in honor of Veterans Day it is only right that i honor the memory of my granpa, Chris Link, an so many of my friends an family that have given their lives an that are serving with a blog. the video below is American Soldier by Toby Keith, the video has actual footage of military personel in action.
in my granma's living room is picture of my granpa at 18 in his uniform. he was in the air force. my granma an him ran off together, got married, an started their life as a military couple. they went to germany where they were stationed for a bit. my granma thought she would never have children, so they decided to adopt, as did a lot of other military couples. they adopted my dad from Hiedleberg, Germany, he was not even a year old. my granpa served for 20 years, then retired.
it was because of my granpa, an the fact that i did not want to do gym, that i joined army JROTC. i had planned on following my granpa's foot steps but certain things kept me from doing so. being in JROTC was my way of honoring my granpa. every time i put on my uniform i wore it proudly, an i would always go visit my granpa. what always got me was he would salute me, i always saluted back. he was proud of me. he took a pictre of me one day in my uniform standing in front of his house.
that same year was the year that i met Chris Link. he had been in the military for two years. our friendship started off hard but eventually we became really good friends. over the next four years i would watch him come an go on tours. he moved up to special ops. i cannot tell you the countless times i cried or wondered if he was okay, if he was going to come home.
the next school year, (freshman year, the year before, was when my granpa took that pic), my granpa died. the funeral was great. we got to the cemetery an they handed my granma the flag after folding it, then they shot off the guns with a 21 gun salute. after that i wore my uniform with even more dignity than before.
four years later, my best friend, was getting ready to go on another tour. few days before he left we were talking, he pulled me close, wrapped his arms around me, an said "the sun shines for you, an you alone. everytime i look at it i will think about you. but there is no way the sun could even start to brighten up my day as you do. all the stars, no matter how many you count, could never add up to the amount of love that i have for you. you have been the reason i fight, the reason i come home, the reason i live an breath. you, are my hero!" he then took me, spun me to face him, took my face in his hands, an stared so deep in me that at that moment we were one. i watched his eyes tear up, he smiled, an then in a soft voice he said "there is no distance i would not travel, no enemy to big, no wound to great, that could stop me from being wit you. i cannot go an fight, i cannot go on living, without knowing, that you will be here waiting for me. will you give me a reason to fight, a reason to live, will you be here waiting for me, waiting to start our life together, as one?" i was stunned. i reached up an wiped the tears from his face, an i looked deep into his eyes, "when you look at the sun, know that i am looking at the sky too, when you are fighting, know that you are fighting for us, an know that when you get back, that i will be here waiting to start our lives together." he smiled an then wrapped me in his arms an kissed my head. two days later he left. we had promised not to say anything to anyone until he got back. a month later i was sitting in my dad's house, there was a knock at the door. it was the chaplin an the other guy, they told me that Chris had died. he had been killed while playing with some of the village kids. 4-5 days later i remember sitting in this room, an there was a bunch of people in it. i remember sitting in one of the chairs trying to hold my self together, and with a shaky voice an eyes full of tears, i started to say something an all i remember is, "my best friend Chris died".
there is not a time that does not go by that i do not think about my granpa, an Chris. what could have been, what was. they are forever in my heart, an i am proud to have known both of them.
i am still here waiting, for something that will never happen. keeping the memory of my two heroes in my heart. never forgetting the sacrifice they gave for me an for you.
we take for granted the things that we have, even if we do not thing we do, we do. how many lives have been, are being, an will be given so that we can have the life that we have? one thing i learned in RO is that when you see a veteran, or someone who is serving, shake their hand an tell them thank you, cuz in all reality, unless we are willing to serve, that is the only way that we can even come close to showing our appreciation.
here is a thing that i wrote a year ago yesterday. we will never forget, an we should all be forever thankful.
SOLDIERS
We all have a war to fight
Our whole life we are in and out of wars
we pray the next one will make everything right
so we don't have to add to our sorrows and sores
Putting on our uniforms our demeanor changes
We prepare to walk in not knowing if we'll come out
Goodbyes seem to be our only exchanges
On to the battlefield we walk with cries of war we shout
The only thing going through our heads are thoughts of survival
Game face on we are determined to make it past the end
As much as it sucks it may mean killing a rival
Knowing that both sides have honor to defend
Avoiding bullets and blasts
With the enemy we clash
In our memories this moment lasts
In time this war is like a dash
It's over now
We have won
We treasure victory for as long as time will allow
It's all done
A medal is put around our neck
A sign of honor and strength
Humbling us and putting others in check
For this war there is no length
Even after death it doesn't stop
You never really find closure
But that's just a pen's drop
In the life and breath of a soldier.
in my granma's living room is picture of my granpa at 18 in his uniform. he was in the air force. my granma an him ran off together, got married, an started their life as a military couple. they went to germany where they were stationed for a bit. my granma thought she would never have children, so they decided to adopt, as did a lot of other military couples. they adopted my dad from Hiedleberg, Germany, he was not even a year old. my granpa served for 20 years, then retired.
it was because of my granpa, an the fact that i did not want to do gym, that i joined army JROTC. i had planned on following my granpa's foot steps but certain things kept me from doing so. being in JROTC was my way of honoring my granpa. every time i put on my uniform i wore it proudly, an i would always go visit my granpa. what always got me was he would salute me, i always saluted back. he was proud of me. he took a pictre of me one day in my uniform standing in front of his house.
that same year was the year that i met Chris Link. he had been in the military for two years. our friendship started off hard but eventually we became really good friends. over the next four years i would watch him come an go on tours. he moved up to special ops. i cannot tell you the countless times i cried or wondered if he was okay, if he was going to come home.
the next school year, (freshman year, the year before, was when my granpa took that pic), my granpa died. the funeral was great. we got to the cemetery an they handed my granma the flag after folding it, then they shot off the guns with a 21 gun salute. after that i wore my uniform with even more dignity than before.
four years later, my best friend, was getting ready to go on another tour. few days before he left we were talking, he pulled me close, wrapped his arms around me, an said "the sun shines for you, an you alone. everytime i look at it i will think about you. but there is no way the sun could even start to brighten up my day as you do. all the stars, no matter how many you count, could never add up to the amount of love that i have for you. you have been the reason i fight, the reason i come home, the reason i live an breath. you, are my hero!" he then took me, spun me to face him, took my face in his hands, an stared so deep in me that at that moment we were one. i watched his eyes tear up, he smiled, an then in a soft voice he said "there is no distance i would not travel, no enemy to big, no wound to great, that could stop me from being wit you. i cannot go an fight, i cannot go on living, without knowing, that you will be here waiting for me. will you give me a reason to fight, a reason to live, will you be here waiting for me, waiting to start our life together, as one?" i was stunned. i reached up an wiped the tears from his face, an i looked deep into his eyes, "when you look at the sun, know that i am looking at the sky too, when you are fighting, know that you are fighting for us, an know that when you get back, that i will be here waiting to start our lives together." he smiled an then wrapped me in his arms an kissed my head. two days later he left. we had promised not to say anything to anyone until he got back. a month later i was sitting in my dad's house, there was a knock at the door. it was the chaplin an the other guy, they told me that Chris had died. he had been killed while playing with some of the village kids. 4-5 days later i remember sitting in this room, an there was a bunch of people in it. i remember sitting in one of the chairs trying to hold my self together, and with a shaky voice an eyes full of tears, i started to say something an all i remember is, "my best friend Chris died".
there is not a time that does not go by that i do not think about my granpa, an Chris. what could have been, what was. they are forever in my heart, an i am proud to have known both of them.
i am still here waiting, for something that will never happen. keeping the memory of my two heroes in my heart. never forgetting the sacrifice they gave for me an for you.
we take for granted the things that we have, even if we do not thing we do, we do. how many lives have been, are being, an will be given so that we can have the life that we have? one thing i learned in RO is that when you see a veteran, or someone who is serving, shake their hand an tell them thank you, cuz in all reality, unless we are willing to serve, that is the only way that we can even come close to showing our appreciation.
here is a thing that i wrote a year ago yesterday. we will never forget, an we should all be forever thankful.
SOLDIERS
We all have a war to fight
Our whole life we are in and out of wars
we pray the next one will make everything right
so we don't have to add to our sorrows and sores
Putting on our uniforms our demeanor changes
We prepare to walk in not knowing if we'll come out
Goodbyes seem to be our only exchanges
On to the battlefield we walk with cries of war we shout
The only thing going through our heads are thoughts of survival
Game face on we are determined to make it past the end
As much as it sucks it may mean killing a rival
Knowing that both sides have honor to defend
Avoiding bullets and blasts
With the enemy we clash
In our memories this moment lasts
In time this war is like a dash
It's over now
We have won
We treasure victory for as long as time will allow
It's all done
A medal is put around our neck
A sign of honor and strength
Humbling us and putting others in check
For this war there is no length
Even after death it doesn't stop
You never really find closure
But that's just a pen's drop
In the life and breath of a soldier.
No comments:
Post a Comment