masterofdoom6666's blog: "Stories Of Life"

Saw a kid in a gas mask today
Five years old- maybe four
Stole a Hershey bar from the remains
of a burnt down store.

Riot gear and hopscotch
Slingshots and hand grenades.

Well, that kid- with that precious chocolate in hand
He found a soldier, lying on the ground
And there, he kneeled down
The soldier had a gun shot wound
And bits of shrapnel in his small intestine
In his hand,
From the waist down, he began to grow numb

And that kid in that gas mask
He looked down with a bit of pity
On the soldier with the seeping wound
He took PITY on that soldier's
poor, unfortunate life.

He took that candy bar from his back pocket,
And he GAVE that dying soldier his chocolate.
That soldier- he had a tear in his eye..

He looked up in the gas mask glass,
and saw his reflection!
He smiled wide,
and with sincere, yet trembling inflection
said, ‘Thanks kid.'

And that kid, he saw that smile-
and he pondered on it for awhile.

'That's ok. I'm going to steal a TV now instead'

LT.David Martin
United States Marines Special Warfare and counter-terrorism
US Special Operations Command MCSOCOM
© LT.David Martin

Author's Comments
British and US special forces, along with CIA operatives, began a visible presence in Kandahar after manning checkpoints outside the city to search for al-Qaida fighters and senior Taliban. THAT soldier was me i had a really bad day