FOCUS ON VETERANS   

"A man good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to receive a square deal afterwards..."

Theodore Roosevelt

National Homeland Security Knowledgebase

The Serviceman

The average age of the serviceman is 19 years. He is a short haired,
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society
as
half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, but old enough to die for
his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his
own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment
either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has
a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to
be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and
roll or jazz or swing and 155mm Howitzers. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now
than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn
to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can
field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less. He can recite
to
you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one
effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first
aid
like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he
is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he
is
not without spirit or individual dignity.

He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears
the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets
to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals,
mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share
his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his
ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned
to use his hands like weapons and his weapons like they were his hands. He
can save your life -- or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still
find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he
should have in his short lifetime. He has stood atop mountains of dead
bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for
friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. Just as did his Father,
Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom.

Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has
kept this country free for over 200 years. He has asked nothing in return,
except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has
earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

He is a SERVICEMAN!