I'm an American soldier,
On the other side of life.
I'm a tired old man,
Far removed from the strife.
But in this patriotic old heart of mine,
The flame burns brightly,
As I remember the time,
When I held our freedom
In the palm of my hand,
And I stood in the defense
Of this glorious land.

There were others I knew
Who wanted to give it all away.
They hated the sight
Of our strength on display.
They took drugs and they marched,
Under the guise of peace.
They let their hair grow long
And wore holes in their jeans.
And they never understood
My Army uniform,
And what it meant to me,
As they showered me with scorn.

How could they know
How it felt inside,
When they spat upon me,
And told me how I was despised?
Yes, I'm an American soldier,
From the distant past,
And it may be a concept,
That you will never grasp.
But we're a solid line
From beginning to end,
And it is this mighty nation,
That we'll ever defend.

For our wonderful freedom,
Is not really free.
It is a flower that grows,
On the backs
Of soldiers like these.
Or on the lost lives
Of my brothers,
Or the countless others,
Whose numbers are too plentiful to count.

So remember the debt that you owe,
On this Veteran's Day.
And remember the lives that were lost,
And take a brief moment to pray,
For it is love of this country,
And the dedication to be free,
That caused them to lay down their lives,
For people like you and for people like me.

Look high into the heavens,
And place your right hand
Upon your heart.
Take time to thank the Man upstairs,
That you've been even a small part,
Of this thing that we call freedom,
And the American way,
And then let's celebrate together,
On this Veteran's Day.

Thank God, we're American!