This is my
rifle. There are
many like it, but this one is mine. It is my life. I must master it as I
must master my life.
Without me my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am
useless.
I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot
straighter than the enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him
before he shoots me.
I will. My
rifle and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we
fire, the noise of our burst, or the smoke we make. We know that it is the
hits that count.
We will hit.
My rifle is human, even as I am human, because it is my
life. Thus, I
will learn it as a brother. I will learn its
weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its
sights and its barrel.
I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am
clean and ready.
We will become part of each other.
Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the
defenders of my country.
We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of
my life.
So be it, until victory is America's and there is no
enemy. |