I was born to be of service
Basic training felt like home
I had honor I found purpose
Sir yes sir thats what I know
They sent us to a place
Id never heard of weeks before
When youre 19 it aint hard to sleep
In the desert on Gods floor

Close your eyes stop counting sheep
You aint in prison anymore

We were taught to shoot our rifles
Men and women side by side
Thought wed 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 sergeants 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 Im hoping
That we can be unbroken

Its eighteen months now Ive been back now
With this medal on my chest

But there are things I cant remember
And there are things I wont forget
I lie awake at night
With dreams the devil shouldnt see
I wanna scream but I cant breathe
And Christ Im sweating through these sheets

Wheres my brothers? Wheres my country?
Wheres 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 Im hoping
That we can be unbroken

My service dogs done more for me
Than the medication would
There aint no angel thats coming to save me
But even if they could

Today twenty-two will die from suicide
Just like yesterday theyre gone
I live my life for each tomorrow
So their memories will live on
Once we were boys and we were strangers
Now were brothers and were men
Someday youll ask me Was it worth it
To be of service in the end?

Well the blessing and the curse is
Yeah Ill do it all again