Do you get misty eyed over veterans?

[MikeK]

I have had the fortune to sit and talk with veterans in some nursing homes and at some Vet centers. My father waded ashore on Omaha beach and before he died he told me what he saw and what he did. I UNDERSTOOD why when it was my turn to leave for Vietnam, he told me to do what ever was necessary to keep myself alive and that when I got on the plane to come home, leave it sitting there on the ramp. For me, it worked. But I NEVER saw nor did I ever have to do a fraction of what he did.

I do get misty-eyed and I get choked up, more as I get older. On each July 4th Rhema Bible College in Broken Arrow has an old-fashioned patriotic fireworks display and show. It never fails, of all the old veterans that show up, we're all standing there at attention (those that can stand), tears streaming down our faces. Last year, I noticed that there were so many young boys and girls. Some without arms... and some without legs. One that was with the 4th ID in Iraq sat in his wheel chair next to a guy who was a tanker in Patton's 3rd Army.

Two years ago, I went to Arlington again. The words of Genesis always come to mind... "Take off your shoes, because the ground on which you walk, is hallowed ground."

Warrior, they've never been. They don't understand... they NEVER will. They can't help but make it political...

Behavioral anthropologists explain the ancient affinity between men and dogs as having roots in the inherent pack behavior of both species. The bond between primitive humans and wolves was originally effected by the tribal characteristic of the two species in that both are naturally inclined to hunt and fight in harmonious groups and their natural inclination to group integrity is sufficiently profound as to have crossed the inter-specific boundary thereby enabling the two otherwise disparate species to comfortably live together and to form mutually beneficial and extremely loyal relationships.

Pack behavior is also observed in a broad variety of lesser groupings of both canines and humans. Dogs form packs and so do humans. We humans call them tribes, nations, families, teams, armies, and gangs. And while there are substantial socio-political differences distinguishing the various groupings all harbor one significant similarity -- the members of each group share a powerful motivation to fight supportively together. And that characteristic, the willingness to fight together against an external threat, which seems to be a primordial survival mechanism, appears to transcend any other concern within a respective pack, tribe, nation, family, team, army, or gang.

Members of a wolf pack are not concerned with the reason why their pack is engaged in combat with another pack. They are concerned only with the fight. The same circumstance apparently exists within packs of humans. Willingness to fight and to share the danger affirms membership in the pack. The greater the willingness, the stronger the affirmation. And as we have seen in much of the commentary in this thread, the concept of purpose where fighting is concerned has no relevance. Only the fighting, the killing and the injuring and one's willingness to participate, matter.

Purpose and reason are irrelevant. All that matters are the warrior virtues.