Day Eight

Dear Journal,

This was it. We lost the battle. It's over, at least for me. Captain Mendoza is sending me back home. He wants me to become a schoolteacher and educate people about our country and how its important to defend it. War is never-ending, and I was sick of it. I was sick of hating, of anger, of blood and dead people, of guns, and of getting hurt. But I knew, that even if I went back to my village, to my house, to my mother and brothers and sisters, and even if I did get a job as a teacher, in my heart, I will always be a soldier. Because the things I experienced in this revolution I will never forget. Some things that I saw or heard will stitch themselves to my bones like tattoos. This war taught me that holding a gun doesn't make you a soldier. Shooting one, and hurting others doesn't make you brave, it just makes you stupid. That's why Captain Mendoza is sending me home, because he thinks I work well with people. Though no one knows it, I was the one who dragged the wounded Juan into the church and probably saved his life. I was also the one that cared for the girl and the new born baby that we found in the stranded village. I have what it takes to be a true soldier, a true man. The revolution isn't about fighting, it's about caring for the people around you, and treating them like equals. So all in all, this experience has definitely changed me. It made me smarter, more open to new ideas and new things. I'm going to go back home now and tell my story to others, and hope that they follow in my path.