Soldiers armed in machinery crotch and wait,
Strong tension builds, sweat is as salt on their lips,
The sting of anxiety is in their eyes,
Trained patience keeps their hearts still.
Thoughts of home and peace race through minds.
Figures flash through the haze,...Signal, signal..!
Bullets dart across the clearing,
Men dive for safe cover,
Blasts of artillery shatter the air,
Clouds of smoke veil the rush,
Adrenaline flows, hearts race,
Is victory in air? Can it be seen?
Explosions fade, the smoke clears,
The enemy shrinks into retreat;
Sudden calmness is retained.
Realization of time and place fill reality,
Relief of victory streams in hidden painful tears,
Some or many have been lost,
Fellow comrades watched them make a sacrifice,
A sacrifice for freedom by their lives.
Bitter sweet emotions turn over in ones mind,
Mixed thoughts of future, past, and present bring time to a
Nonexistent stand still.
What do they feel?
The victory of defeat or pain of loss?
Whatever emotion they contain,
Silence is a way to best describe.
Another battle over and gone,
The next we hope will never come,
But reality lingers always overhead.
Sacrifices will be made, Sacrifices have been made,
The battle field is always there, seen and unseen,
In it a soldier will always stand,
Either for Christ or for man.
Oh, the dreaded battle field, we come to it quite often,
In war, in peace.
One will unintentionally have during life,
The rush of adrenaline and racing heart,
The tension of mind, sting of anxiety, and impatience,
The pain of defeat, and glory of victory.
So stand strong brave soldier, you're not alone,
We stand with you.
Your pain is ours, and your joy our joy,
For we all face the lonely battle field together,
As one army

age = 13-16