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Subject: Veteran's Day 2007
Time: 12:50:00 AM EST
Author: theshootist1
Mood: Quiet
Happy Veteran's Day
Hello, as I am sure you all know, today is Veteran's Day. A very special day set aside to pay tribute to, honor, thank and remember all of those very special heroes, that have worn the uniform of all branches of our United States Armed Forces.
All patriotic holidays are special days to me personally, and in my heart and mind their meanings and purpose are never lost. As this Veteran's Day so fast approaches, I am reminded of wars that took place in my own lifetime, The Vietnam War, The Iran Hostage Rescue Attempt, The Grenada Invasion, Panama, The Drug Wars In South & Central America, Operation Restore Hope and the firefight that took place during it in the Bakara Market in downtown Mogadishu, Somalia Africa, Desert Storm, and the currently ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just in the wars and battles I have listed alone, literally thousands of American soldiers layed down their lives for the causes.
It brings to mind the soldiers in Iraq right now. Their daily lives and struggles, never knowing when they lay down to sleep tonight, if it will be their last time to do so, for tomorrow, a sniper or a suicide bomber may bring their deaths. It's a harsh reality to have to live day in and day out for 15 months at a time, but they're over there and their doing it everyday and everynight.
Lets for a moment take a walk, well as best as we can in written word, in the combat boots of the deployed American soldier.
" I walk these streets and highways and roads everyday, in search of who might be my enemy and who might be my friend. So often it is hard to tell one from the other, because I've seen friends of mine blown from this life in an instant by men with smiles upon their faces and bombs strapped to their bodies under their clothing. Some say " How do we combat an enemy, who is more than eager to vaporize his own body in an effort to kill you?" The answer is not a hard one, it's just one we have to finally face, and change the rules of engagement, that will allow us to stop him before he reaches his target.
Standing on this street corner, in downtown Baghdad, I see a man walking my way. He looks like the normal Iraqi to me, infact I have seen him a few times before, a smile upon his face, and a kind spoken; " Hello American G.I." Across the street from me, some of my fellow soldiers have their humvee pulled to the side of the street. Iraqi children and some of their parents gathered all around it excited and shouting out to the soliders, the soldiers are handing out candy, toothbrushes and other toys and trinkets that the kids so love to get. I stand and smile at the sight before me, feeling that some good is being done here.
Then I notice back to the man walking my way again, but today he is different, today there is no smile upon his face, and he is not looking at me. He is focused it seems, focused on the troops across the street giving candy to the kids. I see him as he begins to cross the street and make his way towards them. I see the look upon his face become more intense the closer to them he gets. It alarms me, but what can I do? I cannot fire upon him, for the rules of engagement say that I must wait until fired upon, or a hostile aggressive move is made. But still closer he walks towards my friends and those kids.
I ready my rifle, safety off, but still pointed at the ground. As he makes it to the crowd of kids and their parents and the soldiers there, he mingles into the crowd and stops there and stands. I've a bad feeling deep down in my gut, but again what can I do?
I watch with diligence and keep my eyes upon his face. I can see fear in his eyes and anxiousness, something is terribly different about him today. Suddenly his hands disappear within his garments, and I can stand there no longer, I shout out to the soldiers in the humvee, and as they turn to look at me, he detonates himself with a blast that knocks me twenty feet away and to the ground. My friends that remain alive I hear their moans of pain, children that remain alive scream out in pain, mothers and fathers, that remain alive scream out in fear for their children and from the pain their mangled bodies now feel.
I quickly rise back to my feet and rush over in a defensive posture.
I hear the shots ring out from an AK-47, two more soldiers dead, and feel a hot pain in my side as I am knocked off my feet yet again. I roll over to find an Iraqi standing there with an AK-47 rifle in his hands, firing on my wounded buddies and the children around.
I pull my sidearm from it's holster firing five quick shots, silencing his rifle, and taking his life. The only sounds that remain are the screams and the moans. I stagger to my feet, and realize that I've been hit, some soldiers come to my aid. But my wound is not life threatening. They help me to walk and prepare me to be evacuated out. I want to see the Iraqi gunner I killed. As we pass him by, I see that he is just a boy, a child, and in his mouth is candy, candy my friends had just given him, scattered beside his body is more candy and a trinket. He looks to me ten or twelve at the most. Filled with the candy from the hands of the people he hated and set out to kill on this day. His mother rushes from a house and collapses to her knees by his side, she weeps uncontrollably for her child son that I have killed. She looks up at me, and her eyes tell the story I do not want to read, to her I am a murderer, she screams: "How could you kill a child?" The only words I can muster from my lips are a simple "I'm Sorry." which she refuses as she spits at my boots. I've taken the life of a child now, how much worse can it get? How long will I live with that moment in my mind and in my heart? Or shall forever I regret?"
This was just a short little walk through one soldier's life. He could have been any soldier deployed anywhere at anytime in any of the conflicts I listed above and those before. They face all kinds of different struggles and situations while on patrol, and along with dealing with all of this, they deal also at the sametime with knowing that there are hundreds and thousands even, out there that wish to see them dead at any second and at any cost. The American Soldier in combat, lives a life that the protected never know of, but should certainly be appreciative of all of the time, not just one day a year. So today as you see a veteran as you go about your day, be him an old world war two or korean war or vietnam or the current war vet, walk up to him, smile a welcoming smile, shake his hand and just say; " Thank You!" that's the only thing a true soldier has ever asked for in return for all the horrors and sacrifices they have endured for Americans. Is that too much to ask of us? Is that too much for us to do? Give it a try, you'll be surprised at the feeling it gives you inside, and you will be touched by the feeling it gives the soldier and the look of happiness on his face.
Thank you to every soldier that has ever served, May God bless your valiant souls with the peace you have fought for and stood so bravely to protect and restore.
Happy Veteran's Day Everyone!
TheShootist
Jeff
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Again Jeff, I am at a lost for words when I read this, It makes me realize more and more the scarifice all of you Veterans have given for our country. I pray we all thank God for each person who has served and contines to serve in our Armed Forces today.
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I hope you had a good Veteran's Day too. I worked, but with gladness helping out our elderly veteran's in our nursing home. Also as a Veteran myself, it gives me that much more pride and thankfulness in my heart. Thanks Jeff, Linda
11/14/07 12:19 AM