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Honorable Discharge (poem)

By Mike Hastie

According to the Veterans Administration,
22 veterans commit suicide in the U.S. everyday.
On a clock, that is one every hour.
tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...
A few years ago I met a disabled Iraq veteran who admitted to me
that when he was discharged from the Marine Corps he was put on
14 different medications.
That's 14, not 10 or less.
The Marine Corps was proud of him,
and so was his country,
and so was his family and friends.
Semper Fi
Semper Fidelis
It is a Latin phrase that means
always faithful or always loyal.
Just like your country,
never about betrayal,
never about being left behind.
oo-rah...
The battle cry, meaning "Charge!"

— Mike Hastie