Fallen Soldier

Looking at the city at night was a gruesome thing. People are walking around aimlessly not seeing the world around them. The street light dim in illumination as the cars provide the only light worth using. The smell of vendor carts food and sewer fill the air. A man sits on the sidewalk with a sign speaking about the world around him. Suddenly a horn can be heard in the distance. Sounds of people speaking can be heard all around him. Change hits the can in front of him and a simple thank you is spoken. This is the man who has been sitting on that same sidewalk every day. As you walk down the sidewalk you see others like him but they do not have the same look as he does. This man has the look of a battle fought from a distance, with the broken spirit that was once strong. The people pay no attention to this man and see him as a broken down old man that is begging for attention or money. A burden to society is one name they would give him. What is not seen is how much the old man has given. For this man could have given everything at one time and is not noticed by others of the accomplishments that were in his past nor the sacrifices that he had given. A medal lies at his side and for a moment a picture can start to form in your head about him. As darkness turns to day you see this old man lying on the bench in front of where he sat on that street corner asking for change. He asks nothing more from the world than what he needs and will not bother those who have better things to do. The streets are populated now with random people that are talking on their phones in nice suits and ties. This man doesn't envy them and does not want to be like them. His goal is to survive as he once had to do before. The only difference now is that he is trying to survive the streets instead of a distant land filled with danger. A young boy comes up to the man and stares for a moment in wonder. The man doesn't move or speak; he doesn't even acknowledge the boy is there. The boy reaches into his pocket and places a dollar on the man's lap, speaking softly, "here mister you need this more than I do". The man nods in acknowledgement and lays back down on the bench. As the days go by the streets filled with the same people doing the same things, you can start to see how many things don't change. The man eventually is unable to be seen anymore and others move into the spot that was once his. The cold hearted truth to all this is, no matter what we are doing in our lives we might forget to look around to see what is going on in our world. For this man he looked at the world around him and knew what was going on. He might have not had an amazing house with all the riches around him, but he knew what was going on and appreciated even the smallest token from someone that might get him his next meal. This man was someone special that was overlooked as many are today. His medals by his side and the common courtesy he paid people reflected on his past. The uniform might have not been on him but it could be seen in his soul. The funny thing behind this and the whole moral to the story is that no matter where you are and who you might see in front of you , if you do not take the time to check on someone or get to know that person you might miss a special person living in our midst. The young soul of the boy non judgmental only saw a man who needed help. He didn't see that the man was dirty and homeless. He saw a person that was down on his luck and needed someone to help. Sometime later the man was found lying near a dumpster. He was there with a blanket and the clothes on this back. A forgotten soul that was cared for by none and lost to maybe no one close to him. A letter was found in his shirt pocket that read, "To the world around me that is so uncaring and unforgiving, I do hope that someday you learn to help others in need. Yet there might be a vast number of us, you have not taken the time to hear our stories. Some of us have fought in wars defending liberty and sacrificed everything on the altar of freedom to ensure the world could be a better place. The one person that I would like to thank is the little boy that came up to me and actually took the time out of his day to make sure that I myself was ok." Connected to the letter were the man's medals which included a medal of honor among other medals of a war fought for freedom. At the bottom of the letter there was a special note that read. "Please give my medals to the boy who took the watch for me that day when I was down on my luck and no one noticed." Years went by and the boy became a man and a package arrived in the mail. The boy opened it and inside was the letter and medals the man had given to him. The boy now a man was floored and knew that the man he helped that day had long been forgotten to some but not him. He vowed from that day to make the world aware of its surroundings and to care for those who were less fortunate than themselves. So the next time you see someone that is down on their luck or needing someone to care for them. Let them know that someone does care and that they are special.