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By Ken Jason
How many summers have passed
since you stood on desert sand
gathering an intelligence and edifying the masses
How many Christmases have come and gone
since your family and friends
opened their gifts without your presence
From Baghdad to the Seven Hills of Worcester
From the shell shocked streets of Afghanistan
to the opulent fever in the malls of New York city
Freedom breathes a sigh of relief
knowing that you are resuscitating a freedom
* * *
For all of you defending a peace
And eradicating a tyranny by those
intent on maintaining a destruction
We honor you with words
inadequate to adorn a praise
For all of you empowering a world and enabling a freedom of speech
We spend our summers supporting your effort
For all of you risking life and limb
so we might ring in a new year
We honor you with words
inadequate to adorn a praise
* * *
And who but you could know the darkness
of walking down a street in daylight
not knowing when another darkness might descend
And who but you could know the elation
of watching children playing in a village
untouched by a collateral damage
And who but you could know the agony
of a comrade bloody and broken
with whom you shared a humor
moments before a scream and artillery
* * *
And how many moments have changed your life
Not knowing from day to day
if you might witness another day rising
And how many wonders have you witnessed
Standing side by side with your brethren & sister
liberating a shelter and rebuilding a home
* * *
Those weapons you carry into a combat
are your minds against those minds
who would wage war against the minds of the world
Those thoughts of freedom you harbor are the dreams
you dream while the enemy of dreams
evoke nightmares to disturb a restful sleep
* * *
Your bravery and sacrifice
does not go unnoticed by those debating a war
Your bravery and sacrifice
is beyond and above politics
and far from the opinions of those
preparing a shopping list and accumulating a karma
Your bravery and sacrifice
does not go unsung among the many
who wake from a sleep dreaming of you gatherers of light
* * *
And for all of you
in all conflicts past and present
For all you sons and daughters of the light
We pay homage to you
with words inadequate to adorn a praise
* * *
For those fallen
and all of you still standing
our thoughts are with you
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