Soldier

I was that which others did not want to be.

I went where others feared to go, and did what others failed to do

I asked nothing from those who gave nothing and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness... should I fail.

I have seen the face of terror; felt the stinging cold of fear; and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment's love.

I have cried, pained, and hoped...but most of all, I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.

At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was .... a soldier.

(This poem is etched into the glass of a door at the DAV Vietnam Memorial at Angel Fire, NM).