I really need to get back to commenting because I am missing out on some amazing poetry. I loved the title on this one...it caught my eye and lured me in.

"Hardened steel fallen,"
^Great opening line Joe. The subtle rhyme here was quite effective in keeping my attention and had me curious how the rest of the poem would play out.

"(Unleashing all hell he did,
to get back home, he missed.)"
^That broke my heart. A friend of mine has a husband in Iraq and I know the hell she lives everyday not knowing if everything with him is okay and if he ever is going to come back. Its the same with the soldiers as you have described here. Overall its a hard ordeal and the way you have intertwined love here was great.

"Hushed words, signals made
communicating with others,
a truce being made."
^Hmm didn't like the repetition of "made" here.

"Vivid images stained his mind"
^I LOVED THIS. It was filled with so much imagery and truly painted the picture in my mind. Loved your use of the word "stained" because it shows that the images will be with them forever for its hard to get rid of a stain, as much as you try a piece of it will still be there. Great description Joe, it fit in nicely with what you were saying.

Loved the ending because it tied in the poem nicely. The format here was perfect for me with its short lines. It made it easier to read and was parallel with the overall message behind the poem. Great choice of words throughout this piece to get the meaning across. You tied in the lyric Temps provided nicely without affecting the flow and thats hard to do so I applaud you. :]

Good luck in the contest! I'm surprised this poem doesn't have more comments...it sure deserves some.

Well done!
*5/5*

It flows beautifully, wounderful! 5/5