I cried my way through school that day,
That day my brother went away.
Days apart were no more that two,
and even those were numbered few.
He was my role model,
Sturdy in the saddle.
Nothing ever made him cry.
The only thing that scared him was to fly.
But as he boarded the plane and I wave goodbye,
I saw a tear leak out his eye.
He would be gone for so long,
and he was so very young.
He said this was something he had to do,
to go out and protect me and you.
So as he ensures our freedom,
I am at home praying for him.
He is a United States Marine,
And I have more pride in him than you could ever dream.