SPC Ken Harper 523185 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>½ PERCENT<br /><br /><br />One half of one percent,<br />Defending you and me.<br />At outposts in the desert,<br />In planes and ships at sea.<br /><br />Every one, a volunteer,<br />The reasons why are varied.<br />The burden borne, for all of us,<br />Is quite a load to carry.<br /><br />Never knowing, minute-wise,<br />What will happen next.<br />Will today, be the day,<br />They draw their final breath?<br /><br />Wearing masks of macho,<br />They go to work each day.<br />But folks back home are scared to death,<br />And n’er forget to pray.<br /><br />Friends go off to college,<br />At Ivy Leaguer schools.<br />To learn the art of drinking,<br />And then call soldiers fools.<br /><br />Soldiers, who can field-strip,<br />A weapon down to parts.<br />Then put it back together,<br />While sittin’ in the dark.<br /><br />Soldiers, who with bare hands,<br />Can save another’s life,<br />Then stand in line for hours,<br />To read e-mail from his wife.<br /><br />Soldiers, who hear loved ones talk,<br />On signal-dropping phones.<br />And cannot give an answer to;<br />“When ya comin’ home?”<br /><br />Soldiers, with esprit de corps,<br />And shared camaraderie,<br />Who love the taste of freedom,<br />Life and liberty.<br /><br />Soldiers, who, when things get rough,<br />Won’t turn their backs and run.<br />And if they lose their life,<br />They’ll die, their duty done.<br /><br />Some are “only” wounded,<br />Blasted, burned or maimed.<br />Facing years of coping,<br />Daily with the pain.<br /><br />Because of TBI,<br />These valiant girls and boys,<br />Feel like cast-off rejects on<br />The Isle of Misfit Toys.<br /><br />Some will try to keep their problems,<br />Buried deep inside.<br />Then, when finally overcome,<br />“Escape” through suicide.<br /><br />Despite the missing parts,<br />Pain and grafted skin,<br />Most will NEVER surrender,<br />Their foe will NEVER win.<br /><br />Blow US up, break our bones,<br />Cause the loss of hearing.<br />NOTHING you can ever do<br />Will break our fighting spirit !<br /><br />Young men and young women too,<br />Standing in defense.<br />Hero’s, every single one,<br />This half of one percent.<br /><br />© Ken B. Harper<br />14 October 2011 2015-03-10T18:42:56-04:00 SPC Ken Harper 523185

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>½ PERCENT<br /><br /><br />One half of one percent,<br />Defending you and me.<br />At outposts in the desert,<br />In planes and ships at sea.<br /><br />Every one, a volunteer,<br />The reasons why are varied.<br />The burden borne, for all of us,<br />Is quite a load to carry.<br /><br />Never knowing, minute-wise,<br />What will happen next.<br />Will today, be the day,<br />They draw their final breath?<br /><br />Wearing masks of macho,<br />They go to work each day.<br />But folks back home are scared to death,<br />And n’er forget to pray.<br /><br />Friends go off to college,<br />At Ivy Leaguer schools.<br />To learn the art of drinking,<br />And then call soldiers fools.<br /><br />Soldiers, who can field-strip,<br />A weapon down to parts.<br />Then put it back together,<br />While sittin’ in the dark.<br /><br />Soldiers, who with bare hands,<br />Can save another’s life,<br />Then stand in line for hours,<br />To read e-mail from his wife.<br /><br />Soldiers, who hear loved ones talk,<br />On signal-dropping phones.<br />And cannot give an answer to;<br />“When ya comin’ home?”<br /><br />Soldiers, with esprit de corps,<br />And shared camaraderie,<br />Who love the taste of freedom,<br />Life and liberty.<br /><br />Soldiers, who, when things get rough,<br />Won’t turn their backs and run.<br />And if they lose their life,<br />They’ll die, their duty done.<br /><br />Some are “only” wounded,<br />Blasted, burned or maimed.<br />Facing years of coping,<br />Daily with the pain.<br /><br />Because of TBI,<br />These valiant girls and boys,<br />Feel like cast-off rejects on<br />The Isle of Misfit Toys.<br /><br />Some will try to keep their problems,<br />Buried deep inside.<br />Then, when finally overcome,<br />“Escape” through suicide.<br /><br />Despite the missing parts,<br />Pain and grafted skin,<br />Most will NEVER surrender,<br />Their foe will NEVER win.<br /><br />Blow US up, break our bones,<br />Cause the loss of hearing.<br />NOTHING you can ever do<br />Will break our fighting spirit !<br /><br />Young men and young women too,<br />Standing in defense.<br />Hero’s, every single one,<br />This half of one percent.<br /><br />© Ken B. Harper<br />14 October 2011

2015-03-10T18:42:56-04:00 2015-03-10T18:42:56-04:00 SPC Ken Harper 523191

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>While listening to a news story, the reporter said that in the past decade, only 1/2 of one percent of the American population has served in the military. I thought I misunderstood the figure so I looked it up and sure enough, 1/2 of one percent was correct, which is down just slightly from when I served in the 80s. While I shy away from accepting the "hero" tag, today's military is carrying a heavy load like Atlas, and deserving of the term.

2015-03-10T18:48:04-04:00 2015-03-10T18:48:04-04:00 2015-03-10T18:42:56-04:00