Today is my birthday. Instead of candles and cake, I have my uniform and my duty. I'm surrounded by my brothers and sisters in arms. We train together, eat together, and would die for each other. They are my family in every way that counts. But when the day ends, and the barracks grow quiet, a different kind of silence settles in. There are no childhood photos to look at, no call from a parent to expect. The family I was born into is gone. 💔 So tonight, on my birthday, I'll just look up at the