Heroes Aren't Always Happy

[Annie]

For good reason. I truly think this man is going to run for office one day. His writing is exceptional and his thinking is philosophical, but he is tought. This is one of my favorite sites, though I usually end up in tears, no exception with this post:

http://currierd.typepad.com/centurion/2005/11/soldiers_have_f.html#comments

2005.11.01
SOLDIERS HAVE FALLEN, WE HOLD THE LINE

Today we paid tribute to the fallen:

COLWilliam W. Wood
CPT Michael MacKinnon
CPT Raymond Hill
SPC Shakere Guy



The tree of liberty has yet again been watered with the blood of patriots, true Americans, men of an all-volunteer Army, who sadly sacrificed the most precious gift of all, their very lives. Sadness, and misfortune has followed this Battalion, and we have sacrificed so very much for the ideal of liberty. I have been quiet as of late for I have had no real words to express the depths of despair I have felt. The sight of a helmet atop an inverted rifle with bayonet in the ground, and empty boots means a soldier is being honoured. Today there were four helmets, four rifles inverted with bayonets in the ground, and there were four sets of empty boots. Today we paid our final and everlasting respects to four more of America’s sons who died here in this land. Today, though soldiers have fallen, we held the line. The mid day breeze was crisp, Summer has finally faded and fall now claims the air. A gentle breeze cascaded across the field, where we gathered to remember, and respect those no longer amongst us. The chill in the air was not so much from the air that surrounded us, but from the reason we had been gathered once again.



COL Wood came to us, not sure who we were, or if the whispers of our battered battalion were true. He was guarded, distant and unsure of what to do with us. So he did what leaders do he united us, he was as hard on us as a hammer to an anvil, he demanded that we not wallow in our woes, he made us pull ourselves up and soldier on. I went on a patrol with him, a few weeks ago, and came to see this man as our leader. Circumstances beyond the control of we mere mortals saw us forced together, after three months “we” were his battalion, and he was our commander. The first time I met the man I stood on his carpet 6 and centered. He told me then that being a soldier meant sacrifice, today as I stood at his memorial service I began to feel the knot in my throat grow larger. Yes sir, I knew it then when you said it to me, but today it echoed like thunder in my ears. There is so much about the way he died that I cannot bear to think about; so here now, I'll remember how he lived. Know this though, that on that day, the silence of disbelief thundered in our ears, minds and hearts, we lost not just our Commander but also our source of inspiration and our hope for what was to be. COL William Wood believed with all he was that our cause was just, and our sacrifices were worth the price we pay. In your honour sir, we soldier on. The last time I saw him, he slapped me on the shoulder and asked me what I did for my country today, now just over 100 hours later I cannot recall what I said. I can recall him standing there briefing his men on the mission they were about to undertake, he stood tall and erect, his command presence undeniable, now where he once stood only a memory of him remains. Honour sir. Though my mind is weighed down by sadness, the fire that burns in my heart it not for revenge, but for something far more fulfilling...justice. At his memorial service, COL Wood was quoted as saying; “Soldiers have fallen, we hold the line.” Despite our sadness at this unfathomable loss, I truly hope he is still with us, for sir, though you are gone, we continue to hold the line.



CPT Michael MacKinnon, a truly exceptional soldier and a decent man. I did not know him well, but I remember this, when I first met him he was so ill he could barely stand, yet when I a mere second lieutenant, entered his command post, he rose despite being very sick. He rose to take my hand. Each life we lose in this war leaves us hollow, in some way. Not getting to know this man, this fellow officer, this American, this father, and husband I feel slighted by the harsh reality of war yet again. Now, for us here only his memory remains. Mike, we hold the line, and you will never leave our memory. Dan, now picks up where Mike left off, Dan is a good friend of mine, yet he and I both know the shoes and short lived legacy Mike left behind shall indeed be hard to fill. Duty...



CPT Ray Hill, I have known this man for 2 years, he was a big teddy bear. His death, hits me like a sledge hammer. I spent many hours with him, over the last year. His heart was kind, his soul warm, and his generosity unmatched by any I have ever met. We once had a conversation regarding my blog, he said that trouble was heading my way. There was nothing he could do to stop it, but he just wanted me to know. That is just the kind of man he was. He was always there to help, in any way he could. Ray, was a happy-go-lucky man, he loved the Iraqi children most of all here, when he met his end, he was on his way to deliver school supplies to them. That was just the kind of man he was. I will miss him more than I can say. This week has cost us dearly, and it is everything I can do to not let myself fall into despair. Ray, I miss you my friend, may God grant you peace, and may God show mercy to the vermin who killed you for it is no longer in my heart to show any mercy or yield any quarter to our enemies here. Ray was a kind and gentle man, who rarely if ever showed malice in action or words, he was simply a better man than me. Honour...



SPC Shekere Guy, I met him about a year ago, his smile was always genuine, and his jokes always off colour, and damned funny. We sat together after we were on leave, it was a long flight and we joked and watched the in-flight movies together. When we were at LAX, on 21 April 2005 we were to be stuck in a long line. I walked us up to the First Class counter, and told the attendant, since we were going back to pretty much the worst place on Earth I thought we should not have to stand in a line. Most people agreed and we bypassed about 45 minutes of standing in line. So, once we bypassed the line we grabbed beer(s). Hearing of his passing, as with all of our fallen brothers hit me, and again something inside passed away with him. Country...



I now know why veterans from wars past rarely speak of their experiences in combat. I am having difficulty expressing how this last week has made me feel inside. There is much that has been left unsaid. Yet the anguish and bitter anger remain. I know what hate looks like, and in the mirror I see hate. I see anger and I see sadness. To people “back home” who did not know them, they are statistics in an ever increasingly unpopular war (as if there has ever been a popular war), to us they were brothers. To us, they were flesh and blood, and the embodiment of why we are here, they represented the very best we had to offer, and they now represent the very sacrifice none of us hopes to make. There was a prayer that General “Howlin mad” Smith 1st Marine Division, had at the battle of Iwo Jima; he kept it in his journal, I find it appropriate here and now.



“Lord I know how incredibly busy you must be, but should I forger you, please do not forget me.”

[there is more...]