CleverNickName's Journal: To Honor Trueman

This doesn't need any introduction. It moved me, and I'd like to share it here.

From: "William R. Granberry"
Date: Thu Nov 13, 2003 9:21:28 PM America/Los_Angeles
To: [e-mail]

Wil-

I'm a daily reader of your site as well as a fellow blogger, filmmaker, and writer. Something happened recently that changed my perspective on, well, life. At the very least, it solidified a notion that had already taken root in my psyche.

I give you a transcription of an entry from my own blog (http://lj.theobsidian.net) (already in HTML format) in the hopes that you might consider crossposting it to your website if you feel it's as important a thought as I do.

If not, then I thank you at least for being the insightful and creative individual whose material I have come to enjoy a great deal, and hope that you enjoy my entry and get something out of it. I loved, by the way, what I read of a friend's copy of Dancing Barefoot. I hope you have another printing soon.

Best wishes to you and yours.

--------
A good friend of mine, Trueman Muhrer-Irwin was injured by a homemade bomb in Baghdad as is detailed here. His wounds are serious and he will require a lengthy rehabilitation.

Everything is relative. When you choose to think that things are bad, think to the dead, and those who face death every day; who don't really have a choice other than to wallow in their helplessness or press on. Think to those who are wounded fighting a war that they didn't start, for those who fight in wars often do so because of duty rather than passion. Trueman is such a man- he disliked his lot in life in service, but was resolved to do his duty and serve his country. He followed through in his resolution through to its end. It cost him what will now be years of his life, his health, his mobility, and a man who was by all accounts a dear friend.

I've made the mistake of choosing unhappiness. We, of course, all have unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and disenchantment forced on us. That's life. There is no option. But we have the option to wallow in it or to press on. I've almost died five times in my life. Realistically. Very close to death. Three of those times it was at the hands of another human being. Those three times I fought and survived because I chose to press on. And yet later in my life, this lesson which I have been forunate enough to learn first hand escaped me, and I've opted for depression. For despair. To whine. Shame on me. Shame on those of us who make that choice. We all falter, but we don't all have excuses.

So let's learn a lesson from Trueman when we refuse to look on the brighter side of life; when we choose to wallow in misery and unhappiness instead of resolving as countless of people do every day to execute the tasks at hand in order to find happiness and satisfaction, because it's a privilege to even have a goal to work towards. Here is a man who made a decision and the result is not his own happiness and satisfaction, but hopefully everyone else's.

Let us honor him and others who pressed on, and hope to learn from him. Keep him in your thoughts, and let's all hope his reward is a quick and complete recovery.

Hmmm

[Safety Cap]

I remember the first day of boot camp, back in Ft. Sill, OK. The 1st SGT asked us kids why we joined the Army. My smart-*ssed response was "To die for my country, 1st Sgt!" (yes, I was a troublemaker even back then). However, this is the essence of what it means to be in uniform for the US.

Some folks choose to be actors, some horticulturists, and others choose to join the military. The DoD makes a good sell about "Army of one," "The few, the proud," "Aim high," etc. but the simple fact of the matter is you

Re:Hmmm

[arb]

Back when the US announced it was going to Afghanistan to flush out the Taliban and Bin Laden, Australia put its hand up to help in whatever way we could. I got so damn pissed off with some of our armed forces personnel who complained that they didn't want to be sent into combat - that wasn't what they joined up for! To them I say, "If you aren't willing to put your life on the line defending your country, or defending those who your country chooses to support, then don't fscking join the army/navy/air forc

Re:Hmmm

[aridhol]

People who joins the military must know they have a chance of being put in harm's way, or they're a damn fool.

I am a military child. I strongly believe in honouring our war dead [slashdot.org]. Both of my brothers are in the military, and my father is recallable to service. They all know that they may be sent out tomorrow to go to war.

When George Sr's war with Iraq started, many people resigned on the spot. They were in the military (or reserves) for the free training and guaranteed employment. When their country

Re:Hmmm

[Tet]

When their country said "Time to pay for your training", they all panicked and quit.

Huh? Is that allowed? Certainly in the UK, you sign up for a fixed period of time, and you're not allowed to leave the services before your end date, except in exceptional circumstances. This is specifically to stop people getting the benefits of training, and then bailing out before the fighting starts. Your options at that point are usually either to fight or go to jail.

Re:Hmmm

[aridhol]

You are allowed to apply for early release. However, the military retains the option of recalling you to active duty for three years. This is a clause that most service personnel forget about.

I'm not sure about how it works with a regular release. My father retired from active duty to work at the dockyard, but is still recallable, as he took an early retirement. However, his request to return to active duty when our ships went out was denied, as he was more valuable in his current role.

Re:Hmmm

[JordanH]

• ...but the simple fact of the matter is your job is to kill human beings or support people who do the killing. Every single person serving in uniform today made that choice, and must take personal responsibility for their own choice.

I think there is a basic misunderstanding of one of the most basic functions of the Military.

I think that the primary role is to appear to be formidable, to create fear in the hearts of those who would challenge that force. This is the reason there are Uniforms, marching, b