I was just about
to graduate. There was
a big parade in
town. And Josh Almeida
gave a speech about
honor and sacrifice
and defending the
flag, and we all cheered and
cheered, and suddenly
I knew I had to join
up. Two years later,
as I was bleeding my
life out into a
swamp, all I could hear were
his words, as loud as
the day I’d first heard them.