The Love Me Nots
By Benjamin Rednour, United States Army, United States Marine Corps
A man fought a fight in a field of flowers,
Though the flowers held the antidote to pain,
Propagandist doctrine driving the machine,
Yet all intentions were executed in vain,
Chess pawn or puzzle piece I am forethought,
The predisposition was never made clear,
What was once an innocent soul is now lost,
Taken shape a mercenary left to despair.
With a military occupational specialty (MOS) of 13F/Fire Support Specialist, Benjamin served in the United States Army, 101st Airborne Division from 2001 until 2006, which included two combat deployments to Iraq. He also served in the United States Marine Corps with the 2nd Marine Division from 2007 until 2013 with an MOS of 0861/Fire Support Man, which included one combat deployment to Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Moshtarak.
Benjamin appears in the HBO documentary The Battle for Marjah where he and his fellow Marines of B Company 1st Battalion 6th Marines combat the Taliban in order to take control of their last major stronghold. Operation Moshtarak has been called the most influential mission to take place since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
