Infantryman Poem by Jon M. Nelson

I've been shot at, and I've been stabbed,
And I've been nearly burned alive.
Yet somehow through all of this,
I have managed to survive.

I've been tortured and left for dead,
And I've felt the excruciating pain.
After all the horror that I've seen,
It's amazing that I'm not insane.

I've had the enemy locked in my sight,
I had been trained to shoot to kill.
I could lay in the mud and rain for days,
Yet you wouldn't see me as I was still.

I always control the battlefield,
And I will always lead the way.
I move stealthily to the target,
Whether it is at night or day.

I've lost my friends and comrades,
And yet I still have to carry on.
The battle is never really over,
Even for the ones that are gone.

I've held my buddy in my arms,
And slowly watched him die.
The sights I've seen are so bad,
That they have made me cry.

I've walked for many endless miles,
And never been able to rest.
I have received many battle scars,
And earned the medals on my chest.

After all the hell that I have seen,
Many times, I thought I was a goner.
I am the last line of defense,
And I'll risk my life with honor.