The pounding of our combat boots hitting the dry desert floor matching the sound of our racing heartbeats. Sweat racing the camouflage paint from our faces, making the paint starting to blend with the BDU’s on our bodies. Coming in and out of hearing my heart and the fast pace of my breathing while racing the rest of my platoon to face our enemies, or our death. When all of us, men and women alike, have the past flash before us, showing the ones we love and miss; not knowing when we will meet them again. All of this is okay, all of this becomes a perfect scenery knowing that I’m a soldier for my country, for my family, for my freedom. This is the world of a soldier, of a Marine Soldier. This is the world I have chosen to live for, this is the life I have chosen to fight for, I will be an American Soldier.