A Soldier's Travels

I’ve strolled the grainy sands that mark that beach at Okinawa, I’ve sauntered through the forest at Argonne, I’ve hiked the deserts sands between the Tigris and Euphrates, And I’ve seen the shattered buildings of Saigon, I’ve walked the rising hillside at the field that’s called Antietam, And I’ve looked over the yard at Malcolm’s Mill, I’ve waded through the splashing waves upon the beach at Inchon, And I’ve stopped to have a look at Bunker Hill. These places I’ve encountered in my travels through the world, And at each of them, I bowed my head to pray, For the souls of those who perished there, those brave and valiant troops, Who have never let our nation go astray, And here I stand the modern incarnation of these men, With the bless’t and privileged right to join their team, To serve with those who’ve fought against oppression, greed, and hate, Who have bled and died to help uphold a dream.