Marching Men

The poem I chose to reflect upon for my first post is called Marching Men and is written by Martin Harris.

Marching Men

Think of wars in the past and then of wars that we have left 
For when your country calls for you to murder, maim and persecute
In a war where nothing is gained, where the slaughter of people is inhumane
When your country sends its war machine of marching men and bullets clean
Rivers flow the colours red, drained from men that have been bled
And they tell you that God is on your side. That when you kill its justified.


But the spoils of war turn bad, when you send friends home in body bags
With anger strong and bitterness high, you struggle to fight the emotions inside
You’re told to be tough, you’re told to be mean, that you’re not a man, you’re a 
killing machine
But hidden away deep down inside, you are a man and you cannot hide
For your children scream and your children cry, for they don’t understand the 
reason why
Why at war its right to take a life but in peace time, it’s our worst crime
So your country knows what‘s good for you, now take your orders and carry 
them through
And finish it quick the job you do, to kill another man
For there will never be peace on earth my friend 
So listen to the feet of the marching men.




This poem is meaningful to me because I have a brother serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army and a brother who also served two years with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Growing up I've idolized my two older brothers, Matt and Erik. However, that doesn't mean that I am completely comfortable with their careers. Though I support them and every other American soldier 100%, I have a hard time coming to grips with the destructive, debilitating force we call war. Growing up, my father always that if I'm ever going to fight for anything, fight for peace. Because of that I have a difficult time thinking of my brothers as soldiers. I just think it's sad that as great as our nation can be, we still must rely upon American soldiers to kill for our freedom. Something that is illegal in a regular society, but necessary in a war setting as the poem says. Another thing in the poem that caught me is how it speaks about soldiers and how deep down inside they are men and women, and that they do have emotions. This points out something rarely pointed out. In our society we view soldiers as strong, tough, brute heroes, and many people see past the fact that though they are heroes, they are just as vulnerable and fragile as the rest of us.