Men to Admire

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Aug 172010
 

I know a man….

30 plus years of service to his country, he completes a command assignment just 9 months prior to his mandatory retirement date.  He could easily file his retirement papers now and start collecting a well-earned pension.  Or maybe he’s not quite ready to go yet, so he’s given a nice cushy desk job until next spring (damn right that happens!).

Does he do either of these?  No.

He volunteers for a deployment to Afghanistan.

Why? Because he’s a health care provider with previous combat experience and feels that as long as he can, he still has an obligation to care for those who put themselves in harms way.

His offer is accepted and he’s going.

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I know a man….

Fourteen months ago, he’s on patrol in Iraq when his vehicle hits an IED.  Both legs are blown off, above the knee, and he’s extremely lucky to be alive today.  He’s still undergoing physical therapy and learning to walk with his prosthetic legs.

He’s already been in the military for over 20 years, goodness knows that he’s earned his retirement, medical or otherwise.

He’s refusing, he’s said that if they try to medically retire him that he’ll fight it.

Why?  Because he’s a professional soldier and believes that he still has an obligation to serve his country.

Lost his legs in combat and still feels that he has an obligation to serve, amazing…

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Want kind of man (or woman) do you admire?  How do they compare to these men?

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  • Ivey Lane

    It does make a difference. Yes there are doofuses and dingbats in every arena, and no human being is completely free from their own limitations and short-comings, but men and women in the military, especially after a deployment, have a different comportment. They know with brutal clarity what the consequences of their service could be, and yet they serve anyway.

    As always, thanks for the reminder.

    And yeah, game-boy up there would definitely suffer in comparison to an actual soldier, in many, many ways.

  • btrlatethanneve

    Wow, powerful.

  • http://msscarlettletter.blogspot.com/ Ms Scarlett

    Gamer-geek up there has no idea what combat is about – and I find it insulting that he’s parading around in used combats and tac-vest like that.

    You wanna be a soldier little man? Put down the game controller, get your fat ass up off your sofa, brush off the cheese puff crumbs and sign up. Be a real man.

    I have many friends in the military up here. On their way to, in, or on their way back from Afghanistan. Several friends lost, many wounded, all changed forever. That little twit has no idea.

    /rant

  • http://goodwillbadwill.blogspot.com Will

    Awesome post – these are the men and women who deserve our respect and our admiration, and our gratitude. I’ve been lucky enough to have known some service men/women and they are the cream of the crop for sure. One of my best friends from school is an Air Force officer, and was at an early age. He was one of the responders post 9/11 that helped with the devastation and cleanup efforts, not to mention spending time in Afghanistan and Iraq. He’s in a much cushier position now, but knowing him he’d be first to volunteer where he was needed. I’m so grateful for people like him, and for the people like the men you wrote of.

  • T

    Beautiful. Yep, I know a man too…

  • Steve

    God bless all these men and women who do this for us. The gratitude I have for their sacrifice is unending. God bless their families as well……

  • http://anothersuburbanmom.blogspot.com Another Suburban Mom

    This was a great post baby! He would probably shit his pants & cry for mommy after a week of basic training.

   

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