By Daniel Garner
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-John 15: 13 KJV.
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."- John Stuart Mill.
"This We'll Defend"- Motto of the United States Army.
For anyone in the military, you know how much each branch rips on the other. One of my favorite jokes about it is one I first heard doing mobilization training for Operation Iraqi Freedom at Camp Shelby in Mississippi:
"The reason the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines bicker amongst themselves is that they don't speak the same language. For instance, Take the simple phrase 'secure the building.' The Army will post guards around the place. The Navy will turn out the lights and lock the doors. The Marines will kill everybody inside and set up a headquarters. The Air Force will take out a 5 year lease with an option to buy."
Despite occasional budget cuts and manpower shortage, the one thing the military will never run out of is jokes about the other branches (and themselves). But when it gets right down to it each service member, regardless of branch, is always there for another. I've seen Airmen riding alongside Soldiers in a convoy on combat operations in Iraq and Coast Guardsmen next to Sailors in PT boats on missions off the coast of Kuwait. All warriors endure the same circumstances, and all veterans bleed the same color.
I'll be volunteering this Memorial Day. Which I'm told is ironic, because I'm a combat veteran. I don't mind though. One of the things that it shows me is how people react to it being Memorial Day wherever I happen to be volunteering at the time. There are so many people who don't know really what it means and as many who do and don't care. Those who see sacrifice as a distant and negligible threat.
When I was younger this used to bother me. In fact, I couldn't stand it when anyone dissed the military, veterans or our country. As I've gotten older, though, my outlooks changed a bit. I still can't stand it when people degrade Soldiers' sacrifices and loss, but I see their ability to say how they feel as what we fought and many died for.
They may not understand, or care, about how they're able to speak their thoughts so openly and belligerently but I do. And as much as I can't stand it sometimes, I take solace in knowing that as long as people are able to talk like that our sacrifices will not be in vain.
Memorial Day usually brings with it a mixture of feelings. Relief for the long weekend, thoughts of enough hotdogs and burgers to make us seriously consider Weight Watchers but also memories of fallen friends, loved ones and those who sacrificed before our time.
One of my favorite stories is about a Soldier named Captain Humbert “Rocky” Versace. He was a graduate of West Point and soon after graduating deployed to Vietnam in October 1963. While on a mission with local Vietnamese fighters he and two other Americans were attacked by a Viet Cong force far outnumbering their own group. Despite fighting valiantly, CPT Versace was eventually wounded in the back and his leg and was captured along with the other members of his unit.
The Viet Cong force marched them a vast distance to the Prisoner-of-War camp that was deep in the jungle barefoot and once there Versace took on the mantle of "senior prisoner". He demanded that their captors treat them as prisoners of war and not criminals as they were. They soon locked Versace in what was called an isolation box (a small box with little space to move or stand). Despite this, he was able to gain the attention of many of their captors and succeeded in getting conditions that were more bearable. Versace was his fellow prisoners role model.
Even though Versace gained the attention of the Viet Cong well enough to get better conditions, it didn't mean that they still didn't interrogate him. In fact, he was interrogated so loud that Viet Cong patrols and local farmers in nearby areas could hear him screaming out. They even saw him at times, being lead barefoot with a rope tied around his neck, his head swollen and yellowed from jaundice. His hair soon turned white from the trauma.
Despite being an American, locals spoke his strength and his character and commitment to God and Country. On 26 September 1965 he was executed in response to three Viet Cong soldiers being killed in Da Nang.
However, for his bravery and commitment to his country and fellow prisoners he was awarded the Congressional Medal of honor and induced into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning. Although his body was never found, he was given a burial plot and stone at the militaries prestigious Arlington Cemetery.
Ironically, he was only a few weeks from his intended departure date from the Army. He was going to become a missionary. His plan was to service Vietnam in a different manner: Help orphaned children. He has been remembered as someone with kind of character we should all strive for, and his strength of will and not giving into adversity is an example to all of us.
It is when we decide that death no longer holds grip on our fears that you are truly ready to begin to live our values. It is not the moment a Soldier sees a grenade that he decides to jump and shield his Brothers from it, but before. It's also not our courage or intelligence or insight specifically that will be remembered, but rather what we do about it. Honor and courage come naturally to those within whom it's practiced.
The Takeaway: Instead of simply having a Happy Memorial Day this year, Remember Memorial Day. Remember all of those who sacrificed, some with the ultimate sacrifice they could offer, so that everyone could enjoy the freedoms and benefits that so many are enjoying. Choose the same honor and courage that has lead our Nation and continue to choose it as an example of what makes all of us great!