Thoughts on Veterans’ Day

 

Thoughts on Veterans’ Day

 

WARNING – In light of the recent mass-killing by a former Marine in California, I’ll start out by saying that the comments below are not, in any way, meant to condone, or encourage, his type of behavior, which may have been in part due to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

I plan to write another post in the near future about that disorder.

However, I feel that the millions upon millions of men and women who have served in the United States military without going “over the edge” due to their own struggles with PTSD deserve all the honor we can heap upon them for the tremendous hardships, horror, and pain they have endured in defense of our freedom.

Thank you for your service.

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Now, let’s get started.  Please keep in mind that a lot of what I say below is metaphorical.  Some of it isn’t.  I hope you can tell the difference.

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My regular readers know that I’m proud of the fact that I’m a Marine, but for the sake of this post I’m going to drop the Marine Corps bluster and bravado (and, let’s face it, a tiny bit of BS) as well as the jokes I often make at the expense of other branches of service.  They make jokes about us too.  Separately, we may give each other a hard time.  Together, we stand as one in defense of this great nation.

No bullet, no shell, no demon in hell shall break this bond called brothers.  Yeah, I mean sisters too.  I saw a young woman once who was absolutely beautiful, from the top of her head down to the tip of her toes…of one foot.  She had lost her other leg in Afghanistan.

This post is dedicated to the men and women who are currently serving, or have ever served, in the Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, and Coast Guard.

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I was recently in Springfield, Missouri to celebrate the birthday of my granddaughter, Pfiefer, and to watch four of my sons compete in a team marathon.

At a place called Itty Bitty City, before Pfief’s birthday party started, I was nervous.  I’m uncomfortable in crowds.  I made the mistake of telling Annie.  She didn’t understand.  She doesn’t understand.  She can’t understand.

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I was trying to relax and enjoy watching all the kids playing but “that feeling” wouldn’t go away.  Then I heard a voice and turned to see an attractive young couple, who were there for a reason similar to mine.

The man spoke, “I thought I recognized the emblem on your cover as you were walking across the room.”  He indicated the Marine Corps emblem on my hat and said, “Semper Fi.”

“Semper Fi.” I shook the hand he held out.  We visited a few minutes before the topic of boot camp came up.  The Marine Corps has only two bases where they train recruits.  Survivors earn the right to call themselves Marines…and the opportunity to fight for their country.

He grimaced when I said that I went to Parris Island (South Carolina) so I said, “You’re a Hollywood (San Diego, California) Marine?”

He smiled and nodded, so I followed up with, “Do they still issue sunglasses?”

He nodded again and we both laughed and spent a few minutes talking about our service, the places we’d been, and the things we did.

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After a minute he said, “I noticed you assessing the situation.”

I nodded.  “It gets better, but it never goes away.”

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His wife tactfully broke into our conversation to ask questions about behaviors she had seen from her husband since he “came home.”

I did my best to explain to her how to handle them.  “Never walk up to him if he doesn’t know you’re there.  Never touch him if he doesn’t know you’re there or doesn’t expect it.

“Be there for him on the Fourth of July when the neighbors shoot fireworks.”

She nodded, “What about the nightmares?”

“Talk to him quietly.  Don’t scold him when he wakes up talking or yelling at night.”

The man’s face scrunched up when his wife said, “He threw his arm across me one night and yelled, “Cover!  Cover!  Get down!”

I frowned and looked at the man, “Don’t you hate that.”  It wasn’t a question.

I went on, “One night when my oldest son was a toddler, he walked into the room where I was sleeping and tapped me on the shoulder.  I pinned him to the wall.  When I realized what I’d done I hugged him tight and apologized over and over.  I cried more than he did…a lot more.”

“Yeah,” he said.  “It changes you, and not always in good ways.”

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Now, every American military man or woman is different, and not just in the uniform they wear.  But most believe in a few basic things.

We believe it’s a privilege and an honor to be there if our country needs us.

We believe that the oath we swore when we joined the military did not come with an expiration date.

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We believe…

It’s not the uniform; it’s the man or woman inside the uniform.  We’ll give each other a hard time but we know we’re all on the same team.  There are times when a flyboy needs a jarhead and there are times when a jarhead needs a flyboy, or a squid, or a dogface.

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We agree with the wise men who said…

“It’s better to fight for something than to live for nothing.” – George S. Patton

“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” – Norman Schwarzkopf

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – George Orwell

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We believe…

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  That means us.

Every man needs to know what he is willing to die for.

You’ve never really missed home or loved ones until you’ve been in a place where you don’t know if you’ll ever get home, or see your loved ones, again.

Those who say that veterans of some war of the past were more honorable, or tougher, than modern vets don’t know what the modern vets have done and experienced.  Wars change, but those who fight them don’t.

We hunt the evil some citizens pretend doesn’t exist.

Peace through superior firepower.

I’ll see your AK and raise you one AR.

The most dangerous thing in the military is a boot lieutenant with a compass and a .45.  The second most dangerous thing in the military is a boot private with…well, any kind of weapon.

You know that dirtbag in your unit?  If you have rank, try to bring him around, but keep in mind, that dirtbag may be your best friend when the bullets start to fly.

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We believe…

When life closes a door, breach it and continue on your way.

There is no limit to how bad things can get.

If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, riddle them with bullets.

Be polite.  Be professional.  But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

Flank your enemy.  Protect yours.

Tom Cruise once said that his job is just as hard as fighting in Afghanistan.  I don’t believe Tom Cruise ever fought in Afghanistan.

Rules for a gunfight: 1. Bring a gun.  Preferably bring two guns.  Heck, bring all your friends who have guns.

The only defense against violent men is good men that are more efficient at being violent.

Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

When the drill instructor said, “I promise you sleep deprivation, mental torment, and muscles so sore that you’ll puke,” he was sugar-coating it.

In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics.  They will only remember who lived and who died.

If you’re not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

Accuracy is relative.  Most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on “pucker factor” than the inherent accuracy of the gun.  Use a gun that works EVERY TIME.

If you’re gonna fight, fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s Ark…and brother, it’s starting to rain.

Always cheat, always win.  The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice.  Ammo is cheap – life isn’t.

Learn to load your weapon with your eyes closed.  Someday one less thing to look at may save your life and the lives of all your friends.

If your shooting stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.

Only hits count.  The only thing worse than a miss is another miss.

I will die on my feet before I beg on my knees.

We don’t read fairy tales to our children so they know monsters exist.  They already know that.  We read our children fairy tales so they know the monsters can be hunted down and killed.

Studying for finals may be stressful.  Your office may be stressful.  But, until you’ve tried to clear a jammed weapon under fire you don’t know what stress is.

Happiness can be simple.  Sometimes a belt-fed weapon is pure bliss.

There is no “overkill”.  There is only “open fire” and “I need to reload.”

It’s the shot you don’t hear that you need to worry about.

If you see a sniper, he’s there.  If you don’t see a sniper, he’s there.

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The only thing worse than losing a child in service to our country is losing that child to an ungrateful nation.

America can survive without the American athlete, but it cannot survive without the American soldier.

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Later, after I finished talking to the young couple, I saw a man about my age with an Army t-shirt on.  We struck up a conversation.  He was Special Forces.

He, the young Marine, and I were no longer on active duty.  Our lives had changed.  Many of the things we believed when we were active were not valid in civilian life, but many of them would never change.

I had told the young Marine, “There comes a time after you are discharged when you realize that you are never really going to be able to transition from military to ‘normal’.

“You’re a veteran and always will be.”

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Behind the bluster and bravado in the words earlier is a man or woman who, at one time had to say something to release the tension…the abject fear of not knowing if the next thing he did was pull the trigger, pee down both legs…or die.

November 11, 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of Veterans’ Day.

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Courage is not the absence of fear.  Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.  American soldiers do that every day, and many pay for it with their lives.

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To all the veterans out there and to all my brothers and sisters who are currently serving in the U.S. military, I salute you.  And, even though I know I don’t have to, I remind you to remember those who went before us, because most of all, I believe that America is the land of the free because it’s the home of the brave.

God bless you all.

 

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8 Comments on "Thoughts on Veterans’ Day"

  1. Vonda Harrison | November 9, 2018 at 3:11 pm |

    This article gave me chill bumps – Amen.

  2. Bobby Matthews | November 12, 2018 at 2:53 pm |

    I think I got a spike od adrenaline reading that. I love the quote: “We don’t read fairy tales to our children so they know monsters exist. They already know that. We read our children fairy tales so they know the monsters can be hunted down and killed.” Totally Using that later.

    • And you’re welcome to it! Glad you liked the post, and thanks again for your service to this wonderful country.

  3. David Matthews | November 14, 2018 at 11:11 am |

    Thank you for your service, all of you.

    • Thanks for your support. It was an honor to serve what is STILL the greatest country in the history of the planet.

  4. David, brought a tear to my eyes. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

Comments are closed.