I am a sailor. I am proud to be a sailor. I spent over 21 years in uniform and I do not regret a single moment of it. I was not a hero. I was never put in a position to do something that I would term heroic. But, I knew of heroes, and I met some of them.
Rudy, you all remember Rudy from Survivor. The crew cut guy three or four decades older than all the rest of the contestant, but way more man than the rest combined. I met him at Little Creek. He was a hero, because he was a dude like us, but bigger. We loved his stories.
Carl Brashear, Men of Honor, you know, the guy Cuba Gooding Jr. played in the movie. Met him at Little Creek too. Just one of the best men I had the privilege to meet. That sense of integrity and internal rightness that was displayed in the movie, that was real.
I did not know these men personally, I met them. I am basing my assessment on just that chance encounter that I had. I feel like I know them, and not because of the movie, but because they were sailors like me. I had a connection to them that made them real men to me. They wore the anchors I wore. They led sailors like I did. They shared an experience with me that made a bond I could understand.
But, they did not consider themselves heroes. They considered themselves sailors. But, we all knew who our heroes were. We could tell you what hero means.
Hero means leaving your home on Sunday morning, running to a hangar already on fire, organizing the men that were manning the weapons, taking charge of the machine gun emplacement, because you are the only one that knows how to utilize it effectively. You then spend hours firing at the enemy, taking wounds. You basically refuse care, and continue to lead, position and motivate the men around you, to be ready for a follow on attack.
Hero means your name is Chief John Finn. And you receive the first Congressional Medal of Honor for combat valor in World War II. You become a man that inspires and informs generations of sailors as to what hero means, and what Chief means. You live a long, long life, carrying shrapnel from the attack to your grave. You claim, consistently that you are not the hero, just a sailor.
Hero means something in the Navy. Hero means you stand with men like John Finn. Carl Brashear, he is at that point for me. The gallantry and perseverance and honor that he discharged his duty and paved the way for men of color, and those with disabilities, are the things that make a hero. We honor his memory and his story in the Navy.
December 7th is a day which will live in infamy. That means something to the Navy, and will always. We have a date similar to that in September 11th. They are days remembered for treachery and for wanton violence. They are days of consequence, they shook what it meant to be American. It galvanized the resolve within us. It woke a sleeping giant, and the world trembled at its steps.
We feel disconnected from our heroes, because we want them to be more than us. We know, inside, that our heroes are just us, just American, and just doing all that they can to do all they could. They did not have a special set of skills or values. They did not have some thing that does not exist in us all. They just did not have the ability to not do what was required of them.
So, men like Carl Brashear, John Finn, they become lionized figures of reverance. I think it is a disservice. I think they need to be remembered as men, just like us. Because they were just like us, and chose to be all that they could instead of just being afraid. They were not immune to fear, but they were not enslaved by it. Instead of acting on their fear, they acted on their courage and commitment, with honor.
If you ask any Chief, that was initiated, they will tell you that one thing alone is indispensible as a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy. You must have an internal honor that makes the anchor more than a badge. We are reminded that normal men, women, people of every background, religion, race and characteristic all have the capacity for heroism inside of them.
As the few remaining survivors of Pearl Harbor face the final deployment to Heaven's Navy, we ought to remember what heroes do, what heroes are. Heroes are us, heroes are moments of clear action by people of integrity and honor. Nothing will ever defeat heroes, nothing will ever denigrate heroes, nothing will take our heroes away. Nothing except our disinterest and complacency.
If you did not know who John Finn was, please, look him up. Even the Wikkipedia article is pretty close to accurate. Find out about a man that I am proud to say wore the anchors before me, and left me a Mess to be part of, that was unparallelled in quality and honor. He was a man among men and women, he was a hero. He was the best the Navy produced, and left us all richer because of his work and life.
December 7th means something to sailors and to the Navy. I am asking you for something because of my service to this nation, and I do not ever trade on that honor and privilege lightly. But, tomorrow, please take a moment and ask God for rest and peace for those still entombed in Pearl Harbor, in the ships that were not recovered. Ask for rest and peace for those who spent days struggling to save lives there. Ask for peace for the warriors that fought out from Pearl Harbor, and freed the world. Ask that we remained blessed to have men and women like those still serving our nation today.
For, you see, we do. We always will. That is the undeniable essence of America. And it is what has always and will always make us great, make us free, and make us the shining example to the world. Those with hatred and idolatry and bigotry in their hearts will always disdain us, but they will never defeat us. Men like John Finn, they are America, and why I love this nation.
GLYASDI
No comments:
Post a Comment