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