Outstanding in Afghanistan
The man rose up at break of day,
His feet like thunder on the ground,
He marched through heat along the way,
But never heard the danger’s sound.
He ran through bases, full patrol,
He watched for targets, cold and gone,
He steadied breath and steadied soul,
And pressed the mission, carried on.
Between the talks on radio,
The position held behind him fast,
He shouted out what men should know,
And carried on from first to last.
Duty kept his discipline checked,
A fight to turn the raging tide,
Surrender never, even wrecked,
Wound after wound he did not hide.
Limb after limb hung worn and thin,
He pressed the line through smoke and fear,
The battle raged like discipline,
And death itself refused to near.
They found him where the bodies lay,
His helmet lost but head held true,
His mother wept and knelt to pray,
Beneath a flag red, white, and blue.
Brothers stared on through blinding grief,
Their eyes still fixed on those ahead,
A soldier’s oath brings no relief,
It only holds until you’re dead.
So lead with courage, lead with need,
The oath upheld in place of fear,
The battlefield proceeds to bleed,
Because that is warfare—severe.
Jared Chang is a small business owner born and raised in California.
