A Poem

Posted Fri Nov 23, 2007 in Ruminations

Whatever you think about soldiers, but they are the reason we are free…

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us Freedom of 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 the Freedom to Demonstrate.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag
that allows the protester to burn the flag.


By Father Dennis O’Brien
Chaplain, United States Marine Corps