Operation: I Am Your Man Uncle Sam

This is Part 1 of a two part series I wrote based on some conversations with a few veterans afflicted with PTSD.

Oh, how hard I’ve tried

And the things I’ve justified

Simply because authority; my boss, said it was okay

Like those foreign lives I so calculatedly blasted away

Not my fight; it was never my war

But I forcefully shoved my feet in the door

The ultimate game of good guys versus bad guys

I just happened to have the temporarily correct shape of eyes

There exists a man behind a desk who sits in a chair

Who gave the word that made it okay for us to annihilate all them over there

I did not stop to think; I did not question why

I opened fire with a war cry because I am a good guy

We will dominate, and win at any cost

It’s up to them to calculate just how many they have lost

I do not kill because I am full of hate

The simple fact is; the more hits I have, the better my pay rate

I really do not know what we are fighting for

And I simply avert my eyes when it’s one of our guys lying on the floor

Mom and Dad declare they’re awful proud

Though I cannot converse with them via phone for the gunfire is too loud

I’ll do what I’m told, yes I will

As an added bonus, if I survive; I get a GI bill

I don’t think of myself as a hired gun

And I don’t think war is particularly fun

But as long as I kill more than zero

I will return the hero

Can’t you see I’m fighting to protect your very freedom?

Loaded up on youth, testosterone and rum

Yes, technically they had no plans to invade

But did you see how scary well their leader was able to evade?

That was quite a cheer when we had his head

Oh yeah, ol’ boy has been confirmed dead

That nuclear missile?

Merely hay in the thistle

But we’re here now and they have so much oil

We simply must convince the big man in the chair that there remains unresolved turmoil

It does not matter that this war has put us billions further into debt

I am far too young to feel the sting of regret

I’ll not take on one ounce of responsibility

As I was merely getting paid to follow orders handed down to me

I’ve heard from older generations of the nightmares that will someday come

But I think I’ve dodged that bullet, as I could not see their faces where I was shooting from

Yes, I am a member of a sacred military; a very intriguel part

I will not return home without claims of victory, and perhaps a purple heart

Please Ma and Dad, do tell Uncle Sam

I may be young and naïve, but I’m his man

For the right price

Any cause will suffice

Reviews

[Freedom's Child]

Great message, NO MORE WAR! I love that you did this from the soldier's voice, "I do not kill because I am full of hate
The simple fact is; the more hits I have, the better my pay rate" is by far my favorite line. Great Work!