I Cried for Adam Today- Memorial Day

 

The Dog Tags Remain

The dog tags of loved ones remain
Each with a soldier's story to tell
Of lonely foxholes and pain
And of patriotism as well

Missing you Adam...

I Do Solemnly Swear

I cried for Adam today
My tears a long downpour
Not in the old familiar way
But for what he stood for

Under God, as man of his word
He kept his solemn oath
The extended call, he heard
Though he'd done the time he owed

With but one small reserve-
A short weekend honeymoon
Again he stood to serve
Then...fallen, he died all too soon

In support of the Constitution
He defended it to his death
With courage his contribution
As a hero he took his last breath

I have been studying the constitution's birth- seeing the sacrifices and the inspiration in it. I was hit with emotion when I learned what I guess I'd forgotten-the oath is in support and defense of the Constitution.


The wordings of the current oath of enlistment and oath for commissioned officers are as follows:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)

Army Sgt. Adam W. Estep
Died April 29, 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

23, of Campbell, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed April 29 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his patrol in Baghdad.California soldier killed in Iraq ‘never showed fear’

Associated Press
Army Sgt. Adam W. Estep - Honor the Fallen - MilitaryTimes.com
SARATOGA, Calif. — Sgt. Adam Estep was remembered Tuesday by friends and family as a soldier who never showed fear, even in the most violent battles.

Estep, a 23-year-old tank driver, died April 29 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack outside Baghdad.

“Every day he touched lives in ways that cannot be erased,” friend and Marine Sgt. Jason Steele said at the funeral. “We should all aspire to be like him. You all must rejoice in the memories we have of him and know that he will always be with you.”

Estep, who was active in ROTC in high school in San Jose, joined the Army in 2000 and drove tanks for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment and 1st Cavalry Division.

He had been stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and served a six-month tour in Kuwait. In December, the Army extended his commitment for 14 months. He left for Iraq in March.

His wife of two months, Demara Estep, said her husband longed to attend college and start a family. He lined his letters with sophisticated sketches.

One Thousand is Not Just a Number

Each Sunday, the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Veterans For Peace is on the beach in front of well-known Stearns Wharf all day, interacting with the many tourists from all over the world through a project now called "Arlington West." Arlington West consists of a small white cross for every soldier killed in Iraq.
www.ltkenballard.com/ArlingtonWest.htm


"1,000 Is Just a Number,
Till You See the Crosses"
For freedom, men now slumber
Come and feel how much this costs us

Dear Adam- Please Forgive Us

Dear Adam, please forgive us
As in life we have moved on
For you now live with Jesus
And with another your bride is strong

When you died, she nearly vanished
As her heart whithered away
As a soul ever famished
Till a new love came her way

Truly you were a giving man
And you said to do the same
Moving on was in the plan
If the war, your life, did claim

Thank you for your brave life
We miss that precious smile
How you cherished your wife
Please know we miss you all the while

You Are Not Truly A Soldier

You are not truly a soldier
Till you've put your life on the line
And carried someone on your shoulders
And felt heat around you shine

Thus, you must practice drills
Midst leaders screaming in your face
That you might have adrenaline chills
Which makes the heart stop and then race

You are not truly a soldier
Till you leave loved ones behind
Who misses you so deeply
That they're always on your mind

Dear Soldier, May you fight for their freedom
Awaiting the day that you'll reunite
And know that all the little weesomes
Are praying for you tonight

What's a country without the brave
Who are willing to sacrifice?
That to tyranny we'll not cave
No matter what the price

I am ever thankful for the land
That's protected from above
And for the soldier who understands
Truly what it is to serve and love

Dear Adam, I still miss you
As a mother does her son
In our hearts we are ever true
To our link forever strung

May the Blood of Good Men

May the blood of good men
Redeem each land
May God's blessings descend
As we seek out His hand

May we fight for freedom
That tyranny might end
Unto furthering God's kingdom
For the covenants it lends

Unto righteous purposes
We pray for those who lead
As through sacrifice, one purchases
Let us lengthen more, faith's seed

Let us heed and obey
The laws of this great land
Might each in His own way
Be an example grand

Ever missing Adam Estep... a good man, ever part of our family, whose blood was given for freedom in Iraq. Throught the tender mercy of the Lord, we found his life size picture we'd lost- that in the move it was not tossed. And, the day before Memorial Day.

D&C 101: 80
And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.

Articles of Faith
12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.


True to the Faith: regarding “Prayer,” True to the Faith, (2004),118–23


The Savior has commanded, “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5). Although you cannot be continuously on your knees, always offering a personal, private prayer, you can let your heart be “full, drawn out in prayer unto [God] continually” (Alma 34:27; see also 3 Nephi 20:1). Throughout each day, you can maintain a constant feeling of love for your Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. You can silently express gratitude to your Father and ask Him to strengthen you in your responsibilities. In times of temptation or physical danger, you can silently ask for His help.
When you make a request through prayer, do all you can to assist in its being granted. Heavenly Father expects you to do more than merely ask Him for blessings. When you have an important decision to make, He often will require that you “study it out in your mind” before He will give you an answer (see D&C 9:7–8). Your prayers for guidance will be only as effective as your efforts to be receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Your prayers for your own welfare and for the welfare of others will be in vain if you “turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need” (Alma 34:28).

If you have a difficult task before you, Heavenly Father is pleased when you get on your knees and ask for help and then get on your feet and go to work. He will help you in all your righteous pursuits, but He seldom will do something for you that you can do yourself.

Widowed

Struggling again
I've been trying to find my way
Out of this for quite some time
It's like he's spun a web around me
And I'm trapped
I almost long for the Spider
The weaver of this web
To come for me...
Seems like one hundred years
Of solitude
But, I know that when he comes
Hard as I may try...
I'll look at him
Just mesmerized by how
He's trapped me
This free spirit
Frozen in place and hypnotized
I wait for him
Knowing he won't leave me
I am how he survives

For AWE (Adam Wayne Estep)


Demara Nicole Miller Estep Wright