They never asked for the foreign policy ramifications of their assignments, or the orders they were asked to follow; nor did they concern themselves with how their actions would affect the positions of those running in next election. They fought because they were told to do so. More importantly, they fought for their brothers and sisters in arms, for their country, and for their sacred honor.
And sometimes it cost them all that they had. It cost their families as well, leaving far to many fatherless or motherless children behind and far to many grieving spouses in a land that sometimes seems to have far too few good ones to believe that it can afford to lose any. A folded flag in a glass case may well be a great honor for a person's service, but it doesn't warm the other side of the bed, nor comfort a frightened child against the terrors of the night.
These are cold, hard facts that I wish far more of this nation's citizens understood, and far more of its elected officials comprehended before coming up with half-baked plans to save the world (usually from itself), before attempting to resolve conflicts that have been going on almost since the dawn of civilization with little chance of ceasing, and before sending these brave men and women off to yet another political misadventure designed to make the politicians at the time look more like leaders. Their posturing and misjudgment are far more often becoming a never-ending debacle that those in harm's way may never return from. Oh hell, enough.
Instead of trying to express what may in fact be inexpressible, I will do what I inevitably do each year at this time and fall back on the monument which most aptly describes what this day is truly all about, and on those who are granted the honor of guarding:
The Tomb of the Unknowns
The tomb has at one time contained the
unidentified remains of a soldier who served in World War I, World War
II, Korea, and Viet Nam, and has been guarded continuously since 1930. (Though
a soldier killed in Viet Nam was originally interred here, that body
was later removed and identified through DNA testing. It was
subsequently decided to leave the Viet Nam crypt empty.)
* The Guards are members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), and wear no rank insignia on their uniforms while on duty so as not to outrank one of those lying in the Tomb.
* The Guards take 21 steps, in recognition of the 21 gun salute; the highest honor given anyone in the military or any foreign dignitary. Upon completion of those steps, the guards hesitate 21 seconds in memory of that same honor, turns 90 degrees and hesitates again for 21 seconds, then completes another 90 degree turn and hesitates yet one more time before resuming their march.
* The Guards march with moistened gloves to prevent the gun from slipping from their grasp while on duty.
* Guards are changed every 30 minutes; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
* The guards always carry the rifle on the shoulder furthest from the tomb. This move places the sentinel between the tomb and any threat.
* The Guards of the Tomb, an honor currently carried by very few soldiers (there were just over 500 people in 2008), is awarded only after careful examination and is recognized by the award of a wreath pin. They subsequently live under very strict guidelines of personal conduct for the rest of their lives.
* For the first six months of this duty, guards spend most of their free time learning of the most notable people buried in Arlington National Cemetary in preparation for their exam. With their rigorous training, hours of marching, and rifle drill, they have little time for anything else.
* Each guard spends five hours each day getting his uniforms ready for this duty.
* In 2003, as Hurricane Isabella approached Washington and while Congress took 2 days off in anticipation of the dangers of this storm, these guards stood to their duty. Soaked to the skin, they continued to march their rounds in the pelting rain of a tropical storm. They had been offered the opportunity to suspend this assignment but refused; stating that such duty was not simply an assignment, but was the highest honor afforded to a serving member of the military. (They repeated this act of courage in August of 2011 as Hurricane Irene similarly bore down on Washington DC.)
Honor indeed should be given to our troops serving in defense of
freedom around the world today, and to those who have done likewise in
every conflict where Americans have been called to do so. Greater
veneration still is due those who made the ultimate sacrifice for those
they served with and for the nation that honors them this day. May this
day serve as a reminder to us all that the cost of liberty sometimes
carries a very high price indeed; and may we remember to accord those that made it and those who served with them equal esteem on every other day that we live in freedom.
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