Today I met a man and his son the man goes by the name of Private Rowland.
He came to talk to my class about the war in Iraq, and what it is that he does there.
And as he talked I couldn't help but look at his little son and stare.
His son looked up tors his dad every now and then, then at a map that hangs in our classroom.
He traced a couple of lines on it and asked his dad were he had been.
His dad looked at him and simply say "That is our country son."
Private Rowland then took his son to look at a bigger map, one of the whole world, and as the rest of my class was lost in a home made
movie that Private Rowland made about his journey in Iraq, I herd him tell his son "This is were daddy has been, and this is were I'm going."
After the short movie was over Private Rowland asked me and my class just this question "Next time you see a man or woman in any color camouflage, with a flag on their shoulder turned back wards, just walk up to them and shake their hand, and say thank you. It will mean so much to them."
Me and the rest of my class agreed, and as the bell rang and we all got up we walked past Private Rowland and each said our thanks.
The thing that I keep thinking about the most thought is, How hard it must be for his little kid.
To have to say good-bye to his daddy for 8 mouths at a time, and sometimes even more.
How it must feel not to have him saying goodnight to him as he waits by his door.
And how hard it must be to always wonder what his daddy is doing, as he heres the news on the tv.
Now all I can think about is "What if that was me?"
This poem is all true, and the man that I met today is just one of the many that is fighting for our country, so I'm asking you the same question that he asked me "Next time you see a man or woman in any color camouflage, with a flag on their shoulder turned back wards, just walk up to them and shake their hand, and say thank you. Because it will mean so much to them."
