Words from a Soldier

 

    I thought for Memorial Day I would ask one of my friends, Henry Longo, who recently graduated boot camp, to write some thoughts for us. We always talk about remembering the fallen soldiers, thanking those who have served, and being thankful for their sacrifice on this day. But it seems to me that only those who have served can really understand. I asked Henry to tell us what it's like. I hope we can get a small glimpse of what military life is like from his thoughts. Thank you to Henry, and thank you to every soldier that's ever served, every person who ever sacrificed for freedom.    

"I have learned through my experience with the military, life as a soldier is not what most  people think it is. As a soldier they take you and everything you used to know apart and put you together again into what they want. Through the training part you learn to work with people of all different personalities to complete the mission. You develop a sense of family with most of the guys because in the end you want to be able to trust the guy next to you with your life and they have to be able to trust you with theirs. I also have come to respect the men who have gone before, because I've gotten just a small taste of what they had to go through and the comforts they sacrificed, the birthdays and weddings they missed, the time with their families they gave up so we could have time with ours. Memorial day is a day to remember the ones who stood between the enemies of freedom and us, who never backed down, ones who loved freedom so much they gave their lives, some might not have understood completely what they were standing up for but one thing they did know was they were standing up for freedom. Many of the ones who gave their lives weren't even in their mid twenties, for many their lives were just getting started when they gave it for their country. As a soldier you learn that freedom isn't free, most soldiers that I've come into contact with know someone or were friends with someone who lost their lives in the line of duty. I've also learned that when a soldier has the home front backing him up he will push himself and go farther than even he thought was possible." -Henry Longo