• Since the rise of the sun from the east, I had been sitting here in this ravaged land, listening to the sound of gunshots slice through the air like a silver blade. Never have I heard such chaos emanating from the land above my trench, my safe haven that I have been calling my home for the past few hours. Never before have I felt this vulnerable nor feeble in my entire life as a man of action. The sounds of war have brought me to my knees from their crushing weight and have left me paralyzed by the reality and cruelty of the world around me. Suddenly, the cries of my brothers echoed nearby and stopped my thoughts with their voices that filled the sky with their determination and hatred. Even the valkyries would be pleased with those mens' courage and confidence as they fought with their lives hanging by a single red thread. I clenched the cross on my necklace, praying that the noises above would not make me regret my decision of coming here, to serve my home, my nation, and my country. As I listened to the agonized cries of the wounded, I imagined my family. My wife that was soon to give birth to a daughter and my two sons, who I might never see again, who would never have a father to be there when time was rough; I might not be able to be their pillar of strength when they needed it. The thoughts pierced through my heart and unleashed the emotions that I had kept buried to toughen my resolve. Sadness, at the thought of losing everything, anger, for why should I be here anyway? Happiness; I would be doing good for my country. Regret, at the thought of is it really worth it? And fear; I could be betting my life in return for Death's scythe. The earth suddenly shook with tremendous force as weapons of human creation decimated the forest floor and I shivered, knowing that I too would be a part of that melee soon and with this gun in my lap, take another man's life who was fighting for his country, his family, his freedom. I looked over at my brothers in combat that lay with me in that earthly coffin; to the right, faces filled with fear, anguish, and defeat. To my left, faces filled with the determination to live, anxious excitement, and focus on the journey ahead. We were all about to put our lives on the line and forge our own paths to victory or die trying with pride in our bones. Carefully, I placed the necklace over my head, letting it lay in rest on my chest and gripped the cold metal that had been waiting for me to harden my resolve. As a man that had accepted his fate, I rose to my feet and felt unexpectantly prepared for the maze of bullets that waited to strike and destroy the life that surge through my body. I would fight with every strength that raced through my blood and believe that I would make it through this with my head held high and, if I shall die, then so be it.