Years ago, I was a young man trying my best as I joined the military. I believed I wouldn't see past my 23rd birthday. I was not alone but alone at the same time, for a very long time. I thought this would be the end of my story. I accepted my fate to be just another number. A statistic that will be used to either argue for or against people. I figured that I would finally have redemption for my perceived wrongs that I committed.
Fast forward to today. I've lived past my expected expiration date. So much has happened and hopefully so much more. I continue to serve but in a different capacity. I'm still hated by others by the uniforms I wear and not by the content of my character or my deeds. I'll be a father soon. Something I never expected would happen in my life time. I do not feel as empty any more. But a new anxiety has crept into me. I do not feel the same brokenness that I did as a young man. I've seen life and death right in front of me. I've seen sorrow, anger, and hatred on many a face. I've held sons and daughters, bruised, hurt, and dying. I feel I've lost much more than I have before.
But I can't give up. Not yet.
I'm not calling for help anymore.
No one is coming. It's up to us.