Friday, January 2, 2009

Our Freedom Isn’t Free

I am a U.S veteran; the Army was my choice.
I’m grateful for this moment here to stand and speak my voice.
The topic that I represent with pride and glory true,
about the flag we know and love; the red, the white and blue.

The flag still stands for freedom; for the strong and for the weak.
To give us all the right we have to open up and speak.
For Flag Day is an honor that we owe our happiness,
to soldiers who have served us well, in this country where we’re blessed.

The U.S flag we know and love Old Glory! Stars and Stripes!
May under God, we always pledge, to stand for what is right.
Our flag in which we put our faith, our love, our hopes and trust,
this flag in which we should respect for righteous peace we must.

A flag, that in so many lands, she's horribly abused.
By being burned and torn apart, dishonored, and refused.
The burning of our nation’s flag dishonors those who rest.
For them I will defend her still and always do my best.

To show the people of the world the good that we have done
through battles of land, and air and sea, in victories we’ve won.
The colors of our nation’s flag depict a sacred song,
like brothers names upon a wall as those of Vietnam.

We’ve planted her on foreign lands in dirt with stains of red,
forgetting not, Korean vets whose blood they also shed.
The caring of, disabled vets, becomes our nations plight.
For wounded heroes shine the way like peaceful stars of white.

For World War two, a star of blue is hanging in the glass,
while mothers mourn, upon a cross that rests above the grass.
I'm proud to be American, in knowing that I’m free,
to men and women whom have served who gave that right to me.

For every fallen soldier and for every life they’d give
to guarantee our freedom and the liberty we live.
For those who served beside me and for those who serves us now,
let us fly our flag up proudly and show other nations how.

For a desert’s storm can blind a heart and make some turn their backs,
but avenging souls of nine one, one (9*1*1) is why we’re in Iraq.
We all need to come together, not divided but as one,
to stand up tall to terrorists and show them how it's done!

It brings me such emotion when I think about the brave,
the strength, the blood, the sweat and tears their lives in which they gave,
for us to have a freedom that no other people know.
A life without oppression; where our kids are free to grow.
Our troops will have to travel far, with guns in hand, to face the war.
They leave their loved ones far behind so we can be with yours and mine.

To fly the flag in which we raise, some have to fill an honored grave,
with blood they know they’ll have to shed,
for stars and stripes of blue and red.
The flag draped caskets that we see honoring the bold
of those that stay forever young so we can still grow old.
We give the flag with memories secured within its folds,
to loved ones that are left behind, what’s left of those to hold.

What glory and such honor! So brave! So strong! So young!
Please rest yourselves in peace my friends, your duty here is done.
And though you may not be a soldier fighting for your land
their voice is crying from the grave, “Stand up and take a stand!”
for of their death and sacrifice they bought a brand new day
to wave the flag and raise your hand and let you have your say.

So fly that flag with honor through whatever storms descend,
that united we shall stand together and be faithful till the end.
Until all our soldiers come from war, until the battle ends.
Until everyone is safe at home, with family and friends,
I shall fly my nation’s flag with joy for all the world to see
that through serving all humanity our freedom isn’t free


Reprinted with permission by the author
Copyright © 2007 Vanessa A. Griego. All Rights Reserved.

As we begin the new year 2009, let us all remember those who sacrifice so much for our country, our freedoms, our flag. I am honored to be able to reprint this poem which was written by a U.S. Army Veteran who served in the Gulf War.

5 comments:

Ted said...

MESSAGE TO EVERY MEMBER OF CONGRESS:

When counting the electoral votes, either Congress finds by 1/8/09 that Obama, not being an Article II “natural born citizen”, fails to qualify as President whereupon Biden becomes the full fledged President under 3 USC 19 (free to pick his own VP such as Hillary) or thereafter defers to the Supreme Court to enjoin Obama’s inauguration with Biden becoming only Acting President under the 20th Amendment until a new President is duly determined.

The preferable choice, at least for the Democrats, should seem obvious.

Christina G. said...

Reading the verses about 911, I once again find myself baffled as to how the majority of Americans (it seems) don't get that...I fail to understand that blindness.

Am I the one missing something?

Patriot said...

Christina, I understand what you are saying... Iraq was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. I am not sure what the poem's author thinks or believes Iraq's role was in those horrific attacks. However, I approach the author's "avenging souls of nine one, one" phrase from a different angle.

We, as a country, must commit to those who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as their loved ones, that we will fight terrorists anywhere in this world, including those who would seek to harm us even though they may not have been complicit in the 9/11 attacks.

The fact is that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons and used them against his own people and the Iranians, he had a nuclear weapons program and was seeking to reconstitue one, he was a state sponsor of terror by encouraging suicide bombers with money paid to their families, and he was the only leader of a nation to publicly support the attacks on 9/11 itself, saying that America basically deserved it. Even the Taliban leader publically condemned the attacks. It was reported that if Saddam Hussein had the means to strike at the homeland of the United States, he would have as his hatred for our country was very intense. He attempted to assassinate President Bush (41) and indiscriminately fired upon coalition forces enforcing the U.N.'s no-fly zone. Iraq was in direct violation of the 1991 cease-fire agreement and 16 U.N. resolutions since then, setting up an inevitable showdown between Iraq and the U.N. Security Council. At some point or another, the United States was going to have to deal with Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Many have argued that 2003 was not the right time, but if not then, when?

On the morning of 9/11 the world completely changed, the United States was vulnerable to an attack orchestrated by a small but well funded band of Islamic extremists. Our enemies took notice and Iraq was one of them.

Given the realities of the moment, it was the right time to deal with the problem. It showed the world that we were serious. It was because we acted and did so without asking permission from anyone else that angers the "world." Everyone knows that when we set our minds to do something, we succeed. If we succeed at eliminating terror as a means to exact punishment for policy decisions, immorality of the West, etc., all the more powerful the United States becomes. That is what the rest of the world doesn't want - a more powerful United States.

So, in my opinion, wherever we fight and whomever we fight in this war against terrorism, whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan or any other country, we are avenging the souls of 9/11.

Christina G. said...

Amen.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting my poem.

Avenging souls of 911.."

It is unacceptable that innocent people live in fear.
We should all be fighting terrorism Anywhere and Everywhere! Whether it be in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Darfur etc.. or in our own neighborhoods, ie: domestic violence, drugs and gangs, child predators etc.
There will always be a 911 somewhere, and terrorists will always be comming up with new ways to scare us, but we can never allow them to succeed.
Whether or not Iraq was directly involved in 911 or not, we at least owe it to the 911 victims and to the weaker people of the world, that terrorists will not go unpunished! There are "bullies" in the world, and "someone" needs to stand up to them!