Trying to sleep in the field 
The chill sinks in
Beneath the five ton truck
Out of the rain

But soaking up the cold
Inside the bag

With head out
Letting in the chill
Sinking in

While thoughts keep you awake 
Long into the early hours of the night
What needs to be done
What must be accomplished

What your troops must
Complete

Stumbling to the water buffalo
Trying to clean your face and mouth
Groggy from lack of sleep
Barely awake

But rousing the troops for breaking
The fast
And starting the duty day once more
Once more

The work must get done
Someone has to do it
The troops do it

Training for the real thing
May not be
The real thing
But it is real none the less

Men and women
Together
As one unit
One entity of union

To complete the task
The mission

The mission
Must be done

And it is
Over and over again
While the troops do their duty
Accepting the burden

Until the real thing
Comes along

And then 
Whether in the freezing snow
Whether in the soaking rain
Whether in the searing heat of the sandbox
Or not
Comes the chill