I was born to be of service

Camp lejeune just felt like home

I had honor, I found purpose

Sir, yes, sir, that's what I know.

They sent us to a place

I'd never heard of weeks before

When you're 19 it ain't hard to sleep

In the desert on god's floor.

Close your eyes, stop counting sheep

You ain't in boot camp anymore.

We were taught to shoot our rifles

Men and women side by side

Thought we'd be met as liberators

In a thousand-year-old fight.

I got this painful ringing in my ear

From an ied last night

But no lead-lined humvee war machine

Could save my sergeant's life.

Three more soldiers, six civilians

Need these words to come out right.

God of mercy, god of light

Save your children from this life

Hear these words, this humble plea

For I have seen the suffering

And with this prayer I'm hoping

That we can be unbroken.

It's eighteen months now I've been stateside

With this medal on my chest

But there are things I can't remember

And there are things I won't forget.

I lie awake at night

With dreams the devil shouldn't see

I want to scream but I can't breathe

And, christ, I'm sweating through these sheets.

Where's my brothers? where's my country?

Where's my how-things-used-to-be.

God of mercy, god of light

Save your children from this life

Hear these words, this humble plea

For I have seen the suffering

And with this prayer I'm hoping

That we can be unbroken.

My service dog's done more for me

Than the medication would

There ain't no angel that's coming to save me

But even if they could.

Today twenty-two will die from suicide

Just like yesterday, they're gone

I live my life for each tomorrow

So their memories will live on.

Once we were boys and we were strangers

Now we're brothers and we're men

Someday you'll ask me "was it worth it

To be of service in the end?"

Well, the blessing and the curse is

Yeah, I'd do it all again.