The Marine

[Squishy0405]

Freedom Isn't Free--Reposting
Body: Please don't delete this until you send it on.
Let's send it around the world.

FRIENDS ARE BORN... NOT MADE



This is a poem being sent from a Marine to his Dad.

For those who take the time to read it,
you'll see a letter from him to his Dad at the bottom.

It makes you truly thankful for not only the Marines, but ALL of our troops.

THE MARINE




We all came together,
Both young and old
To fight for our freedom,
To stand and be bold.< BR>


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. < BR>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

March 23, 2003

Hey Dad,

Do me a favor and label this "The Marine" and send it to everybody on your email list. Even leave this letter in it. I want this rolling all over the US ; I want every home reading it. Every eye seeing it. And every heart to feel it. So can you please send this for me? I would but my email time isn't that long and I don't have much time anyway. You know what Dad? I wondered what it would be like to truly understand what JFK said in His inaugural speech.

"When the time comes to lay down my life for my country,
I do not cower from this responsibility. I welcome it!"

Well, now I know. And I do. Dad, I welcome the opportunity to do what I do. Even though I have left behind a beautiful wife, and I will miss the birth of our first born child, I would do it 70 times over to fight for the place that God has made for my home. I love you all and I miss you very much. I wish I could be there when Sandi has our baby, but tell her that I love her, and Lord willing, I will be coming home soon. Give Mom a great big hug from me and give one to yourself too.
Aaron

Aaron was assasinated by an IRAQ soldier while he was on patrol with 2 day s left after his Dad received this poem and letter

Please let this Marine (and all our military) know we care by passing his poem onto your friends even if you don't usually take time to forward mail.. do it this time!

Thanks

If this touched you as much as it touched me, please forward it on.
Let's help Aaron's dad spread the word...

FREEDOM isn't FREE
...someone pays for you and me.


"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."

[Mickey Blue]

Peace and not war,
Is what some people say.
But I'll give my life,
So you can live the American way.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for soldiers and my best friend is a marine, that said the idea that the current war (to which this is clearly referring to) has anythign to do with the US's freedom or "the American Way" is BS.

So stand in my shoes,
And leave from your home.
Fight for the people who hate you,
With the protests they've shown.

More BS, while I'm sure there are protestors who "hate" soldiers, they are few and far between, many protestors are opposed to the war but not the soldier and have done everything in thier power to get that point across..

Fight for the sick;
Fight for the poor.
Fight for the cripple,
Who lives next door.

I'm sure that neighbor likes being called a cripple..

"When the time comes to lay down my life for my country,
I do not cower from this responsibility. I welcome it!"

As would I.. On the other hand the current war has nothing to do with laying down ones life for ones country.. Unless you consider the current administrations wishes "ones country".

Aaron was assasinated by an IRAQ soldier while he was on patrol with 2 day s left after his Dad received this poem and letter

Of course, because of Aaron wasn't "assassinated" by an "IRAQ" soldier it wouldn't have any meaning..

Please let this Marine (and all our military) know we care by passing his poem onto your friends even if you don't usually take time to forward mail.. do it this time!

Or you could let the marines and other soldiers know you care by actually doing something of value, donate money to programs they sponser, send them care packages with food and entertainment, heck send them a letter or a card saying "thank you" if thats what you wanna do.. But don't just forward a hokey "poem" to all your inbox buddies, pat yourself on the back, and say "see, now I have supported the troops!".

FREEDOM isn't FREE
...someone pays for you and me.

...Freeeeedom costs a buuuuck-oooooh-fiiiiiiiveeeee......

-MB

[Mouse]

"Freedom is another word for nothin' left to lose."

Thanks for taking this sucker apart, Mickey. This poem is almost as bad as that glurge with the marine punching out the atheist professor.

[Cowboy Joe]

Ah, once again the notion that soldiers are the ONLY ones who protect our freedoms. I'm not sure what freedoms are being protected in Iraq, but I know about several that are in danger in our country right now.

That's why I say, "If You love freedom, thank an ACLU attorney."

[Tori]

Aaron was assasinated by an IRAQ soldier while he was on patrol with 2 day s left after his Dad received this poem and letter

I googled "Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert" and not only does he seem to be very much alive (at least as of 2004), but he's also written a few other equally glurgy poems.

http://www.iwvpa.net/gilbertam/index.php

http://poetwarriorproject.com/poetwa...themarine.html

http://parentsofdeployed.homestead.com/Pictures38.html
(ugh, this one's got pictures, but also a first-hand account of speaking with the author)

I really don't know how few and far between soldier-hatred is among some vocal groups; hopefully it is rare, but from the babykiller label that was so common in the past to this recent group burning an effigy, it has always bothered me when I see it. (Note - I have not read anything else from the following site; I was linked to it and watched the video. http://www.victoriataft.com/2007/03/...rotesters.html )

That said the poem is pretty stupid and definitely glurgy, as well as the BS they felt compelled to insert about the guy being dead. Assassinated, yet. Is that really the term used when a soldier is killed in a war zone during a war while on duty? Or was that term chosen to make it seem worse?

I give you the right
To talk of your peace.
To stand in your groups,
and protest in our streets.

Technically, I think you want to say you protect that right. See, the thing about rights is that they can't be taken away because they aren't "given" by anyone; they're ours by right. That's why they're rights and not privileges.

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.

Isn't that kind of what you're doing? Considering you've written more of these things, I'd say you do it fairly often.

I'm harder than nails,
Stronger than any machine.
I'm the immortal soldier,
I'm a U.S. MARINE!

Well. This is kind of ugly, but I have two family members who are marines and they're dumb as rocks. I never thought anything of it until I read an intra-services joke that went along the lines of there being a meeting with the Air Force, Army and Marines present. The general told them they had to be ready for action at 5 AM. "For you Air Force men, that's 0500. For you Army men, that's 5 o'clock in the morning. For you Marines, that's when the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 5." I admire Marines, (the Iwo Jima monument is particularly moving, IMO) believe me, but it's been hard knowing the people I do and hearing a lot of military jokes like that to avoid a tiny prejudice.

[TrishDaDish]

I have nothing against our fighting men & women in the armed forces. Both my grandfathers served in WWII. I could tell you a really tragic tale about the Marine son of a lady in my knitting group, but not now. That being said..

But I'll give my life,
So you can live the American way.

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!

Is this poem saying The Marine is Jesus? Because he seems to have a Jesus complex going.