In The Eyes Of A Soldier

In the perspective of a solider...

A gunshot echoes behind me. I fall to my knees and roll into a trench. Panting, I feel my heart accelerating. I am lucky, which is more than I can say for the man behind me, who now lays motionless his eyes widened with shock. They are unfocused, giving me the final answer. That man, just like millions of others, died.

We will all die with a heart filled with pride, even when we lay awake at night, worried about the next day. Even when we moan and groan with pain, clutching our stomachs because of the food poisoning. From the moment we stepped onto this battle field, to the moment we die.

We will always have pride.

 

I take small shaky steps to our camp. I smell the stench of canned food, molding flesh and urine all rotted together in one, big powerful reek. It is so strong; bile rises to my throat as I desperately try to swallow it down. I walk over to my usual spot, a fairly large boulder. A fellow soldier props a plate of what seemed like beans and rice. The memories of mom’s homemade cooking fill my mind. The smell of chicken roasting in the oven, the delicious, creamy potatoes drizzled with gravy melting in my mouth. I long for a decent meal. But instead, I choke down the food. I try to keep our spirits high by telling everyone, “Maybe one day, the war will be over.” But they just laugh and shake their heads in disbelief. I swallow my disappointment, and try to fall asleep.

 

I wake up the next day and stretch. I gaze up to the lifeless, dark clouds that seem to be permanently above me. The sky matches my mood, dark and gloomy.

I quickly climb up the frail walls that protect us. When I reach the top and glance over, I see a group of about 70 men. I let myself drop. I crashed to the ground and quickly wake the others. I tell them what I’ve seen. We each grab a gun. Sweat trickles down my spine. I never thought the day would come that I would have to kill a man. I carefully climb up again and slowly creep towards the trespassing group. A bomb explodes a couple of yards away from me, where a dear friend known to me as Cory, now lays dead. I squeeze my eyes against the sharp grief pelting me like a Tommy gun.

I took aim.

The trigger seemed to weigh a ton or two.

I fired.

A man went down.

I jump into a crater and pray that this would all be over soon.

 

I now lay awake on the packed dirt of our camp, and allow myself to cry bitterly. We lost 7 men today, four of them whom I knew from my childhood days. I try to imagine their family’s expression.
I failed. It only reminded me of my own family back home.

A beautiful wife, two kids and a dog named Freckles. I wonder for the millionth time. Why am I here? But I know the answer to that, because I am willing to die to protect my country, friends and family. And right there and then, I vowed to myself. Not to let the lives of millions be taken for granted. I know I will not die without a fight.

 

Several months pass by and I am listening to our camp’s radio. It declares a miracle. “The war has finally ended.” We all cheer and cry without shame. That night, we fall asleep with relief in our hearts. When we arrive at the train station the next morning, we are each given three medals, one for honor, one for bravery and one for gratitude. We board our trains and I exchange goodbyes with my comrades.

After hours of traveling, I finally arrive home. I step off the train and feel arms wrap around my neck. I hug my wife back and children.

I feel their little arms squeezing my legs.

I pick up my baby girl. She smiles and says these words to me.

“I love you daddy.”

Those are her first words.           

 

 

Reviews

[George Dowling]

I am truly impressed by this piece. War is not a game, and I'm glad that you make that very clear here. I have friends who served, and this reminds me of the things they told me. Keep up the good work.

[Justsimplyjulia]

Thanks for that review! Thank you for popping in this morning :)
-Dragon

[ron]

You wrote this so well. I have had that moment when "The trigger seemed to weigh a ton or two"
I never saw a buddy of mine die. This story brought back memories of the short time I was in Honduras. It did not last long but it has lasted a life time. Thank you for writing this. As a soldier I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[Justsimplyjulia]

Thank you so much, you have no idea how much your words have touched me. words cannot begin to describe how soldiers defending their country just.... warms my heart. I think i might become something in the armed force. not a police officer, but you know like a solider to Afghanistan or Iraq. I've always been interested. I am so glad that someone with personal experience in this area likes the poem, thank you for taking the time to read it.
-Dragon

[ron]

Thank you. First of all...war and battle are not glorious. It is dirty, mean, hard, job and it sucks the soul out of your spirit. That said I understand the need and want to go into the military (Any branch). I I do not say this lightly. I am retired U.S. Army, I once trained against the Canadian Army near Edmonton, and after reading what the Canadian Military had done and was treated like in WWI and WWII and trained with and against the Canadian Army I have the GREATEST respect for their bravery and professionalism. I would feel honored to serve along side any one of them. You have taken an interest in serving...I could hug you for that. Not many would even consider being in the Military. You are a brave soul.

[Justsimplyjulia]

Thank you for those words. For as long as i can remember, Remembrance day has always meant a lot to me, even though none of my family has never served in the military. I hope to be the first!
-Dragon

[ron]

You are taking on a big role going in. Not all the hero's have served, some of them are the ones that stay behind and support the ones who are gone, and to pick up the pieces and keep our homes here.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

This is a very poignant piece of writing. You did very well at placing your mind from the world you know into the world a soldier must endure, a world very unlike how war is glamorized by the media.

[Justsimplyjulia]

Thank you for that kind review! I have quite an enjoyable taste for military and war poetry...
-Dragon

[Makenna]

This is beautiful and heart-wrenching...but again, I found a grammar error. It's in one of the last paragraphs: You wrote "We aboard our trains", but really it should just be "We board our trains". I thought I would point it out, because the grammar is the only thing I can see that is detracting to your writing, and I would like to help you become the best writer you could possibly be. Clearly you have a gift. I hope you continue writing and look forward to reading more of your pieces.

[Justsimplyjulia]

Thank you so much Makenna!
-Dragon

[Justsimplyjulia]

A nice essay if i do say so myself...