From email:
Your alarm goes off; you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.
He stays up for days on end.
***
You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.
***
You complain of a “headache”, and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
***
You put on your anti-war/don’t support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
***
You make sure your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
***
You talk trash about your “buddies” that aren’t with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
***
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
***
You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
***
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn’t get to eat today.
***
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.
***
You go to the mall and get your hair done.
He doesn’t have time to brush his teeth today.
***
You’re angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He’s told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
***
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
***
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do every day.
He holds his letter close and smells his love’s perfume.
***
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they’ll ever meet.
***
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.
***
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
***
You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
***
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don’t.
He does exactly what he is told.
***
You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
***
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5-minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire.
***
You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him.
If only there were more men like him!
He offered to die for you; the American Soldier.