WSJ: An American Soldier -- "I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished."

Wall Street Journal ^ | May 23, 2005 | MICHAEL C. CARLSON

[OESY]

...I admire my Father more than any other person on this planet, not for being a mechanic, not for being a tough guy. I admire my father for his ambition....

My dad hasn't taught me everything though, a lot of it I have learned on my own too. I still got a lot to learn still, but I have figured out things like how to deal with people you don't like or those that don't like you....

I love sports. I love football, wrestling, weight lifting, skiing and hockey. I love the thrill of competition....

I want to be remembered for the things I accomplished. I want my life to account for something more than just a game. In life there are no winners, everyone eventually loses their life. I only have so much time; I can't waste it with a game. I don't want those close to me to look at me and tell me that I was good at a game. I want to be good at life; I want to be known as the best of the best at my job. I want people to need me, to count on me....

...I sometimes dream of being a soldier in a war. In this war I am helping to liberate people from oppression. In the end there is a big parade and a monument built to immortalize us in stone. Other times I envision being a man you see out of the corner of your eye, dressed in black fatigues, entering a building full of terrorists. After everything is completed I slip out the back only to repeat this the next time l am called. I might not be remembered in that scenario, but I will have helped people....

[OESY]

Editor's note: Sgt. Carlson, of St. Paul, Minn., was killed on Jan. 24, 2005, when his Bradley fighting vehicle overturned in Mohammed Sacran, Iraq. He was 22 years old. This is adapted from a "credo paper" he wrote in 12th grade, on May 11, 2000.

May Michael Carlson rest in peace, having accomplished much of what he set out to do with his life.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

At just 22, that's hard for me to buy.

[nuconvert]

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[Semper]

Awesome composition. Laura Ingraham read it on her radio program this morning - she almost broke down at one point.

[segis]

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For others who may have missed this.

[Mr. Lucky]

Please explain.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

At age 22 this man had hardly lived. He may have accomplished some of the things he could imagine at 22 but its a shame he couldn't have lived to find out there is more to life than a 22 year old can understand.