This is a poem being sent from a Marine to his Dad. It makes you truly thankful for not only the Marines, but for ALL of our troops.

THE MARINE We all came together,
Both young and old
To fight for our freedom,
To stand and be bold.
In the midst of all evil,
We stand our ground,
And we protect our country
From all terror around.

Peace and not war,
Is what some people say.
But I'll give my life,
So you can live the American way.
I give you the right
To talk of your peace.
To stand in your groups,
And protest in our streets.

But still I fight on, I don't bitch, I don't whine.
I'm just one of the people who is doing your time.
I'm harder than nails, Stronger than any machine.
I'm the immortal soldier, I'm a U.S. MARINE!

So stand in my shoes,
And leave from your home.
Fight for the people who hate you,
With the protests they've shown.
Fight for the stranger,
Fight for the young.
So they all may have,
The greatest freedom you've won.

Fight for the sick,
Fight for the poor
Fight for the cripple,
Who lives next door.
But when your time comes,
Do what I've done.
For if you stand up for freedom,
You'll stand when the fight's done.

By: Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert, US Marine Corps USS SAIPAN, PERSIAN GULF

As we go through our everyday lives, grocery shopping and taking care of "have tos" and enjoying our family and friends it is easy to forget that there are people fighting in war. It isn't a movie. It is a fact of life. The very least we can do is say thank you to members of our armed forces when we see them and to pray they have wisdom in the face of unfathomable conditions and for their safety and speedy return back to us and their families.

To all our service men and woman, Thank you most sincerely for your sacrifice and for the daily sacrifices of your families waiting for your return.