Thursday, October 19, 2006

THIS MIGHT MAKE SOMEONE THINK !

This will make you think



Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and
sleep for another 10 minutes.

He stays up for days on end.
_________________________
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running
water.
__________________________
You complain of a "headache", and call in
sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps
moving forward.
__________________________
You put on your anti war/don't support the
troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
__________________________
You make sure you're cell phone is in your
pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain
next to his dog tags.
__________________________
You talk trash about your "buddies" that
aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies
again.
__________________________
you walk down the beach, staring at all the
pretty girls.

He walks the streets, searching for
insurgents and terrorists.
__________________________
You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take
off his helmet to wipe his brow.
__________________________
You go out to lunch, and complain because
the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.
__________________________
Your maid makes your bed and washes your
clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but
makes sure his weapons are clean.
__________________________
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth
today.
__________________________
You're angry because your class ran 5
minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2
months.
__________________________
You call your girlfriend and set a date for
tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a
letter from home.
__________________________
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you
do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his
love's perfume.
__________________________
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new
child, and wonders if they'll ever meet
__________________________
you criticize your government, and say that
war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by
their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
__________________________
You hear the jokes about the war, and make
fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of
the wounded.
__________________________
You see only what the media wants you to
see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
__________________________
You are asked to go to the store by your
parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told.
__________________________
You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call,
write home, sleep, and eat.
__________________________
You crawl into your soft bed, with down
pillows, and get comfortable.

He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5
minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.
__________________________
You sit there and judge him, saying the
world is probably a worse place
because of men like him.

If only there were more men like him!

If you support your troops, re-send this to
everyone you know,

If it gets to another veteran who hasn't
received it yet, it will bring back memories.

Only two defining forces have ever offered
to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G I.
One died for your soul, the other for your
freedom

Bruce Cherokee Perry
usabiker1@earthlink.net


Shamelessly stolen from and email my sister sent me.

I will be emailing Mr. Perry to make sure it's ok.

As I came out of the Franklin County, Georgia courthouse today my eyes were drawn to the marble obolisk outside which pays homage to those who died for their country in all the wars since WWII. There was a wreath of red and white roses placed before it.

I thought of the approximately 70 - 80 soldiers of all ranks killed in my unit in the short 1 year in Vietnam, and the thought came to me that I can only name a handful of them. Those I was close to or spent some time with. And I remembered seeing their names engraved for the ages on the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C.
and I felt ashamed that I could name so few.

But I'll never forget that I came home to my family and they didn't.

I was raised to believe that a man doesn't cry. I didn't shed public tears at my fathers casket. But, to see those names on that wall and to think of their sacrifice is more than the kudzu can hide.

1 comment:

Jean said...

Larry,
This is awesome.....and not just the e-mail... your own words at the end make this hard to type, because of the tears. It grips my heart.