Our Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Growing up I always felt like I had a strong bond with my brothers and sister. I loved my family growing up. I think that we always fought. However if there was an outsider we always made sure that family was first. The Army is the same way. Its always family first. Over the years my idea of what family is has changed. Everyone always says that you can't decide who your family is. I don't believe this is true. Growing up family was the ones that were closest to you blood relation. This is true to me today. Just a different type of blood. The blood between us lays on the streets of foreign countries. I think that this blood is in our hearts more than any other. Family has gone from being the ones closest to us in relation of birth to the ones who are there when we need them most. They are the ones that sit on the bridge above us while we move from the underpass. They are the ones that we sweep into a bag once their ashes stop smoking. They the ones that we stand alone in the dark for hours on end, so that they can sleep safe. They are the ones that we fish from the canal after they make a wrong step. They are the ones we follow into a building five at a time. They are the ones that we lay on while the metal flies by.They are the ones we give the final salute to. We can not break these bonds. We can not walk away from what ties us together. We can not forget each other. In the evening while we take our pills to sleep and our pills to not dream we pray that even if we don't wake up, they will. I now go years without speaking to my siblings. I can't go a day without thinking about my "family". They are with me always. I see all of these bumper stickers saying 'Never Forget'. They say this not because anyone is worried we will forget their sacrifice, They say this because it is impossible for us to forget.  As we go through the days we attempt to force ourselves to move on to another checkpoint in this patrol we call life. Our goal is not to get to the next checkpoint. Our goal is to not leave our brother at the last one. One of my sisters will never make it to the next checkpoint. She started out so strong. But with every mile her ruck got a little heavier. We do what we can to make our loads lighter. We take on the drugs. We take on the alcohol. However, we can't drop extra weight from our fallen. When the days drag on and we struggle to make it one more step, we just begin to run out of fight. I wish I could leave her behind. But everything I know tells me to carry her with me. Her memory feeds my will to keep going. I fear if I stop to put her down, I will stop forever. I am just not sure how much further I will get from here, but I pray that one day I will make it home. You are with me always Thompson. The blood between us is forever. I will see you when I look at the scar on my face and I will know that I am forever indebted to you. I know that you will be with me in every battle I go into. You are my family forever.