Note: The original title of this article was “A warrior’s theme: Living without regret” but after making revisions to the article, I decided to change the title as dictated by the content. Thanks for reading. CY
–
I was affected by an article about how a flight of passengers on a jetliner were moved by the presence of a fallen American soldier, returning home with great ceremony to his final resting place.
(http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/fallen-soldier-213011521.html).
Stylized Photo of James Suh and Matt Axelson’s Memorial (Operation Redwing).
I wanted to somehow explain why I weep for our fallen and how I am indebted to all the service personnel who have been and are willing to put their lives on the line for this great country so that we may live our lives and pursue our dreams.
You see, this country is not just a Flag or a set of documents preserved under glass, nor is it defined by a handful of politicians, whether they love America or not. The essence of America is the fabric of people who love this country and are connected one by one. All of us, descendants of immigrants who, by and large, came to this country, quite frankly, because their conditions in the old country sucked and America, despite its imperfections, shone as a land of opportunity, high ideals, and Freedom.
The greatness of America is defined in large part by its institutions, and the noblest, in my humble opinion, are the armed services.
Regarding the following excerpt, it’s not my intention to alienate the other branches and the specialities within each (including the Silent Service which I proudly belong), but allow what I wrote on Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s book “Service” as a commentary on all our forces and the indignation that ought to be in the breast of American citizens when the ethos is being overturned.
“Why read about Navy SEALS in the first place? Because the SEALS are exemplary … not only as the tip of the spear of our military forces, they are among the best of what this country, in its over 200 years of institutional and cultural history, has managed to produce: Exceptional Courage, Valor, Strength, Dedication, Loyalty, Skill, Patriotism, Teamwork… Service.
“May I end my review and comments with what struck me about August 6th, 2011. In the book, Marcus compared the loss of The 30 to a loss of one of our aircraft carriers. That’s a monumental comparison and one that is apt if you further consider the fact that there are over 5000 sailors serving in a carrier. This is not to belittle those who serve on our carriers but rather, when the best of our SEAL team operators are lost in such numbers, that should spark public outrage and some serious questions of accountability.
“A friend of mine used the the word “treasure” to describe a brotherhood among warriors.The best of our warriors, as exemplified by our Navy SEALS, are indeed our American treasure.”
If there is something that reaches to, feel free to share and comment. Thanks.
I’ll see you… on the next page
