I am the
Infantry--Queen of Battle! For two centuries I have kept
our Nation safe, Purchasing freedom with my blood. To
tyrants, I am the day of reckoning; to the suppressed,
the hope for the future. Where the fighting is thick,
there am I…I am the
Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
I was there from the beginning, meeting the enemy face to
face, will to will. My bleeding feet stained the snow at
Valley Forge; my frozen hands pulled Washington across
the Delaware. At Yorktown, the sunlight glinted from the
sword and I, begrimed…Saw a Nation born.
Hardship…And glory I have known. At New Orleans, I
fought beyond the hostile hour, showed the fury of my
long rifle…and came of age. I
am the Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
Westward I pushed with wagon trains…moved an empire
across the plains…extended freedom's borders and
tamed the wild frontier. I am
the Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
I was with Scott at Vera Cruz…hunted the guerilla in
the mountain passes…and scaled the high plateau. The
fighting was done when I ended my march many miles from
the old Alamo.
From Bull Run to Appomattox, I fought and bled. Both Blue
and Gray were my colors then. Two masters I served and
united them strong…proved that this nation could
right a wrong…and long endure. I
am the Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
I led the charge up San Juan Hill…scaled the walls
of old Tientsin…and stalked the Moro in the steaming
jungle still…always the vanguard, I
am the Infantry!
At Chateau-Thierry, first over the top, then I stood like
a rock on the Marne. It was I who cracked the Hindenburg
Line…in the Argonne, I broke the Kaiser's
spine…and didn't come back 'till is was "over,
over there." I am the
Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
A generation older at Bataan, I briefly bowed, but then I
vowed to return. Assaulted the African shore…learned
my lesson the hard way in the desert sands…pressed
my buttons into the beach at Anzio…and bounced into
Rome with determination and resolve. I
am the Infantry!
The English channel, stout beach defenses and the
hedgerows could not hold me…I broke out at St. Lo,
unbent the Bulge…vaulted the Rhine…and swarmed
the Heartland. Hitler's dream and the Third Reich were
dead.
In the Pacific, from island to island…hit the
beaches and chopped through swamp and jungle…I set
the Rising Sun. I am the
Infantry!
In Korea, I gathered my strength around Pusan…swept
across the frozen Han…outflanked the Reds at
Inchon…and marched to the Yalu. FOLLOW
ME!
In Vietnam, while others turned aside, I fought the
longest fight, from the Central Highlands to the South
China Sea I patrolled the jungle, the paddies and the sky
in the bitter test that belongs to the Infantry. FOLLOW
ME!
Around the world, I stand…ever forward. Over
Lebanon's sands, my rifle steady aimed…and calm
returned. At Berlin's gates, I scorned the Wall of Shame.
I spanned the Caribbean in freedom's cause, answered
humanity's call. I trod the streets of Santo Domingo to
protect the innocent. In Grenada, I jumped at Salinas,
and proclaimed freedom for all. My arms set a Panamanian
dictator to flight and once more raised democracy's flag.
In the Persian Gulf, I drew the line in the desert,
called the tyrant's bluff and restored right and freedom
in 100 hours. Duty called, I answered. I
am the Infantry! FOLLOW ME!
My bayonet…on the wings of power… keeps the
peace worldwide. And despots, falsely garbed in freedom's
mantle, falter…hide. My ally in the paddies and the
forest…I teach, I aid, I lead. FOLLOW
ME!
Where brave men fight…there fight I. In freedom's
cause…I live, I die. From Concord Bridge to
Heartbreak Ridge, from the Arctic to the Mekong, to the
Caribbean…the Queen of
Battle!
Always ready…then, now, and forever.
I am the Infantry! FOLLOW
ME!
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