Two decades to some seems like a moment to me
I sat in Pre-Calculus thinking they were showing a movie on TV
We had a test that day that I wasn't prepared to pass
So, as a kid, I was over joyed for the interruption of my class
But as my enthusiasm waned and the coverage carried on
My instructor informed us of the moment that history touched home
I remember seeing the tears that streamed down others' face
As the news reported events that would determine my place
I enlisted to make a difference and get revenge on our end
In the process, forming a brotherhood and a number of friends
Side by side we sailed, transporting Marines
From the shore of North Carolina to places I'd never seen
For days on end, it seemed sometimes
The horizon never ended, nor the thoughts in my mind
As we went in and out of different countries during the Iraq War
Not once did I hesitate or think of the scars
I thought of the honor and the people we'd lost
Of the freedoms of the living and the lines that'd been crossed
Now as a veteran, I look back with pride
Proud of the decision I made and the pledge to those lives