Posted on Jul 14, 2015
Have You Heard About "Endless War by Robie Odonnell"? From "Uncommon Sense" By DeniseWilliams
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Poem By Robie Odonnell
Every now and then, something happens that just can't be explained by anything other than fate. For the past few months I've been working in the real world on several different military and veteran initiatives, many of which center on getting the message of our veterans out to the civilian world. A lot of those messages have to do with explaining how combat veterans feel about their experiences in war. Then, this appeared on a Facebook page dedicated to the memory of a friend's son.
The author of this poem is US Army Veteran Robie Odonnell. "Odie", as he is known to his buddies, deployed to Afghanistan in August 2009 with the 4th Infantry Division out of Ft. Carson. It was there he met the son of my dear friend Linda, Ryan Patrick Kennedy. Ryan lost his battle with Post Traumatic Stress on August 2nd, 2010.
About Ryan, Odie said "I first met ryan when I got overseas, they had deployed about two months before I got there, and instantly became friends with him and 3 others, we always joked about being overseas, and at a point we were all convinced that we weren't really in afghan, but just on the other side of the mountains in Colorado springs, it made things better and easier for us all if that's what we thought and talked about. ryan was a great soldier, but even better at being a friend to someone."
These words of Obie's describe one part of this war too many of our veterans have brought home -
ENDLESS WAR
TIME RACING IM PACING
EYES ARE TRACING
IM CHASING THAT HIGH,
I WANT TO BE FACING
BULLETS FLYING
SOLDIERS DYING
BUDDIES ARE CRYING
WE ALL TRYING
ONE MORE SHOT
ONE MORE KILL
ONE MORE SHOT
TO FIND THAT THRILL
OUR MINDS STILL IN THIS WAR
SOME BEGGING FOR MORE
OTHERS ON THEIR KNEES CRAWLING FOR THE DOOR
IT WONT STOP
CLEANING UP THE BLOOD WITH A MOP
GUNNERS UP ON TOP
ALL SHOOTING AT THE SAME SPOT
THEY LET THE BODIES ROT
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR KNOWING THAT WE FOUGHT
ONE MORE HIGH
ONE MORE SHOT
LIVING THE REST OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS ID RATHER NOT,
NIGHTMARES AND COLD SWEATS
HEARING A FIRECRACKER WONDERING WHAT COMES NEXT
THANK GOD FOR THE BULLETPROOF VEST
WAIT
TRAINING VEST
SHIT MINES NOT LIKE THE REST
IM DEAD IF I GET SHOT IN THE CHEST,
LOOKING AT THE CLOUDS IN THE SKY,
PRAYING TO GOD THAT TOMORROW ILL BE ALIVE
TIMES RACING
IM PACING
EYES ARE TRACING
IM CHASING THAT HIGH I WANT TO BE FACING,
ANYMORE THOUGH I DON’T
TODAY IS A NEW DAY
SO I WONT.
by Robie Odonnell
Every now and then, something happens that just can't be explained by anything other than fate. For the past few months I've been working in the real world on several different military and veteran initiatives, many of which center on getting the message of our veterans out to the civilian world. A lot of those messages have to do with explaining how combat veterans feel about their experiences in war. Then, this appeared on a Facebook page dedicated to the memory of a friend's son.
The author of this poem is US Army Veteran Robie Odonnell. "Odie", as he is known to his buddies, deployed to Afghanistan in August 2009 with the 4th Infantry Division out of Ft. Carson. It was there he met the son of my dear friend Linda, Ryan Patrick Kennedy. Ryan lost his battle with Post Traumatic Stress on August 2nd, 2010.
About Ryan, Odie said "I first met ryan when I got overseas, they had deployed about two months before I got there, and instantly became friends with him and 3 others, we always joked about being overseas, and at a point we were all convinced that we weren't really in afghan, but just on the other side of the mountains in Colorado springs, it made things better and easier for us all if that's what we thought and talked about. ryan was a great soldier, but even better at being a friend to someone."
These words of Obie's describe one part of this war too many of our veterans have brought home -
ENDLESS WAR
TIME RACING IM PACING
EYES ARE TRACING
IM CHASING THAT HIGH,
I WANT TO BE FACING
BULLETS FLYING
SOLDIERS DYING
BUDDIES ARE CRYING
WE ALL TRYING
ONE MORE SHOT
ONE MORE KILL
ONE MORE SHOT
TO FIND THAT THRILL
OUR MINDS STILL IN THIS WAR
SOME BEGGING FOR MORE
OTHERS ON THEIR KNEES CRAWLING FOR THE DOOR
IT WONT STOP
CLEANING UP THE BLOOD WITH A MOP
GUNNERS UP ON TOP
ALL SHOOTING AT THE SAME SPOT
THEY LET THE BODIES ROT
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR KNOWING THAT WE FOUGHT
ONE MORE HIGH
ONE MORE SHOT
LIVING THE REST OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS ID RATHER NOT,
NIGHTMARES AND COLD SWEATS
HEARING A FIRECRACKER WONDERING WHAT COMES NEXT
THANK GOD FOR THE BULLETPROOF VEST
WAIT
TRAINING VEST
SHIT MINES NOT LIKE THE REST
IM DEAD IF I GET SHOT IN THE CHEST,
LOOKING AT THE CLOUDS IN THE SKY,
PRAYING TO GOD THAT TOMORROW ILL BE ALIVE
TIMES RACING
IM PACING
EYES ARE TRACING
IM CHASING THAT HIGH I WANT TO BE FACING,
ANYMORE THOUGH I DON’T
TODAY IS A NEW DAY
SO I WONT.
by Robie Odonnell
PTSD
Warfare
Poetry
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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Brought tears to my eyes knowing this brother is hurting so much, he couldn't handle it anymore. This shit's real. Not to be downsized as weak, doesn't happen, can be fixed easily. Read my words, There but by the Grace of God, go I. Please, no negative feedback. This really hurts to see him suffer so much, he took the easy way out. I say easy because living is the hard way when your sick with PTSD.
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Very touching and a perfect way to convey the message. My condolences on your friends loss. I had a buddy that took his life. Not the same as this, but none the less, just as tragic. I hope many many people get to see this poem.
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