An Military Recruiter convinces him to join the military.

He said, “Son,
Have you seen the world?
Well, what would you say
If I said that you could?
Just carry this gun and you’ll even get paid.”
I said, “That sounds pretty good.”

While he is at basic training he receives black boots and they cut off his hair. They cut his hair off, but he accepts it. They marched and sang cadences and learned the basics of being in the military.

Black leather boots
Spit-shined so bright
They cut off my hair but it looked alright
We marched and we sang
We all became friends
As we learned how to fight

In the first chorus he is saying that he really wants to be a hero of war, so everyone would be proud of him, even if he has to die for the country. Because he loves his country.

A hero of war
Yeah that’s what I’ll be
And when I come home
They’ll be damn proud of me
I’ll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love
And a flag that I trust

Then he flashes back to his first arrest. They broke down the door and he told them to give up the man. The children in the room started crying. They took the man away from his family and friends with a bag over his face, to interrogation.

I kicked in the door
I yelled my commands
The children, they cried
But I got my man
We took him away
A bag over his face
From his family and his friends

Now they are at interrogation and the interrogators take of the mans clothes and tourture him. And while this happens the soldiers conscience kicks and and he tells them to stop. But then he is convinced to joins in.

They took off his clothes
They pissed in his hands
I told them to stop
But then I joined in
We beat him with guns
And batons not just once
But again and again

This chorus is the soldier trying to convince himself that he did the right thing to become a hero of war.

A hero of war
Yeah that’s what I’ll be
And when I come home
They’ll be damn proud of me
I’ll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because it’s flag that I love
And a flag that I trust

There is a battle, and out of nowhere a little girl walks up. He begs her to stop so she doesn't get killed. But she doesn't. So he lifts up his M16 and shoots her several times.

She walked through bullets and haze
I asked her to stop
I begged her to stay
But she pressed on
So I lifted my gun
And I fired away

He describes the even how a soldier who was forced to do this would remember it. He remembers every detail. As she collapses, he realizes that the girl is holding a white flag. This represents her surrendering her life.

The shells jumped through the smoke
And into the sand
That the blood now had soaked
She collapsed with a flag in her hand
A flag white as snow

Then when he thinks back at the events he questions how americans see someone like him with metals and scars. He takes home the white flag. And that is the only flag he trusts because he has seen the battle field and the war and people who worship the american flag don't really understand what is going on.

A hero of war
Is that what they see
Just medals and scars
So damn proud of me
And I brought home that flag
Now it gathers dust
But it’s a flag that I love
It’s the only flag I trust

This repetition represents the idea that no matter how many people die and are scared for life the recruiter that recruited him is recruiting other people.

He said, “Son, have you seen the world?
Well what would you say,
if I said that you could?”