The Different

I’ve listened to their opinions only smiling
The military a place for those with nowhere else to go
The outcasts and underachievers society’s dregs 
What secrets the haters think they know

Thinking they are somehow better
Many of us nowhere else to turn
No way to college nor a job with a future
Only seeing a chance and a method to earn

Are those who seized opportunity our nation’s worst
Accepting a challenge and paying a price
Why are these looked down on today
Are they the model for being despised

Two decades of peace and safety forgotten
When war came what actions did these few take
Less than one percent rose to the occasion 
For warriors no other choice to make

It’s most certainly an ironic twist
Looking down on those who serve
Never thinking why they are free
Believing their entitlement deserved

It is not just service to our nation 
We don’t hide when we observe wrong
We are judged for standing for something 
Without us our nation would be gone

From service we’re not wealthy 
Our only reward keeping our nation safe
Unlike the doubters and haters
We find peace looking in our own face

I can’t believe we are only different
We have an innate ability to share
The outsiders judging our altruism 
For their fellow citizens they don’t care

We’ll still give our all for this land we love
Defending the weaker to keep us all free
When you look down from your ivory tower 
Know that every comrade means more to me

We know the answer and don’t look for why
Warriors believe in serving the greater good 
Don’t need a pat on the back or even a thanks
A better world if you understood

JBentley-3Sep2023