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"I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade."

Thus begins the Soldier's Creed - the foundation upon which a volunteer Soldier in the great and mighty United States Army builds his or her life.

As an American Soldier newly-returned from Iraq, I must say that a volunteer army - no matter the size - is so much stronger than an unwilling body of well, bodies. The wonderful Soldiers I have had the pleasure to serve with, many of whom enlisted since the war began, were in Iraq because they wanted to be there. Not for political reasons, not for religious beliefs; on the contrary - we were there for the ARMY. We chose to serve our country, and our country asked us to go to Iraq.

People unwilling to fight for their country have always baffled me; I can, however, understand someone's reluctance to fight for someone else's country. (Note: Although that is the way Operation Iraqi Freedom is generally perceived, it isn't the case.) Seeing first-hand the way things are in Iraq at the moment is so much different than watching it on the news. If one cannot voluntarily live the Soldier's Creed, the Army Values, and most especially uphold the Warrior Ethos, they certainly don't belong in my army. I would far prefer three comrades who WANT to be there watching my back than a dozen who turn tail and run.

The Army Values, what squared-away Soldiers live by on a daily basis, include the following:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage

If someone doesn't volunteer to live these core values, and is instead forced to tolerate them, the end result will never be victory.

Regardless of the numbers, the strength of an army lies in its members. A volunteer army is more than sufficient - the power of believing in what you're doing far supersedes doing it because you have no other choice.

I am an American Soldier. Hooah!

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