The Soldier

from www.whaleoil.co.nz

This was taken from The Contact the magazine of Vietnam VeteransIt was written by Father Dennis O'Brian.

The Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter,who gives us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who gives us the freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organiser, who gives us thefreedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flagand whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

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But what is it we are always hearing in the news? US Soldiers accused of torturing hostages, they rave on and on and on about how terrible they are, blissfully ignoring their right to say so which has for the large part come about by the bloodshed of soldiers long before their time. - Andy