...that the military is for the young- I think the statement is for the most part true, which is sometimes a shame…our country’s youth guard our walls, they fight our wars, they sacrifice their blood and treasure for our liberty and happiness- and sadly, too many of them will never have the opportunity to grow old…
…I’ve been retired from the Army for over ten years now, having walked away from the life July 1st, 2000- I was a Warrant Officer for twelve years preceding that date and a Sergeant and then Staff Sergeant six years prior to that- the point is, it’s been a long time since I stood a watch, let alone a watch in early winter…
…but once in a while, on a morning like this, the first cold morning of the season, some of those memories ask for an invitation...it would be an understatement to say that most troopers do not especially look forward to guard duty- and with good reason- up before dawn, working all day and well into the evening and then standing in the cold for hours, peering out into the darkness, fighting fatigue and boredom…loneliness…
…often wondering of the purpose of it all…
...to everyone who’s ever stood a watch at twilight, whether on a wall, or behind a wire, or in the wood-
…some chilly morning when you’re older than you want to be, when the daily routine is pulling you down, step outside and breath in the crisp air…
...and with the luck, maybe you’ll discover…
…it had meaning…
...for your perusal...a work in progress- subject to edit…
Standing Watch
I remember
a rare blue moon,
its ascent
bathing the wood
in nocturnal light,
a wolf tree’s
splintered shadow of branch
camouflage as I stood watch
listening
to a sound
I could not name,
a child’s cry, perhaps, or
the faint whisper of woodwind chime,
calling me from
this cold, dying timberline
Chief
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