Every night he lies awake,
flinching at every sound,
even though his years are up,
he still feels like hes there,
crickets,fireworks, just small sounds,
almost like the sound of gunshots,
the ones he'd always hide from,
covered in dirt, streaked with tears,
he left his family, he left his friends,
he left his home & took a new life,
giving it all up for hope,
he could've died, he almost did,
he did this for his loved ones,
he did this for me,
risked his life for strangers,
risked it for you,
scarred for life, he doesn't care,
he'd rather die for family& friends,
even strangers he might never meet.

As he stands on the stage,
& the Ltn. hands him his medal,
tears hit the ground,
& an applause is shared,
hugs & kisses are given out,
from everyone thanking him for his service,
he was a great soldier, a great man,
now a husband & father,
he tells of the stories,
late night crawls,
through feet high grass,
people falling, begging for help.....