Battle Rattle

This helmet is heavy and hurts my head.
Tight vest with armored plates in it,
It chafes my tired shoulders so much.
I wish I didn’t have to wear this junk;
sweating in the hot sun for so many hours.

Tight vest with armored plates in it,
I had to glue on my own name tag,
and my rank insignia keeps falling off.
They couldn’t issue me a new one,
so I have the old green BDU style.

It chafes my tired shoulders so much,
and must weigh at least forty pounds.
I stand again in the hot desert sun,
sweating, manning a post, checking IDs.
Constantly hyper-vigilant, I wait.

I wish I didn’t have to wear this junk.
I wish I was home in a safe place,
in my recliner, with a cold drink,
but I do what I do because I chose to.
I chose to protect your freedom.

Sweating in the hot sun for so many hours,
is a small price I willingly pay for you.
I adjust my heavy ballistic helmet,
reset my old flack vest on my shoulders,
and motion to the next vehicle in line.

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Lou, a Christian grateful for Jesus’ gift to him, was born and raised in the western hills of Maine, then spent 20 plus years wandering the country and world in the United States Air Force. Maine Department of American Legion’s Historian, he is a photographer and stringer for The Maine Trust for Local News, published poet and short story writer who pens faith-based devotionals. He lives in Rumford, Maine. He is author of an anthology of poems based upon his military career entitled: Dimly Seen Through The Mists, and a book of faith-based poems entitled: My Lighthouse In Troubled Times, available through Pen It! Publications. He can be reached at mbsphotog@yahoo.com or his Facebook Page.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.