If you guys will indulge me, I'm going to deviate from the world of finance for the day to honor some friends of mine who will never be forgotten by those of us who had the privilege to serve beside them. I'm fast approaching one of those milestones in life which cause you to pause and reflect, and my old Marine unit is gathering in Las Vegas in August to mark the 20-year anniversary of our deployment to the Middle East for the first Gulf War.
We landed in Saudi Arabia in August of 1990, about two weeks after Iraq invaded Kuwait. If the Iraqis had known how easy it would have been to just roll over us at that point, I have no doubt they would have pushed through and taken Saudi Arabia too. Over the next five months, the coalition forces built up a massive invasion force on land, sea, and air, and we started bombing the shit out of them on January 17, 1991. All early indications were that the war would be over quickly, and with relatively few coalition casualties.
My buddy Al married way out of his league, to hear him tell it. He was a big goofy guy, a defensive lineman from some Texas college, and his new bride was smart, beautiful, and loved him anyway. All he ever thought about was getting back to her. I used to tease him mercilessly about it.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid to die on some subconscious level, all of us were I suppose, but when you have several months of living in the dessert to come to terms with your mortality, it's something you just learn to accept. And with that comes a pervasive sense of gallows humor. So when he'd come to me and say, "Hey man, when do you think we're getting out of here?" I'd tell him, "Dude, be serious. We're all gonna die here." and he'd fret about it for a while until the next day when he'd ask me again.
We played that game for six months until I was woken at 3 a.m. on February 3 with the news that Al and three other of the closest friends I've known in my life were killed on a mission into Kuwait. It's hard to explain how your body reacts to news like that. I'd lost people in my life before, even other Marines on training missions and what not, but to lose men who were like brothers to me in a combat situation was a different thing entirely. My gut twisted and I retched, and all I could feel was rage for a long, long time after that.
We managed a memorial service for them a few days later, complete with a Missing Man Formation helicopter fly-by and a 21-gun salute. As I stood there in formation, all I could think about was facing their families when we got home. We'd all been together for years, and all of our families were friends, grown even closer since we left. I wondered if they'd see me and ask themselves how and why I survived when their loved ones didn't. I wonder that to this day.
The fact is, I don't need Memorial Day to remember them. Quite the opposite. I don't think a day has gone by in nearly 20 years that I haven't remembered them, and wondered what we'd be doing now if they hadn't been killed. I don't think I'm going to make it to the reunion in August, because it's really difficult for me to leave Paris that time of year (kids in school, etc..), but I wonder how much of my reluctance is less the logistical aspect of bad timing and more the fact that I don't want another reminder.
Memorial Day is such a fun weekend, the kick-off party for summer. Those guys wouldn't have had it any different. But take a minute this weekend and consider what it's really about. Young men and women who went all-in for us.
Kurt, Al, Dave, and Jim: this one's for you. You are not forgotten.
nicely said.
I reckon you should write a book old boy. I know I for one would certainly splash out 10 fine dollhairs to read it.
Have a Good Memorial Day Marine
"Locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver; or to repel the enemy's assault by fire and close combat."
1Bn 2Mar 2nd Marine Div (1/2) Sgt
Semper Fi, brother.
Definitely time to remember the troops, but it should also be examined why we're spending hundreds of billions and sacrificing kids in places like Iraq in the first place.
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That was beautiful, powerful, and incredibly touching. Thank you. My boyfriend will be deployed in 2-3 years or so (he'll be an officer after he graduates college), and I don't think the reality of the situation has hit either of us.
It is a day to remember our troops who have served and are still serving, We must remember the dramatic toll that is taken even upon those men who survive service but come back as different. Thank you to all our service men and women out there. You are the reason I can dream as an American!
"Peace through superior fire power!"
@EiffelTowered: You can argue politics every other day of the damn year. I don't like the war either, but our young men are out there putting their asses on the line every day while you sit at your desk and bitch about life on WSO.
God bless our troops.
beef, you sir, are definitely a moron. the best way to protect our troops is to put them out of (needless) harm's way. We should remember those who have fallen, but also work on ways to get them out of places like Iraq where dumb politicians put them. One is allowed to both reflect on the past and work on the future (unlike how your uni-track mind probably processes things). That was the point, nothing more, nothing less.
I agree with Eiffeltowered. God bless the troops for serving our country. But I think we should end these useless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That's not the point. I think Bush is an idiot and should be thrown in jail for getting us into Iraq. But when you start bringing politics into Memorial Day, you get anti-war liberals with signs like this: http://arkjournal.com/uploaded_images/Liberal-Terrorists-706361.
My point is that focusing on politics on Memorial Day won't do our troops any good. It won't end the war, won't increase funding, won't get them new armor or care packages or anything. We have 364 other days in the year to work out the politics and strategy and economics or getting our troops back home safely. I'm saying we should take Memorial Day to thank, think of, and pray for our troops - the ones who got home safely, the ones who never made it back, and the ones who are still over there fighting.
By the way, ad hominem attacks only make you look like the moron, my friend.
Great post Edmundo, thank you for sharing, and for your service. It's important for us all to contemplate the personal elements to war, and through it, find appreciation.
Well said Edmundo. Thanks for your service to our country.
Looking back at your military service is a great way to keep things in perspective. I was having a conversation with an old Army buddy last night, who is at a bit of a cross roads. He's about to start a great new job, but is stressed because he's not even sure if he feels like staying in finance. I just reminded him to think back. It wasn't that long ago that he (like many of us) was being shot at by AKs and RPGs. I told to do whatever he wanted to, but don't stress too much about it. What he's going through with career decisions doesn't compare to what he's been through in the service.
Edmundo, great post. Happy Memorial Day. Our fallen brothers and sisters will not be forgotten.
xango....definitely right about keeping problems in perspective: in the end, there really isnt a whole lot that actually matters...
awesome post. great song/vid
Not my personal preference of music, but that song/video was powerful!
Great post.
there's nothing wrong with honoring fallen soldiers per se, but no one seems to consider that 4,000 american soldiers have died in iraq compared to 100,000 iraqi civilians. the almost exclusive fixation on these military deaths (by both liberals and conservatives) is indicative of nothing but ubiquitous racism and nationalism in american political discourse
What is the point of your post? We set aside ONE day of the year to simply honor only those that have sacrificed their lives at home. Worry about the other shit the other 364 days in the year.
Nationalism is politics. Arden you're an idiot. Of course we care more about American casualties. It's the definition of a nation. Would you care more if your mother was shot or some random guy in Germany?
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