"What Makes Us Do It?"
By Ben Fortier
The brain is revved to the red line
The unrelenting barking of the Drill Instructor
Keeps the atmosphere intense.
It is a simulation of battle.
We are at this depot to prepare our mind, body, and spirit
For a situation that will make this one look like anemic.
It all happened so quickly.
Basic training, Infantry School,
Then off on a deployment.
It was as if willpower took over and
Brought these goals to life,
Back to back
In quick succession.
Like the rapid fire of the machine guns
That would soon go off around us.
It was all so glorious
Yet terrifying.
The dichotomy of the human spirit
Is exhibited in full swing
On the front lines of war zones.
Maybe that’s where the calling came from,
To be an observer of all that we are capable of.
All of the goodness, justice, and integrity
Contrasted with the chaotic apathy
And ruthless violence
Most of us are so unfamiliar with.
Native Rhode Islander and proclaimed Renaissance Man, Iraq veteran Benjamin Fortier is a multi-talented writer, musician, and technology geek. He is currently in school (again) studying computer networking and cybersecurity. His day job is in service to his rescue dog, Princess Peppa Pig the American Bully. He is the author of Stones of the Wooded Valley and The Silent Whispers of Omens. This poem was taken from his latest book PHANTOMS, covering his deployment to Iraq in '06-'07.
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