All gave some, some gave all

To all who served before me, to those with whom I served, and to those who serve today — thank you. Of all of my life’s accomplishments and achievements, I am most proud of having been a Soldier.

Veteran's Day: A perfect excuse to post a picture of one of our nation's better looking warriors

Heinlein wrote: “The noblest fate that a man can endure is to place his own mortal body between his loved home and the war’s desolation.”

This week, sadly, we learned that that war’s desolation can sometimes strike much closer to home.

In the last three weeks, I have attended the local funeral services of two Soldiers and one Marine who were all killed in action in Afghanistan. With the horrific murders of 13 Soldiers at Ft. Hood, this has been an especially hard time for the Army family.

But  today, on Veteran’s Day, I am more appreciative of and humbled by the service of our nation’s warrior class than ever before.

From Frank Buckles — the last remaining living US Veteran of World War I — to the 17 and 18 year old Privates that my brother (a Recruiting Station Commander in the US Army) is enlisting today:  our nation owes you the deepest debt of gratitude.

From the Saint Crispin’s Day speech from Shakespeare’s Henry V:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

A few years ago, the blogger Armed Liberal (a former 1960s anti-war Lefty type) had a thoughtful piece on how his views on the US military have changed. The one sentence that most stood out to me:

1. First, that these men and women are just like me, except better.

You know what, Armed Liberal, you’re right.

And a special word of admiration to my brothers in the Patriot Guard Riders, the overwhelming majority of whom are themselves Veterans (and mostly Vietnam Veterans) — your dedication to serving your country first as warriors, and now as riders honoring the service of those who came after you, shows the true mettle of a man. I don’t know that I’ve ever met a group of people whom I admire and respect more.

Bikers, Veterans, and Patriots