Her finger went up, in response, as I closed mine over her hand,

I felt more than saw relief in him, when he realized that I would understand!

He clutched the flag to his chest, as a tear rolled down his cheek,

The words he handled weakly, because he was rapidly weakening!

I leaned close to her lips and made a promise that day,

He would find his family and talk to them, the things he had to say!

I wanted them to know the fight, you never fight in vain,

May all forward and stern, who will also suffer pain,

He will gladly sacrifice himself again, should the opportunity ever arise,

They will walk the ground, they will sail the seas, they will take planes to the skies,

‘Cause freedom ain’t free, you’ve heard these words before,

Perhaps it was your neighbor who knocked on your door!

I knelt in prayer as I watched the strength diminish from this soldier’s face,

He knew it was soon, that he would go home, he would enter through Grace!

I gently lifted her head, offered a drink to her lip,

He managed a smile mostly from his eyes, as he cautiously took a sip!

He whispered the name of the girl on the way home, whom he was going to meet, alas!

How many days would pass before he found the girl!

He said that I should take her in my arms, hold her tight as I shared,

How the whole time he was away from home, he knew she really cared!

It was this thought that he held tight to his chest, as he walked through the enemy lines,

He prayed for guidance at every step, keeping an eye on his buried mines.

The day was drawing near, his return was near, he would soon be back in the United States,

But then came a call for a volunteer, to lead a mission through enemy gates.

Surely in the heart, of this brave hero, he simply waved his hand as a sign,

As he named the names, of the men he would take, who so willingly lined up.

Little did he know that this would be the last, of the missions he had so willingly led,

Or that all men who thus believed in him would also be counted as dead!

Through no fault of his own, that was the form of warfare that claimed those men that day,

I managed to make out his last words, when I heard the soldier begin to pray,

“Take care of America, oh Lord my God, help her to remain the Land of the Free,

Get people in line to vote, for the things they think should be!

That they do not fall into other people’s words, that annul why so many have died,

Protecting the rights of every man, woman and child, they know what’s inside.

Take me now as I die willingly, for the Land of the Brave and the Free,

Just make sure America knows who’s in charge and who its leaders should be!”

With this he closed his distant eyes, his muscles relaxed against the ground,

I knew that my chest had harbored a hero, one who, again, would rarely be found!

I would revisit his death to love my loved ones at home, I would gladly boast of this man’s worth,

I paused before taking off my coat, covered him there in the cold of the earth,

I whispered into the dark night air, “America, you have seen such great men fall,

My prayer for those left on earth is that for their beliefs, they will stand firm.”

Let the courage of all who have suffered losses, defending their state of affairs,

Be seen online with the results of these costs, and offer your prayers for them!