I will be thinking of you....

It was with a sense of wonder the people stood and stared.
It was a great relief that they no longer had to be scared.
I looked down at the faces of the parents and their children in the crowd.
I felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Today I felt so proud.
To be a soldier and to fight for my country, family and life,
I would choose to do it again…and bear the stress and strife.
Not a day goes by I don’t think of the losses and the pain.
Not a night goes by that I don’t miss my family and feel the strain.
Each day I slug through the difficult weather and hard terrain to go
another mile into enemy land…then, the rain clouds part and I see the rainbow.
The promise that greets my tired and gritty eyes and fills them with salty tears.
Suddenly I am five again and experience the world through childish eyes and ears.
I long for the comfort of my loved ones arms and ache for a loving touch.
I miss my parent’s concerned faces and wish I could see them so much.
The job I am doing is important and the strength of my conviction frees me.
It helps me through the darkest nights and doesn’t let the fear of death seize me.
The war is ending, we hear through the lines and through the radio.
We all feel such joy and yet so much sorrow.
Sorrow for all the fallen comrades who will never again feel the warmth of the sun.
Those who would never touch their countries soil or bask in a job very well done.
I’ve seen their bodies lifted out to make that long final journey home at last.
Full well knowing that they have already gone home and this life is in the past.
Upon reaching home’s shore, I will hug my loved one’s to me and say:
“I am so very glad to be home with you, at last, today.”
I know that deep inside, despite all my joy, I will have a part of me that says…
“To my fallen friends, I will be thinking of you now and always.”