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you’re thirsty, he’ll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He’ll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were 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 still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to ‘square-away ‘ those around him who haven’t bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying 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 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 his blood.
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You guys are amazing.
Thank You.
xoxo
Paige
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Place in this world.
Grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to do the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Why we do what we do.
A little TLC goes a long way.
There’s a small percent of us in the world who just want to do right. We have a wild side, like everybody else on the planet, but we also had an affectionate side. All we want to do is make you smile. We want to brighten your day, lift your crazy mood swings, calm you down, or just have a little fun.
Many people out there go on with their day, just to sleep it off and do it again. How often do you think to yourself “What am I doing here [on this earth]?” Why are you here? Even if you cant come up with an answer, shouldnt you at least try to figure it out?
My [personal] goal in life is to inspire people. I want to positively influence everybody that I ever meet. I want people to remember me as “the person who never let me down,” “the person who never left my side when I needed them,” “the person who was always there for me,” and “the person who showed me that there was more to life than this.”
If you haven’t already, think about it. What’s your story?
Take It All In
I’ve come to realize over these past few years, that we cannot sit around and wait for our life to happen. It doesn’t work like that. You have to take the initiative, take the first step, and follow through with the things you desire, and the things you want to accomplish.
When I was little, I didn’t know what I wanted to be ‘when I grow up’. All I wanted was to have a good time. When I was in middle school, I started considering this and that. High school came around, and I was so into having a good time, I didn’t consider what I wanted to do with my future at all. I just wanted to let it happen, maybe work for a few years, have a little fun, whatever. I was never cut out for school, I was more of a social butterfly than an academics major. So, of course, I assumed I wasn’t cut out for college either.
I graduated high school and worked for a year (and I also got married young, to my high school sweetheart, which is about the only thing I had planned since I was little). In that year I realized I hadn’t taken life seriously when I should have, I jumped to conclusions and told myself that I was not cut out for college, and that I’ll just swing life away. First of all, if you cut to conclusions so quickly, you will never know what you’re capable of, because you’ll never give anything a shot. Second, you can’t just swing life away, because when you get older, and grow some nerve, you’ll think back on your life and ask yourself, “what did I accomplish? Anything?”
When we get so caught up in life, we waltz on by like whatever, and forget to smell the roses. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “You only get to live every day once,” or “Live like there’s no tomorrow,” or something of the sort. Well, we hear it so often, that we lose its value. Pay attention, we don’t quote this because we’re bored. LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE ITS YOUR LAST. We can’t always expect tomorrow! Martin Luther King had a dream, and he saw it through. If he didn’t who knows where our diverse America would stand.
My point is this: If you sit on your butt all day, whether it be at work going nowhere, at home being lazy, or at school with no dreams, our world will collapse, or at least yours will.
