DECEMBER 1995
Our soldiers were sent to Bosnia to prevent another "ethnic cleansing"
Some called this a "second holocaust on the rise"
I got to stay in Texas, Fort Hood to be exact.
My nation questioned why their tax dollars were going towards helping another country.
They questioned why a military is even necessary.
They rioted against Clinton to remove our soldiers from foreign affairs.
My family questioned me.
They asked why I was in the Air Force. They asked why I proudly tossing their tax dollars into a fire pit.
My family failed to realize that I wanted to serve my country.
OCTOBER 1999
I'm at a local market buying candy for the upcoming halloween... I'm in my uniform.
The man in front of me notices my uniform, looks at the candy, and says "It's nice to see my tax dollars are satisfying your sweet tooth."
I said "Sir, your tax dollars are protecting this country."
He said "My tax dollars are only protecting Bosnia. You assholes are wasting your time and my money trying to save that piece of shit country. You should feel ashamed to wear that uniform. Actually, I now understand that your uniforms are camo so you can hide yourself from the real workers of this country."
The man spit on my uniform and walked out of the store.
DECEMBER 2000
My family holds an "intervention" telling me I should leave the military.
They say they want my job to have a purpose.
They don't want me to get laughed at by Americans... And it's strange because I was born here... Aren't I an American too?
In the year 2000, I am confronted by seven different people in public... all of them say I should be ashamed of myself for wasting their hard earned money.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
My morning duty doesn't start until 9:00AM, but we are told to be on base by 7:00AM. I arrive on time and wait in my office.
8:46AM
Everybody on base is watching, listening, and discussing the event that just occurred in the East.
"Was the pilot drunk?"
"Are we being attacked?"
"Was there an engine problem?"
Many questions rise and go unanswered... but just for a few minutes.
9:03AM
A second plane hits the East. The base is put on lockdown. Those who forgot their badges today are not allowed in the base. I'm put to work securing the base for the rest of the day. The whole area turns into mayhem.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2001
The family, the neighbors, the locals that questioned me: They all raise American flags from their houses, their cars, and their hands. Suddenly the citizens step behind the military for help.
OCTOBER 26, 2001
The Americans have passed the Patriot Act. In other words, we now have the right to look at a man wearing a turban and accuse him of being a terrorist without probable cause. The Americans feel protected.
NOVEMBER 2001
I counted twenty-three people that have come up to me and said "Thank you for your service."
Some have even saluted me. My family says they're proud of me. The nation shakes in fear and waits for the government to take action. They do not realize that the Patriot Act can be used against them. I believe the Patriot Act is the trash can that holds our Bill of Rights. Conspiracy Theorists lose their minds over the government's increase in power...
And it's sad... because these theorists are sounding more and more logical.
DECEMBER 2003
I leave the Air Force.
I was too ashamed of my country.
They became patriots over night.. literally.
They didn't realize what they had until it was needed.
My years in the military before 9/11 seemed meaningless.
I feel selfish for even thinking like this.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
I'm married. I have a son. I live in California now. I'm taking classes at a nearby community college to get a second shot at the workforce.
I look back to October of '99 when a man told me I should be ashamed of myself.
I wonder if he could see the future, but then I realize that he was just like the rest of the Americans...
The first thing he thought about was the sweet tooth... He never even payed attention to the other teeth or what they had to say.
I wonder if he would've respected me after the attack.
I wonder why I still think of that man when it's been almost fifteen years since I saw him.
I wonder why it's been fifteen years since I ever went back to that store.
I look back and ask myself... who was more terrified?
YOU ARE READING
Views
Poetry"Views" is the second collection of my poems. For these poems, I decided to write with a bit of a challenge and put each poem in an uncommon perspective. Enjoy! :-)
