They painted the earth shades of red:
The color of apples, shining proudly as they grow.
The deep color of wine, swirling in a crystal glass, staining the lips of a young woman.
The color of blood, dripping from the bodies of a hundred men, their bodies laying out in a field, their souls.. Who knows?

But the Earth was now different shades of red, and all of these lives were lost. Mothers lose their titles, a little girl whose father will never tuck her in at night, and a soul mate lost to those who waited and waited for his or her love to come home.

All these lives lost. It seems so terrible. But where there is loss, there is gain.

A nation free. A mother who can beam with pride, for her son was a hero. A little girl who will grow up and tuck her own daughter in one day, and for those who lost their lovers? They are free because of the sacrifices made. They are alive because of love. They can live to tell everyone that these soldiers painted the earth red, the color of their hearts.