| |
The Gis' Oath
It doesn’t matter if you are a woman or a man,
The only thing that matters is how you repay your debt
You owe to this great nation of ours, the U.S.A.,
The bearer of the torch of freedom
Since our destiny is to live with our nation’s pride,
I will die in honor of the nation as well.
I, therefore, uphold the nation’s flag,
the Star-Spangled Banner,
that is standing aloof on top of the highest mountain
and fluttering in the midst of an expansive plain.
For my one and supreme duty
as an honorable G.I., is to protect
our nation’s flag from all kinds of weather.
If the scorching sun throws the flame
and burns our nation’s flag down to ashes,
a Phoenix I will become,
and preserve it with my renewed wings.
If a thunderbolt strikes with an ear-piercing roar
to tear the flag to pieces, I will check
it with the sword of courage.
If a high wind rises to lower the flag
to put our nation to shame, I will protect
it with the shield of wisdom.
If a torrential rain pours to wash the flag away
to drive this nation into a confused maze,
I will obstruct it with all my strength.
If snow drifts harder and harder
and becomes a fierce blizzard,
and buries our nation’s flag under the snow
that is deeper than the sea,
I will embrace it in my bosom
to keep it warm with my passion
though I may fall and be covered with snow.
O what a wonderful country the United States of America is.
Our nation’s diversity makes us aware of the world’s differences
and enables us to embrace them with an understanding heart.
O what an honorable duty it is for the G.I.s
to safeguard this wonderful land as beautiful as it can be,
and preserve it as the leading nation of the world,
as we swore by the Star-Spangled Banner.
Copyright ©
Su Ben
|