Count me in for what I’ve given,
not the boxes you’ve me driven;
count me in for oath and skin,
for where I’ve marched and where I’ve been.
Don’t sort my worth by where I fit
I showed up whole, I still commit.
Count me in from ages old,
from shields of bronze to drones of gold;
from midnight rides to coded skies,
from secret maps to watchful eyes.
Since time began, we stood the line
the arc of service is our sign.
Count me in for skill and will,
for steady hands that learned to still
the storm, the fear, the ticking hour
we carried weight and borrowed power.
Not who you think I ought to be
the mission shaped the truth in me.
Count me in when wars go quiet,
after headlines cease their riot;
when body’s home but mind still roams,
we build again from broken bones.
Don’t call me less, or lost, or late
I’m forging peace from tempered fate.
Count me in for every name
who served unseen yet bled the same;
the women masked, the Black, the Brown,
the queer in silence holding ground;
the ones whose accents bent the air
we rose as many, answered there.
Count me in beyond the fight,
in classrooms, labs, and council night;
I bring the grit to fix and mend,
to lead with purpose, lift a friend.
If not for us, who’d set the pace,
or map the hazard, guard the grace?
Count me in for dignity,
not pity dressed as charity;
I’m not your riddle to define
I’m craft and courage by design.
See more than labels, less than sin;
meet me halfway then count me in.
Count me in and count it true:
a win for me is one for you.
From first salute to final spin,
we rise, we heal, we start again.
Honor the journey, loss and grin
Respect my service. Count me in.
#VeteransDay #CountMeIn #HonorAndService
