thedrifter
02-23-07, 09:27 AM
Published on Friday, February 23, 2007
The burden of war
Joseph A. Kinney
Let us pray for the brave men and women fighting for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a difficult period they surely didn’t warrant.
The other day I received an e-mail from Jack Cox, a soldier’s soldier if there ever was one. Cox has lived much of his adult life in Fayetteville, coming here after he graduated from West Point in 1949. Almost everyone I know has met Jack, who has selflessly given of himself during his life. It is no surprise that Jack is the father of another West Pointer, his son Kendall, who recently returned from Iraq.
The e-mail was sent to other warriors, mostly Army but also, perhaps, to a few Marines like myself. What he wrote reminds me of the burden of war that so many carry: “Whether it be in peace or war, each of us can remember beautiful and heartfelt experiences. I still ask myself if I served the members of my platoon in Korea as I should have and if was I there when I was needed. We will not know until that final day and I pray that God will look with favor on each of you. Please take a few seconds to thank Him for the beauty that we share and the love that has one before us. Have a wonderful day.”
Jack struck a nerve with me. He is a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam. He reminded me that a warrior’s truest service is to other warriors, especially those placed in one’s trust. While we can look to the rank that we wear on our shoulders for a measure of how the world has seen us, the most meaningful measure comes from within and how we have served those closest to us.
Outstanding military leaders like Cox know that service to one’s unit is a commitment. As a commitment, it is not dependent on good feelings, but rather on consistent and courageous decisions to extend oneself for the well-being of another. That commitment then produces good feelings, not the other way around. And the commitment is independent of other forces, including what some may think of what we do — as in fighting wars.
Can you imagine what kind of auto industry we would have if we blamed Ford Motor’s workers for its misfortunes?
Support for the War on Terror is coming unraveled. There seems to be a race in Washington for who can remove us from Iraq fast enough. No one advocating an end to our presence is giving us a vision of what Iraq will be once we are out. That doesn’t seem to matter. I must say this is rather like playing a football game without wanting to know the score.
Most soldiers do the job that they are asked. Generally, that is good enough in life. After all, what more can one expect? That said, I worry for our soldiers and Marines. If we end the game without knowing the score, what will that mean for their confidence for the future? I can’t answer this question but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked.
Not long ago, I watched the History Channel’s treatment of the early battles in Fallujah. The stories were incredible. I saw Marines and soldiers fighting a fierce and often-evil enemy with boldness and courage. They didn’t check with Washington on the content of the sound bites. The quality about these men and women that sticks out in my mind is that they believe in themselves. This is not a cocky self-confidence but a deeper belief that they, with the help of God, will get the job done. I was incredibly inspired by these well-led young men who took the battle to the enemy. Their fathers and grandfathers would be proud, I am sure.
I don’t know what is going to happen with the War on Terror. Somehow, my mind keeps racing back to the idea that those we fight are the same fellows that flew planes into buildings on 9/11. If they aren’t, nobody has bothered to tell me or the kids who fought in Fallujah.
God bless you, Jack Cox, for your caring. May you and the others who have worn our colors rest easy.
Joseph A. Kinney is a member of the Observer’s Community Advisory Board, which meets regularly with the editorial board to discuss local issues and contributes op-ed columns. He is a decorated Marine veteran who lives in Pinehurst.
Ellie
The burden of war
Joseph A. Kinney
Let us pray for the brave men and women fighting for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a difficult period they surely didn’t warrant.
The other day I received an e-mail from Jack Cox, a soldier’s soldier if there ever was one. Cox has lived much of his adult life in Fayetteville, coming here after he graduated from West Point in 1949. Almost everyone I know has met Jack, who has selflessly given of himself during his life. It is no surprise that Jack is the father of another West Pointer, his son Kendall, who recently returned from Iraq.
The e-mail was sent to other warriors, mostly Army but also, perhaps, to a few Marines like myself. What he wrote reminds me of the burden of war that so many carry: “Whether it be in peace or war, each of us can remember beautiful and heartfelt experiences. I still ask myself if I served the members of my platoon in Korea as I should have and if was I there when I was needed. We will not know until that final day and I pray that God will look with favor on each of you. Please take a few seconds to thank Him for the beauty that we share and the love that has one before us. Have a wonderful day.”
Jack struck a nerve with me. He is a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam. He reminded me that a warrior’s truest service is to other warriors, especially those placed in one’s trust. While we can look to the rank that we wear on our shoulders for a measure of how the world has seen us, the most meaningful measure comes from within and how we have served those closest to us.
Outstanding military leaders like Cox know that service to one’s unit is a commitment. As a commitment, it is not dependent on good feelings, but rather on consistent and courageous decisions to extend oneself for the well-being of another. That commitment then produces good feelings, not the other way around. And the commitment is independent of other forces, including what some may think of what we do — as in fighting wars.
Can you imagine what kind of auto industry we would have if we blamed Ford Motor’s workers for its misfortunes?
Support for the War on Terror is coming unraveled. There seems to be a race in Washington for who can remove us from Iraq fast enough. No one advocating an end to our presence is giving us a vision of what Iraq will be once we are out. That doesn’t seem to matter. I must say this is rather like playing a football game without wanting to know the score.
Most soldiers do the job that they are asked. Generally, that is good enough in life. After all, what more can one expect? That said, I worry for our soldiers and Marines. If we end the game without knowing the score, what will that mean for their confidence for the future? I can’t answer this question but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be asked.
Not long ago, I watched the History Channel’s treatment of the early battles in Fallujah. The stories were incredible. I saw Marines and soldiers fighting a fierce and often-evil enemy with boldness and courage. They didn’t check with Washington on the content of the sound bites. The quality about these men and women that sticks out in my mind is that they believe in themselves. This is not a cocky self-confidence but a deeper belief that they, with the help of God, will get the job done. I was incredibly inspired by these well-led young men who took the battle to the enemy. Their fathers and grandfathers would be proud, I am sure.
I don’t know what is going to happen with the War on Terror. Somehow, my mind keeps racing back to the idea that those we fight are the same fellows that flew planes into buildings on 9/11. If they aren’t, nobody has bothered to tell me or the kids who fought in Fallujah.
God bless you, Jack Cox, for your caring. May you and the others who have worn our colors rest easy.
Joseph A. Kinney is a member of the Observer’s Community Advisory Board, which meets regularly with the editorial board to discuss local issues and contributes op-ed columns. He is a decorated Marine veteran who lives in Pinehurst.
Ellie