How much is
A good job worth
My son?
A few weeks
Of some sergeant
Yelling maggot
While you get in
The best shape of your
Life?
Heck,
That ain't so bad
Make my body
Rock hard
Like other parts
Of me
The ladies want,
Money too,
And college tuition
Girls like
A smart man
Make the big bucks,
Trucks,
Drive a motorcycle
And think of
Top Gun
And songs
Like a Blaze of Glory.
The joke is
Go to foreign lands
Meet interesting people
And then kill them.
Sometimes,
Its not far from the
Truth.
The news reports
That 5000 soldiers
Have died…
But they neglected
To tell you
The invisible number
Of how many
Committed suicide,
Further still
How many more
Have PTSD
Further still
The ones
Who have come
Home,
Maimed,
Dismembered,
Or permanently
Disabled,
Or sick.
150,000 have gone
50,000 wounded vets
5,000 dead
My son,
You have a
One in three
Chance
Of being wounded
Or killed.
Look to the left
On basic training
Look to the right
In your unit
One of you
Will never be whole
Again.
This is the cost
Of a good job
Opportunity.
Is it a price
You are willing
To pay?
How much
Are you willing
To pay
For a good job,
And for the girls
To look at you
The way you see them
In your dreams?
How much boy?
Are you willing
To pay
To think of yourself
As a man?
For honor
And glory
For duty
And country
These are ideals
And when
You are maimed
Either physically
Or mentally,
As a foot soldier
It isn't pretty.
War never is.
Just make sure
The reasons you go
Are the ones
You can live with.
