Soldier's Creed- Rj Wright Poem by Denise Yoonai

"Soldiers Creed" R. J. Wright
"I'm an American soldier. I'm a warrior and a member of a tea, . I serve a country that does not value my voice, simply close captions me to fit whatever narrative they deem patriotic. America be so star-spangled awesome. It sees people wearing skin like mine as crimes in progress. If you've never put on a uniform, don't tell me what I'm fighting for.

I learned early the ideal of mission first people always and soon after the reality of mission first, mission always. You don't know pain till you know the remorse of survival. Soldiers hide shrapnel the battlefields we never leave under our uniforms and in our memories. Uncle Sam might molest you but he pays for college.

At ease! Dysfunction is not to be spoken outside of this family, this uniform, this family, this formation, this family, what's left in this foxhole stays in this foxhole like arms, legs, sanity.

I will never leave a fallen comrade. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I took this oath without reservation or purpose of evasion.

Being a soldier means convincing yourself it's all for a worthy cause. Being a soldier means being caught between politics and Wall Street.

The military are America's middle children. The forgotten G.I.s whose broken bodied and tombstones are recipients for this American way of life. We were manufactured to destroy the enemy at close combat so when we begin to rust, you will discard us so we over-lubricate ourselves with whiskey and wine to maintain proper functioning. The military are America's middle children. You know that? It feels horrible.

We can't worry about the war games being played on the homefront while playing politics in foreign sandboxes. Having home in your sights only gets you boxed into a 21-gun salute.

Detail! Attention! Hey, hero! Tuck your teeth back into your head! Ain't no smiling at attention. Basic training was the funniest place I was never allowed to laugh.

I heard so many jokes, like 40 veterans walk into a hospital, they die while waiting for treatment. What does America call the veterans they love so much? Homeless. What do you call a soldier with no legs? Medically discharged. What do you call a soldier whose wife cheats on him while he's in a combat zone? A suicide risk. What do you call a convoy caught in an ambush with no help coming? A funeral procession. Did you hear the one about the soldier who died before he ever got to meet his newborn?

Why aren't you laughing? Haven't you learned to adapt and overcome yet? Isn't it funny how everyone is thankful for your service until you ask them to make a sacrifice? "