Young Men
~~~
Young men of potential great
Are stripped from the world
From the comforts of good life
Into blood red coals are hurled
~~~
And there within the Hade’s fire
Is burnt away the lesser man
A malleable existence wrought
Rebuilt to a specific plan
~~~
Any sense of who they are
Turns to smoke inside the blaze
Forged within that stringent heat
A different man is willful raised
~~~
There they learn to own their fears
Building strong the body and mind
Shedding the easy days and ways
For in pain, a strength does bind
~~~
Hammered by the greatest men
And molded to a chiseled steel
Within this hell-like crucible
A warrior’s spirit is revealed
~~~
Hone and sharpened to razor’s edge
Their potential is fully freed
Always Faithful becomes the brand
And their cherished life-long creed
~~~
Chosen few who passed the test
Weighed and measured in every way
Wear the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor
A symbol of the price they paid
~~~
Now these young men stand tall
Knowing what honor truly means
And they shall forever be
A United States Marine
~~~
commonsensiblyspeaking 
Wonderful poem 👍🤝
Thank you kind sir!
what a powerful description of these brave souls
Thanks Beth! Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
I’ve always loved a man in uniform! 😉 Powerful, courageous, & masterfully written. ❤
Thanks…I still fit into mine…(wink, wink) 😘
😍😍 Uniform, motorcycle, & great with words! Gahh! I’m melting!! 😘😘
Your silly, that why I love you!
🥰❤😘
Having myself gone through that undertaking, that training that takes you from being a lad to being a soldier (in my case), I admire and salute all those who choose that path and who grow to be what they had never imagined. I truly believe every lad and lass of every land should go through basic infantry training. Thank you for pointing this out in such a grand manner my friend! Lovely, lovely poem! I salute you!
I agree that there is great benefit for any young person to seek the experience of serving in any branch of military service. Character and honor are malleable steels that can be molded into something stronger than itself. It is molded into a sense of civic pride, duty, and a belief that there are no limitations to what we, as individuals and as a country, are capable of. There is nothing more empowering that to take on the mantle of being in service to others.
You’ve said it quite well and the message quite complete my friend, thank you!
Brad this is such amazing work that I don’t know what to say, except that any one who reads it and either knows someone or has served themselves is touched beyond words by this. I truly wish you would share this with
https://www.consequencemagazine.org/volumes/
You only have to the 31st of this month. It is a published magazine. At least consider it please. Others will shed tears. Our military all have paid such a debt. Love and many hugs dear friend. 🤗💕❤️Joni
PS it is mandatory to serve in Israel for both men and women.
what a wonderful tribute; I have a freshmen NROTC student in my class this semester who is honored to have been accepted into the Marines. during his vision board, he told the class that he knows his purpose in life is to be a Marine; his dad was one also. great student, great young man…
When you guys are done teaching him what he needs to know, the Marines will teach him who he can be!
it takes a village…
You write with such finesse and control. Every word is sharp and strong and defined in itself. Your posts are lessons in themselves. I feel your writing is gigantic in quality .. thank you for these posts.
Thank you, Yasmin! As I am a huge admirer of your work, your kind words mean a great deal to me!