A Modern American Hero: A Testimony from the Frontlines of Iraq

Ray Zindell, a Major in the United States Army, is a very close friend of mine. In October of 2007, he returned from a combat tour in Iraq. While there he worked as an avid soul-winner working to care for the soldiers around him and to reach them with the gospel of Christ. He has agreed to share his testimony on this website in an effort to encourage others with the amazing testimony of what God has done in his life while serving our nation overseas. Please leave your comments and feedback to let this American patriot know how you feel about his service and about his testimony.

Here is the question that I asked him that sparked the following testimony, “What is your most memorable experience or series of experiences while you were in Iraq?"

I remember one great moment in my life while I was in Iraq. It is a moment that has changed me completely, and changed my relationship with Christ even more. It involved the death of a United States Army Soldier that I knew through our Bible study in Iraq and it involved the heart of a Christian service member who cared enough to reach out to another Soldier when it was needed most.

I came to know Captain “John,” a friend of mine serving in the United States Air Force. While in Iraq. John had been introduced to me through Lieutenant Commander (P) Mike Chettham and participated in our soul winning ministry in Baghdad (run by Mike Cheetham and I). John became introduced to the blessings of soul winning for the first time through the class. As a result, God put a fire under John and he started experiencing the blessing God had in store for him through sharing the gospel. He would come back every week and tell us all the situations and continued to ask for more advice on approaching people for Christ. It was exciting to see what God had done in His life and the Life of those around Him because of the soul winning class. John soon became a great soul winner.

One of John’s soul winning efforts involved a Soldier with whom John worked with in Baghdad. During their down time together, John would talk to him about his salvation. They would talk about knowing if he was on his way to heaven. Every time John would ask that pointed question, this Soldier replied with, "Hey, I am fine!" or "It’s okay. You believe what you want to believe and I’ll believe what I want to believe."

But after church one Sunday evening he and John were having a cup of coffee. The subject came up again and the Soldier wanted to know how he could be 100% for sure that he was on his way to heaven. He said, "John, you know you can keep talking about this. Why don’t you tell me what you mean by this?" So John had the opportunity to lead him to the Lord, and the Soldier asked Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior right there in Baghdad, Iraq. Afterward, the Soldier was so excited. He picked up the phone and he called his wife back in the United States to let her know what happened, and to let her know the great news.

John came back and was just pumped up with the news that Monday evening. I can remember him emailing me and saying, "This is great, just great and wonderful." We rejoiced in what God was doing in Iraq that evening. It was really a great thing that God allowed us to be a part of that all.

Then, Tuesday came. We were getting mortared and rocketed pretty bad that week. More than usual. That Tuesday was particularly heavy as I can recall. The young Soldier that Captain John had led to the Lord that Sunday evening was walking outside the U.S. Embassy building when a number of explosive rockets made their way into the Compound. It was at that moment when the young Soldier went off into eternity from the rocket exploding just feet from the Embassy building itself. Some personnel on the scene tried to help him. One of the soldiers that was there tried to care for his wounds and get him stabilized so they could get him to the hospital. But it was too late.

It was Tuesday night in the middle of our Bible study when we found out that the had been taken home. There were tears of sorrow and pain. John especially was shattered to get the news. But we could proclaim this one thing in that Bible Study that night “It was that he was on his way to heaven.”

Then, John shared the young Soldier’s testimony to the class and in that little white building chapel that night we praised God for his salvation. John's reliance upon God's grace enabled Him to experience the joy of soul winning in the most powerful way, which to him is a huge blessing even today. It was all because a faithful Christian who had a heart for souls that wanted to reach out to the lost for God.

Just to be a part of that...even an indirect part of that, was amazing. But that is not where the story ends.

We went through the memorial service that Wednesday. On Thursday, the young man’s wife called the Chaplain there at the U.S. Embassy. The Chaplain exchanged some words with her and said that it was a good memorial service. The deceased Soldier’s wife said, “I’d like to talk to the man who talked to my husband that Sunday before he died.” So the Chaplain gave her Captain John’s phone number.

John talked to her for quite some time. Before he got off the phone with her he said, "Ma'am, I want to ask you a question and I don’t want to insult you. Are you 100% for sure that you are on your way to heaven or do you have some doubt?"

Now mind you three months ago, Captain John would not have had the courage to say all this. The young lady said, "No. That’s why I called. I want to know the same thing that you told my husband. I want to be able to share in the same joy that my husband shared with me!"

So, Captain John over the phone and across the ocean shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with this young lady, and she, like her husband just days before, received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Now that it is a memory that I will hold closest to my heart. Had I not taken that step forward...Had I not thrown myself at the service for God and my country then I would not have had the opportunity to share the experience of soul winning with Captain John or meet great men like him or LCDR Mike Cheetham and all the rest.

I glory in that. Just to be a part of that was worth the price of admission. That God would share such joy as that in our lives makes me keep serving Him and my country. It is worth the cost.

Major Ray Zindell

*This is the expressed opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense.

A Memorial Day Tribute

Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember those who have died defending our great country. It was first proclaimed by General John Logan on May 5, 1868. The first Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868. Flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at our own Arlington National Cemetery.

But do we need an official day to honor those precious souls who have defended our nation? Should our gratitude be set aside for just one day a year? Sadly, this is true for many Americans.

I can remember the early years of my childhood where anyone serving in the military was revered and appreciated for his contribution. We all wore the little poppy flower on our lapels to show our gratitude for those who gave unselfishly for our country. What a sight it was to sit in church and see everyone wearing these little poppy flowers. Later, we would attend the Memorial Day Parade and our war Veterans would be marching and everyone would wave their little American flag, clap and hail them as they marched by. The cheering would be deafening! Pride, patriotism and gratefulness swelled in our hearts as we cheered!

Unfortunately, I have seen this dissipate throughout the years and it is ashame - in fact, it should be an embarrassment to the American people! This reveals the general attitude of our country. This lack of gratitude is a blemish on the American flag and it stomps on the graves of the precious soldiers who fought, bled and died for what our flag represents.

Today's soldiers who fight for this great nation have the same courage and vision as those who fought during our first wars in the Colonial wars! These soldiers do not have the privilege of having an opinion on the politics that put them into battle. They willingly place themselves in harm's way because they believe that the United States is still the best country in the world. Our country was founded on biblical Christian principles and it is great today because of this foundation.

Unfortunately, America is moving further away from this precious foundation. Is it any wonder that our military no longer comes home to a hero's welcome as they did yester-year with ticker tape parades? Is it any wonder that Americans honor their war dead only once a year with no thought of them on the other 364 days? If your child was killed in action, wouldn't you want your countrymen to appreciate what he did for them?

What do you do on Memorial Day? Do you use this holiday to spend time with the family and have a BBQ? Or, do you visit veterans at the nursing home? Have you taught your children why we celebrate this holiday? Have you taught them to honor those in the military who are yet still living? Why wait until they are dead to honor them? Honor them today with your gratefulness. Don't be shy - show them by going up to them in the restaurant and thank them. Better yet, pay for their meal!

My son, a Marine, has gone to Olive Garden twice and both times his meal was paid by a grateful citizen! Reach out - thank those in your family, those in your church and your community. Keep the gratitude moving and continue to honor those who gave themselves for our beloved United States.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
~Moina Michael~

An Honored Military Mom,
Kate Plourde

*****

Author Info:This is a guest post by Kate Plourde, who is using her personal experience to encourage and challenge Christians with Cancer.

The Feminist Movement and its Contribution to the Modern Home (Part 2)

The issue in the minds of most liberal women is the idea of equality. They feel that to be a housewife is a disgrace and that they should not have to subject themselves to that low degree. They feel that the position of housewife is a lower position and that they should not have any more responsibility to fulfill that role than should the husband. The problem they have is that the look at the proper Biblical role of women as a lesser position and the workforce as a higher position. This is twisted, corrupted thinking. The Biblical pattern provides for the care and love of women. It provides for them to be honored and exalted. Yet the modernist looks at it as the opposite. The workforce is a hard place and a hard path to go. It is a place that the husband should not want the wife to have to lower herself to. If God leads then the husband and wife will go that direction but usually God does not lead in that way and the husband should have a desire to deliver his wife from having to live through life in the modern workforce. That is the once accepted Biblical pattern for women and the home.

This is the trend that has taken American women by storm in our modern generation of Americans. This trend has lead to the breaking up of the family, the insecurity of children based on the lack of love and acceptance no longer being found in the home, and many more issues. Women were at one time the primary teacher of the children in the home. Today the public school systems have become the mental mothers of children in many ways. The school system is now the one who determines and teaches the children the philosophies that will affect him for the rest of his life. They now provide for the children counselors and psychologists to provide the emotional stability that the children can no longer find in their homes. They have counselors that will help them to determine their life occupation which was at one time the role of the mother and father. The public school system is brainwashing America’s youth into believing Atheism, evolution, and many other blasphemous lies of the devil. And this brainwashing is being allowed because of the rise of the feminist movement. The wife is now at work when she was at one time at home teaching, training and loving her children. Satan has stepped in, transformed the philosophy of women, and is now destroying our children by the millions and millions.

We must understand that the way God ordained is the way that God blesses. People cannot have proper, functional families and live in such a way that is in direct rebellion to the plan of God. America needs to turn back to God in the area of the family if she ever hopes to see God’s blessing on her again. The transforming of the family has brought about the transforming the nation toward the sins of the devil and of hell. And the transforming of the family has been brought about by the rise and exaltation of the feminist movement.

In Christ,

Nick

The Feminist Movement and its Contribution to the Modern Home (Part 1)

At the founding of America the home was the most important thing in a person’s life. Men bleed and died in order to prepare a land where they, their families, and their posterity could live in freedom and prosperity. They fought with their lives to protect and prosper their children, wives…… their families. Men worked hard to provide for the home, often working far more than eight hour shifts, far more than five days a week, far more than is the norm today. Women of the day were exalted, loved, and taken care of. These women loved their families and counted it a great honor to raise and rear children with godly principles of hard work and character. Women of these days didn’t look at being a housewife as a chore, but as a privilege. They loved their children to the point that they wanted to give all that they had to see them grow up to be men and women of character for the next generation.

God’s design for the home is very similar to the way of life that was the accepted norm for the home in the early American republic. Yet today the home has become a very unimportant part of society. Nearly fifty percent or more of modern marriages end in divorce. Millions of children across America have no idea who their real, biological parents are because their parents live in fornication and adultery to an extreme degree. The modern family is in a sad, sad condition. Statistics tell us that Christian homes have the same, if not higher, rate of divorce that married couples of lost families. This is not God’s plan for our lives or for this great nation but is a demonstration of how much the sinful trends of the world have infiltrated the lives and families of Christians.

Satan knows that if he can destroy the home then he can destroy the church and the nation. To accomplish this destruction of the home he has tried to fill the minds of wives with discontentment. God does not intend to make a woman suffer through raising children, but it is His intention that children are to be a blessing and an heritage of the Lord. Yet Satan has reversed this godly trend that once dominated the minds of American wives and has put in them a spirit of discontentment and rebellion. He has slipped into their minds a desire to be free from the so-called bonds of being a housewife and have tried to encourage them to desire their equality with men. God intended that women be exalted, honored, and loved by their husbands. Satan is transforming that once accepted norm into a desire to be above men in such a way that would cause them to be in the workforce providing for the family. Satan is duping women into believing these thoughts of equality and freedom from being a housewife and is destroying our homes and our nation. Children now have to grow up and with no understanding of the love of two parents living under one roof, sharing, caring and providing for one another.

To Be Continued...

The Hope of a Nation

When Nehemiah heard of the conditions in Jerusalem, he was immediately stirred in his heart. In fact, by all accounts, Nehemiah's heart was broken and he literally mourned and wept at the state that his homeland was now in. You see, there were small groups of people who had been in Jerusalem trying to repair certain parts of the city. Instead of seeing progress, however, they were laughed at, ridiculed, and held up from their task. In fact, their opposition knocked the wall down and burned the gates. The nation of Israel was in derision. Nehemiah was right to be heart broken.

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. ~ Nehemiah 1:3

God's people were laughed at and their great city, their great accomplishments were torn to the ground. Today America is in the same condition. Our great landmarks of American history are being torn apart. The Christianity involved in the founding of this nation is being white-washed from the history textbooks. The Scriptures that once guided our leadership have become a relic that society looks upon with scorn and disdain. Christians who once set the standard for American living are now the laughingstock of the modern American culture. Preachers who take a stand against sin are derided as hate-mongers and as divisive. God is all but banned from the public eye.

The wall of America also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. In Nehemiah's day, those words drove him to weep and pray for his people, yet in our day Christians do very little in response to the declining state of our nation. Christians sit and watch as our nation quickly fills with sin. We stand idly by as Satan attacks us from within. Instead of being moved to tears for the sick condition of our homeland, we live insignificant lives catering to the devil's desires. We do little for the cause of Christ. We live apathetic to the need of this land.

We have been raising generation after generation of lazy Christians. Christians are now too lazy to read the Word of God and pray, let alone impact their community for Christ. Christians are too lazy to make any attempt at serving Christ the way that men and women did in the book of Acts. Our laziness to serve and love God the way that we ought to is sending this nation to hell!

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ~ II Chron. 7:14

The world doesn't know any better than to do the things that they do. You can expect the world to promote sin and wickedness. If we want to see this nation turned around, we are going to need to see Christians that are filled with the Holy Spirit of God take a stand and make a difference. We need men and women to stand as that shining light on a hill in this dark and troubled world.

Will you join me in praying for America? Will you join me in seeking God's face? Will you join me in seeking revival in our own lives so that we might see a revival in America?

Will you join me?

By the Authority of the U.S. Supreme Court

In 1892, The Supreme Court of The United States of America declared without question that America is a Christian nation.

"These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."

~ U.S. Supreme Court

In their intensely thorough declarations, they took us step by step through the history of our early American Republic and showed without doubt that their decision was not based on anything less than fact, logic, and sound precedent! They began with Columbus, the pilgrims, and the early colonies and progressed their logic through state constitutions and congressional orders. They left no stone unturned as they made a solid and irrefutable case as to the Christian founding and establishment of this great nation!

In our modern society there is so much burying of history in an effort to further modern liberal agendas. In fact, many people go so far as to completely distort and rewrite the facts as they attempt to gain political power or public favor. The ACLU is working everyday to drive any mention about the Christian influence on our American founding right out the window.

This court case is now long forgotten in the annals of history. The congress which authorized the printing of King James Bibles is now looked at in mockery (1782). The presidential decrees for days of prayer and fasting are ignored and passed over in history class. The hundreds and maybe even thousands of quotes from the founders crediting God as the source of our freedoms, our liberties, our justice system, and for our government are completely ignored and thrown away!

A Few Points to Ponder: What other examples can you think of where the public arena has inappropriately kicked God out? Can you think of other examples of those in power working to rewrite history?


In Christ,

Nick

A Lesson in Old-Fashioned American Patriotism

I once heard a preacher tell of an incident that he lived through as a child. His father was a veteran of World War II. In fact, his father had been forced to endure the Baton Death March and was held prisoner by the Japanese for a long period of time.

One day when our preacher friend was about ten years old, he and his father went to enjoy the great American past-time. They went to watch a baseball game. As the game was gearing up to begin, the announcer came online and introduced the singer who would be performing the national anthem. As the singer moved toward the microphone, the crowd stood to honor the flag and the anthem. The entire crowd took to their feet except for a few small groups of disrespectful people...

A small group of men who were seated directly in front of our preacher and his father, continued goofing and carrying on as before. As the anthem sounded throughout the stadium, these men refused to show any signs of respect or courtesy.

The preacher's father was immediately irate! He curled both hands into fists and with all of his strength he punched two of the men right in front of him in the back of the head. It knocked them down. Before they could even begin to stand back up, he quickly returned to the position of attention and placed his hand back over his heart.

The young boy was terrified. As soon as these guys stand back up, his father was going to be beaten by these men. When the men stood up, however, they looked at his father with his hand over his heart and immediately stood up tall and placed their hands over their own hearts. Several men seated nearby followed suit.

After the ball game the young boy asked his father, "Dad. I thought for sure that when you hit those men that they were going to beat you up! Why did you do that dad? It was really dangerous."

"Son," he replied, "I traveled half-way around this world and fought for that flag, watched my buddies get killed for that flag, and I stood ready to die for that flag. I may not be on the other side of the world, but my opinion of that flag hasn't changed one bit!"

At work on Friday morning, another soldier showed me the following video. Just as in the story above, this is another great example of Old-Fashioned American Patriotism! I applaud the man in this video and I hope that everyone in America takes a lesson from him. Don't ever be afraid to stand up for America!




In Christ,

Nick

Struggling Against The Angel of Death

As I continue to work at Arlington National Cemetery, I often hear amazing stories of love, valor, and heroism. It is no joke that Arlington National Cemetery truly is filled with thousands and thousands of real American heroes. If you are ever in the national capital area, I invite to take a walk through this garden of stones and contemplatively muse over the stories of honor and valor that rest within this place.

Early this week, in fact, I heard a story that really made me stand in awe at the determination of one such soldier who served in World War II. His widow shared with us an amazing story that I will never forget.

Late one night this lady was awakened in the middle of the night. Her husband was overseas fighting for our freedoms during the peak of World War II. She had heard no noise. The phone had not rang. There was nobody at the door. Yet something, she said, had awoken her and her heart was beating fast with worry for her husband.

She crawled out of bed and spend the next several hours praying for his safety. She was just consumed with worry and being a Christian lady, she continued to pray.

A short time later she received a communication from the army. Her husband had been severely wounded and was in critical condition. Again her heart raced.

A few days later she received some more details. Sometime during the night that she was awakened, her husband received some wounds that very well should have been fatal. His unit was pushed away from him and he was left for dead miles from friendly lines. For the next several hours he crawled dragging himself over ten miles to link back up with American forces. He had lost a lot of blood, was dehydrated, and was not able to walk. Yet something kept pushing him forward for over ten miles of excruciating pain and agony. He later told her that all he could think about was seeing her again.

He fully recovered and died over sixty years later in late January of 2008. We buried him at Arlington National Cemetery early this week.

Pluralism and the American Way Of Life

I assisted this week in about forty different funerals in Arlington National Cemetery. At each one, I stood about five feet away from the next of kin at the grave site. I watched mothers grieve the loss of their children. I saw brothers grieve the loss of their siblings. I saw children weep knowing that they will never see their parent again.

I particularly remember one such child. His shoulders shook uncontrollably. His face was covered in tears. His sobbing could be heard loudly, distinctly throughout the entire ceremony. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old and he was being forced to attend the funeral of his mother, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. He was just old enough to understand what was going on. He was obviously very torn emotionally.

It is always a joy, however, to hear the Chaplains step forward and share hope with these families. Most of the chaplains that I work with are protestant. One, in fact, is an Independent Baptist chaplain. With these, it is a joy to hear the comfort that they give as they present scripture pointing the family toward salvation that is only found in Christ.

Some, however, are not so comforting to me. I stand there at perfect ceremonial attention at some of the Catholic funerals being torn apart inside. I am trapped in a prison of ceremonial composure. The priest stands there and quotes his rituals, trying to lend hope to these families. The truth is, though, it is a false hope. Unless those people accepted Jesus Christ alone and apart from the church, the sacraments, their baptism, their good works, and everything else, then they did not taste of the salvation that God offered to them! They have no hope! They are being duped! They are being lied to! Satan has covered their eyes and is leading them down the broad road to destruction!

We live in such a pluralistic society, or a society where every religious view and belief is respected to be just as good and as plausible as every other view. Friends, this wicked, humanistic philosophy is destroying the fabric of the America that once was. In 1892, our national supreme court ruled unanimously in 'Church of the Holy Trinity v. The United States' that this was a Christian nation. They didn't even hint at the possibility of pluralism, atheism, or even a 'religious' nation. Nor were they bothered that they might be violating the now famous doctrine of 'Separation of Church and State.' They stated emphatically that "this is a Christian nation!"

Don't get me wrong. The American ideal has always included religious toleration. In fact, when Jacob Barsimson, the first Jewish American, stepped foot on American soil almost three hundred and fifty years ago, he was respected for his beliefs and given a fair chance in society. This is something that he could not find anywhere else. In fact, Israel was not even a nation at that time. This was the only nation in the world where he could participate in a free society.

America freely allowed for toleration but they did not change or throw out Christian influence in the public arena in order to avoid offending others. It was quite the opposite. Nearly one hundred percent of the Bible has been quoted in the United States Congress. In many states, it was required that a person present a clear salvation testimony in order to hold public office. This was the case in over half the states for a long time after the first amendment granted freedom of religion and nobody felt like it was in violation.

Our nations religious toleration (which has now been transformed into secular pluralism) should never cause us to lose sight of our mission on this earth. Our chief end in life should be that of convincing people of the truth. We must fight to spread the truth of God's Word throughout this land and throughout the world. Our faithful working toward the accomplishment of that mission is the only hope that many people on this earth may have.

Point to Ponder: What examples of pluralism have you seen in your life? What kind of situations have you found yourself in where you were forced to respect (or at least show respect to) a non-Biblical religious view? My example, of course, would be me standing at the position of attention having to listen to the Catholic ritual at the funerals.

A Message On A Missile

On a cool, quiet January morning, Corporal Rick Garrett was shaving in the shower trailer at Camp Victory, Iraq. Wrapped in a towel and enjoying the energy he felt from a good night's sleep, he began thinking about the months he had left overseas. Many questions filled his mind: Would the war get even bloodier? Would any of his buddies be killed? Would he do his duty well? In fact, would he even survive?

Then another question - it was a prayer, really - formed itself in his mind: "God, are you able to protect me over here?"

The words had just become a conscious thought when Corporal Garrett heard a deafening crash. It was the sound of the trailer door shattering. An RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) had pierced the door and was now flying through the middle of the trailer. In an instant, the projectile flew past Corporal Garrett, lightly creasing his stomach en route, and embedded itself in the trailer wall opposite the door.

For a moment, Garrett was frozen in shock, expecting the RPG to explode. But it did not. Realizing he might have a moment to escape, the corporal ran to the gaping hole where the door had been and hurled himself through it to the ground several feet below. Jumping up as quickly as he could, he sprinted from the trailer while shouting a warning to those in the nearby trailers. Dozens of soldiers braced themselves for an explosion.

Yet nothing happened. The RPG never exploded. It was a dud. Garrett picked himself up from the ground and began laughing with relief. As a crowd gathered and began congratulating him for his luck, he remembered the question he had been asking God: "Can you protect me over here?" It seemed that God had answered.

In case the message hadn't been clear enough, though, there was something more. When the ordinance specialists examined the unexploded RPG, they found a message had been scratched onto it. This was not uncommon. Insurgents often painted or scratched some message on the missiles they fired as an added insult to their American enemy. But the message on this particular missile had a special meaning to Corporal Garrett.

It read simply, "From the God of the American Soldiers."

Apparently, an insurgent had intended the message as a cruel insult. Corporal Garrett knew better. Whatever the insurgents meant to say, he knew that his God was saying in dramatic terms, "Yes, I can protect you over here. For I am indeed, 'the God of the American Soldiers.'"

Taken from 'American Heroes' by Stephen Mansfield.

Why stand we here idle?

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

~ Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775

The Summer Soldier and the Sunshine Patriot

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."

~ Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

I Am An American Soldier

Disclaimer: At work, we are currently working on a production called "Spirit of America." During the production, the United States Army Band plays a song entitled "American Soldier." When I first heard these lyrics, it nearly brought me to tears. When I got home from work, I looked this song up on the internet so that I could share them with all of you. I found out that it is a song written by Toby Keith and that it is actually a country western song. I would not have been able to tell that from the way that the Army Band sang it at our production and even though I found out that the original work is not the type of music that I would condone, I still felt I should share the lyrics. This is the description of my life and the lives of those with whom I work day after day.

I'm just trying to be a father
raise a daughter and a son
be a lover to their mother
everything to everyone

Up and at 'em bright and early
I'm all business in my suit
Yeah, I'm dressed up for success
From my head down to my boots

I don't do it for the money
There's bills that I can't pay
I don't do it for the glory
I just do it anyway

Providing for our future's my responsibility
Yeah I'm real good under pressure
Being all that I can be
I can't call in sick on Mondays
When the weekend's been to strong
I just work straight through the holidays
Sometimes all night long

You can bet that I stand ready
when the wolf growls at the door
Yeah I'm solid, yeah I'm steady
Hey I'm true down to the core

And I will always do my duty
No matter what the price
I've counted up the cost
I know the sacrifice
Oh and I don't wanna die for you
But if dying's asked of me
I'll bear that cross with honor
Cause freedom don't come free

I'm an American soldier
An American
Beside my brothers and my sisters
I will proudly take a stand
When liberty's in jeopardy
I'll always do what's right
I'm out here on the front line
So sleep in peace at night
I'm an American soldier
I'm an American soldier


Yeah an American soldier
An American
Beside my brothers and my sisters
I will proudly take a stand
When liberty's in jeopardy
I'll always do what's right
I'm out here on the front lines
So sleep in peace at night
I'm an American soldier
I'm an American
An American
An American soldier