Our Freedom Isn’t Free
by Vanessa A. Griego Gulf War Veteran
I am a U.S veteran; the Army was my choice
I’m grateful for this moment here to stand and speak my voice
The topic that I represent with pride and glory true
about the flag we know and love; the red, the white and blue
The flag still stands for freedom; for the strong and for the weak
To give us all the right we have to open up and speak
For Flag Day is an honor that we owe our happiness
to soldiers whom have served us well, in this country where we’re blessed.
The U.S flag we know and love Old Glory! Stars and Stripes!
May under God, we always pledge, to stand for what is right
Our flag in which we put our faith, our love, our hopes and trust
this flag in which we should respect for righteous peace we must
A flag, that in so many lands, she's horribly abused
By being burned and torn apart, dishonored, and refused
The burning of our nations flag dishonors those who rest
For them I will defend her still and always do my best
To show the people of the world the good that we have done
through battles of land, and air and sea, in victories we have won
The colors of our nations flag depict a sacred song
like brothers names upon a wall as those of Vietnam
We’ve planted her on foreign lands in dirt with stains of red
forgetting not, Korean vets whose blood they also shed
The caring of, disabled vets, becomes our nations plight
For wounded heroes shine the way like peaceful stars of white
For World War two, a star of blue is hanging in the glass
while mothers mourn, upon a cross that rests above the grass
I'm proud to be American, in knowing that I’m free
to men and women whom have served who gave that right to me
For every fallen soldier, and for every life they’d give
to guarantee our freedom and the liberty we live
For those who served beside me and for those who serves us now
let us fly our flag up proudly and show other nations how
For a desert’s storm can blind a heart and make some turn their backs
but avenging souls of nine one, one is why we’re in Iraq
We all need to come together, not divided but as one
to stand up tall to terrorists and show them how it's done!
It brings me such emotion when I think about the brave
the strength, the blood, the sweat and tears their lives in which they gave
for us to have a freedom that no other people know
A life without oppression, where our kids are free to grow
Our troops will have to travel far, with guns in hand, to face the war
They leave their loved ones far behind so we can be with yours and mine
To fly the flag in which we raise,
some have to fill an honored grave,
with blood they know they’ll have to shed
for stars and stripes of blue and red
The flag draped caskets that we see honoring the bold
of those that stay forever young so we can still grow old
We give the flag with memories secured within its folds
to loved ones that are left behind, what’s left of those to hold.
What glory and such honor! So brave! So strong! So young!
Please rest yourselves in peace my friends, your duty here is done
And though you may not be a soldier fighting for your land
their voice is crying from the grave, “Stand up and take a stand!”
for of their death and sacrifice they bought a brand new day
to wave the flag and raise your hand and let you have your say
So fly that flag with honor through whatever storms descend
that united we shall stand together and be faithful till the end
Until all our soldiers come from war, until the battle ends
Until everyone is safe at home, with family and friends,
I shall fly my nations flag with joy for all the world to see
that through serving all humanity our freedom isn’t free