Soldier was poet, too

Ronnie Pallares, the Alta Loma High graduate who died on Saturday while deployed in Afghanistan, would have turned 20 today. At 6 p.m. tonight, there will be a candlelight vigil on Haven Avenue near his banner. There, you will find, taped on a light pole, this poem written by Pallares when he first arrived in Afghanistan:

We do this in order for you to do what you do.
Lay in bed, we'll be here.
Know that you're safe, for our lives we do fear.

Days and nights we are out alone with no one but each other,
I've known these guys for months, yet they're like my brothers.
All of us, we do come from different walks of life,
Some of us don't get along; I guess you can call it strife.

I remember everyone in the states, and how much they complain,
If these innocent people here had what they had, to complain would be insane.
It seems like everyone is just obsessed with greed,
They construe everything as being a need.

I often think of myself, why did I choose this path,
What I want in life, and where I'm at doesn't add up, I can't do the math.
I'm sure I'm not the only one, who contemplates this choice,
We are the few who act, as for everyone; they're just a voice.

People say things, things they want to do,
But it never happened, I'm glad I'm one of the few.
One of the people who defends everyone else,
Even if it were just I, I'd still attempt to do it by myself.

So for the people who read this, don't feel bad for me,
This is what I wanted to do, to make sure you all are free.
I have no regrets, no matter what happens from now 'till then,
And while I'm here, I will always volunteer to be the one they send.