No Price is Too Steep

"No price is too steep to defend what is ours,
Sovereignty flows only from force of arms;
The motherland beckons us to stake our claims,
To fight for honor, glory, camaraderie, and fame."

Well, at least that's what they said on the posters.
Right now, in the dark, we don't think about it much;
Camaraderie maybe, because we all want to survive.
One more skirmish, one more patrol,
One more objective, that's all we see.
Maybe we'll wake up, maybe fall asleep,
Some pray to God for their souls to keep,
Some just hope they're not in too deep.

"If we fall the ground is forever of our country,
A sweet, fitting end fulfilling our duty;
Those who outlive the day and go home
Will stand tall in glory on history's tomes."

Poets speak truth and poets lie;
Truth lives long but lies don't die.
What cost to a man for survival's price?
I don't know much and I care much less:
Thinking anymore of it isn't worth my time.
Fighting has no honor, fighting's no crime.

Metal in his head and medals on his chest;
My friend wanted neither, but got them anyway.
Broken legs, broken arms, broken ribs, broken minds--
Eternal sleep feels like a relief sometimes.
We may withdraw and fight another day,
But in life we can only advance, not retreat.
Or are we too stubborn to admit defeat?
It doesn't matter with matters of life and death.
Heroism makes you no more, no less.
But I can still admit that I feel some pride
In making sure my friends survive this all right;
Perhaps glory lies only in standing together
In a time without difference between allies and enemies.
I don't know about that but I'm sure of one thing:
If I can live through this and forsake war's taste,
I'll spend every moment of peace without waste.