He posted this on another site yesterday and I thought many here would appreciate it...
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Before September 11th there were only a few of us veterans. Sir Brian Horrocks once said "I always regarded the forward edge of battle as the most exclusive club in the world." Before 9-11 only a few units in the military would ever be sent to the war zone. These units were specialized units, built for war and realistically trained. The combat experienced warriors of the 80s and 90s tended to be the Rangers, Special Forces, 82nd Airborne and other light units. There was a brief chance for some of the more armored and cumbersome units during Desert Storm, but mainly the wars were fought by "LIGPOPs" (Little Ittybitty Groups of Pissed Off Paratroopers). Even the Marines didn't see much of the fight, or were stuck in ships off shore as diversions.
My wars were ones of speed. I could literally go to war on a Friday, and be home by the next weekend. Mission accomplished. We would be woken up in the middle of the night, fly to some unknown geographical oddity, and kill those who wanted to kill us. The particular reasons why would be known later. Even our "long term" operations were accomplished within the span of a college semester. The enemy was known. He is the man facing you with an AK-47. He is in the tank trying to launch rounds faster than your HUMV can drive. He was the barrage of 40 rockets trying to incinerate the grid square you were hiding in. This enemy was easy to find, and easier to eliminate. It's hard to try to hide from the modern Spartans, when you are launching a SCUD missile. Even the protesters had a hard time of it. By the time they were mobilized to stop the fight that was "going to be the next Vietnam", it was all over. A soldier could go to war, see friends die, do incredibly brave acts, be decorated for valor, and return, and most folks in the United States wouldn't even know about it, or if it was on the news, they would quickly forget (Remember Desert One? Urgent Fury? El Salvador? Just Cause? The Battle of the Black Sea?). Only those who were there and only those who had lost a loved one would remember. I imagine it was the same for the soldiers, marines and sailors in the 1920s and 30s, who would go to Nicaragua, or some other location, and fight in a war that most would never know. Even in the military, it was still an exclusive club. Those who wore the decorations of battle were few and far between. They were looked on with envy, and maybe even intimidation, by those who had to stay home.
Them days are gone.
Though the early days of this present war were fought by the army of the 90s, swift, silent and deadly, they have evolved into a different war. The enemy is no longer that easy to find. He knows if he is found, and faces the full might of the military, he will die. So the enemy now tries to find the "soft targets", those with the least experienced soldiers, or better still, those with no soldiers. The hospital. The daycare. The elementary girl's school. However in this war, the "soft" targets are not so soft. Those who are considered REMFs (Rear Echelon Mother… well, you get it), are now earning Silver Stars and Distinguished Service Crosses.
This is a war fought by cooks and bakers and candle stick makers. The men who move in the night, the Special Operations, are still there, but the casualties are being suffered most by the truck drivers, postal clerks and MPs. For the first time, in a long time, we see the effects of such a war against the support units. Young 19 year old girls with their legs missing. An overweight grandfather blinded by an exploding windscreen. The truck driver from Birmingham with one lung. The mother of two with an arm torn off by a rocket propelled grenade. In the past, war was "big boy rules" and you knew the game. The game has changed. A recruit many years ago could claim that they joined just to get the college. However the volunteers now know they will go to war. It is not if, it is when. The Reserves are full time, and the National Guard is truly guarding the Nation by keeping the enemy from the shores. The military has become combat experienced. The numbers of soldiers and Marines who have not been to the combat zone now are the minority. There is good in all of this. We are creating a generation that knows true sacrifice, and knows the definition of selfless service. They are not the majority of this nation, and are still just a few, but for those few, those happy few, they will define this nation in another decade or two.
The television tells me that America is at War. America is not at war. America is at the mall. The Marines are at war. The 10th Mountain Division is at war. America is at home watching "American
Idol".
This is a war that began back in September of 1982. This war will not end for a generation. This is a world war. The sun does not set on the fighting. Three warriors die each day fighting this war and seventeen are wounded. Most of these wounds are not caused by bullets, but by bombs. More soldiers are coming home missing arms, legs, or eyes than ever before. This Memorial Day has touched more families than ever before.
In my home there is a small triangular wooden frame, with a folded American flag inside. As of this day there are 3,820 more of these folded flags resting on the mantel or hanging on the wall. This sacrifice is not in vain. For every hour spent in the war zone, and for every drop of blood spilled on the hot sand, it saves that violent hour and that blood from reaching our shores. Due to this sacrifice America can grill the burgers, watch the race, and enjoy the beach, without having to worry about harm.
Today is the day to remember those who do not return. Some memories are fresh, the faces still sharp in the mind's eye. Some memories are faded, and can only be recognized in a grainy black and white picture. Merely putting a sticker on the back of a car that says "Support our Troops" doesn't quite cut it, no more than a red ribbon cures AIDs. As you go through this day recognize why we have the life of leisure we do. Tell your children, or your grandchildren. Let them realize that a soldier fights for those who aren't able to. Today there will be three of them who do not come home.
Remember them.
Earn this.
