A Soldier's Belief Poem by Randy McClave

A man enlists to serve his nation,
Peace and democracy he wants to bolster,
He wants to help create a new foundation
So, he puts on a uniform, and he becomes a soldier.
But, there is a secret that we all might forget;
Whether it is by accident or by deliberate regret.
No soldier wants to be a hero
No soldier ever wants to die,
No soldier wants to leave a widow
No soldier wants a flag at half-mast in the sky.

When a soldiers life is coming to an end,
As he reminisces back with tears in his eyes,
War and combat in his soul might heal and then mend
But, he will always think back at a soldiers only prize.
He will always remember the sadness and the cost;
At what was won, and then what sadly was lost.
Soldiers just want to go home
Soldiers just want to defend and protect,
Soldiers wish to be remembered and not left unknown
Soldiers they want to forget and not to reflect.

Randy L. McClave