A Hero
You have served our nation
Our nation that stands proud
You have faced the fear
The fear of never returning
You have faced the separation
The separation from those you love
You have served our nation
Our nation that stands strong
You have come home with medals
Medals of honor and courage
You have come home as a different person
A person hardened from the brutality of war
You have served our nation
Our nation that stands united
You have come home with scars
Scars from the wounds received in battle
You have come home with the memories
Memories of the hardships and choices you faced
You have served our nation
Our nation that stands free
You have become a role model
You faced it all and never cracked
You have become an eternal hero
You did our nation proud
Rationale
I originally wrote the poem, A Hero, for one of my uncles who is in the army. He's been overseas four times and has had his fair share of close calls. I also have two other uncles who have been in different branches of the military and are retired now. I guess, from knowing how hard it is on me when my uncle goes overseas, even though we really aren't that close, I can only imagine how hard it is for the wives and children. My uncle missed the first year of his older son's life because he was overseas-he had been deployed right after he was born. It was hard on us all, just as it's hard on everyone who knows a soldier when they leave. We never know if we'll get to see them again. For us, that feeling is a tiny voice in the back of our heads. But for them, that fear of never returning is probably one of the biggest things on their minds. That's why I wrote this poem, in the end, as yet another tribute to the defenders of our country.
