It Is The Soldier
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
© 1970 2010
Charles M. Province, U.S. Army
Qi (energy) hugs
Cee
Cee's Photo Challenges 
As a soldier thank you, although I’m not sure I️ agree with it all
The press and organizers, in fact everyone in this country make us who we are.
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Thank you for your service and being a part of our country. 😀
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And contrarywise:
It is the politician and not the soldier who gave us Wars!
‘Our’ (and ‘their’) leaders are the ones responsible for beginning every war, soldiers just do what they are told and trained to do by them. And are largely left to fend for themselves after being trained to kill other human beings and having to live with a horrible reality different to that of the rest of society… if they come back. 😦
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Thank you for sharing this thought provoking poem.
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❤️❤️❤️. Don’t know if you can see the emojis, but Love Love Love this… We owe so much to the soldiers and to the veterans. who have served & fought for our country and for our freedoms
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Wonderful, Cee. Thank you from the daughter of a soldier who never made it back
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