On August 7, 2004 my friend and co-worker Bobby Beasley died in Afghanistan. This page is dedicated to his memory so that we don't forget that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!!! Beas, even though a year and a half has passed since your death I can still hear your voice and see that ornery grin on your face when you were up to no good. There was never a dull moment with you around. I know that wherever you are you are making everyone laugh. I miss you you and I'm proud to be able to say I knew you.

I Am A Soldier

I am a soldier.
My blood permeates the soil of many countries.

I have gasped my last breath on many a desolate
stretch of beach. For you...all of you, the children
who play in the parks, the mothers who watch over them,
the fathers who struggle to sustain them.

There are those here who have belittled and reviled me,
who have made a mockery of me and what I stand for.
You, also, have I suffered and died for.
I withstood heat, insects and disease
So the right to dissent would be yours.

I endured the pain and terror of battle and the maiming
of my body to ensure that you might worship as
you please. I died in agony in order that you,
no matter who or what you are,
Have the freedom to choose your own destinies.

AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN
because I believe in the ideals that made this country
what it is today... FREE.
I love her with a deep and abiding love
that transcends mere physical pain.

I AM A SOLDIER.
Pray that I will always be there,
for if I disappear from this country, so will you.

~ Anonymous ~