Shed No Tears - Honor The Fallen
In what can only be described as an Irish Wake, I was
invited to observe patriots celebrate the life of one of their ranks who,
tragically, had fallen. Some of the finest men on the planet gathered that day.
The best of the best! The most elite! Not because of money or power but because
they possess something in short supply in the world right now - integrity -
character.
It began with an admonition that this wasn't the place for
tears, sadness, or remorse. There would be memorials and a funeral where all
could openly weep over our fallen brother's loss - his sacrifice for America.
At these very words I felt a lump in my throat as I held back the tears. I
choked tears back because I felt, deep in my soul, I was standing in the midst
of giants. They bare the entire country on their shoulders. This next couple of
hours was a sacred time for heroes gathered to reminisce about a life lived at
twice the speed of sound: a life capable of attaining 65,000-foot elevation,
and of turning on a dime; every maneuver to protect our country!
Everybody there was invited to drink our patriot's drink of
choice - Red Bull and vodka or to smoke a cigarette from a pack of Marlboro
Reds that was sitting on the bar. All grabbed their glass and mixed their
version - some didn't mix at all. But all raised those glasses high to say
goodbye to an old friend. After the toast the first story had everyone roaring
with laughter about the funny things pilots invent to stave off boredom when
weather grounds them far away from home. Each story would remind someone of
another story filled with laughter and valor and so it continued. Someone lit
up a Marlboro Red took a puff and passed the cigarette around. Even those who
did not smoke took a puff to see their breath and to understand that their
friend, battle buddy, and brother could breathe no more. They acknowledged that
he was true to them and to his contract with all of America. He did it right!
He may have lived his life at Mach 2 where things happen fast but his split
second decisions likely led to his own death protecting others from being in
harm's way.
He was an experienced pilot. He had altitude when he radioed
that the plane wasn't responding. Why didn't he eject and save his own life? We
know the answer. From the stories of those that knew him well, he crashed in a
remote area because he put mission first - above himself. He could not eject
knowing that he would live and endanger others. He could only punch-out once he
knew that others would not be hurt. By then, unfortunately, it was too late.
I would feel the tears well up inside but in honor of the
courage and bravery in the room I would choke them back. Finally, I could sense
that I was not alone in holding back my tears. Nobody shed a tear that day
because they had walled them up using laughter as the mortar, and stories of
valor as the bricks. Were they just stories? I sensed that each man in that
room would have done the same thing. They were the bricks of valor. The oceans
of tears created that day are safely stowed away. When the laughter gives way
to the memorials, the funeral, the crumbling mortar of that wall will create a
tsunami wave of tears that will attempt to wash away the grief we all feel for
this tremendous loss. The bricks of valor will quickly return to their duty
shoring up the fortress - building upon our fallen hero's legacy as well as the
legacy of all of those since the American Revolution that carved our nation out
of the wilderness.
When we read the headlines of corrupt cops or slimy
politicians or journalists that spin the truth, don't despair. Know that there
are those still left in this fragile world that put mission above self: those
with integrity and character: those that cannot be corrupted. Men and women who
will protect you from all of the evil that is in this world. They signed a
contract to put their lives on the line and that contract will not be broken -
for any amount of money or under any circumstances even if it means blood is
spilled a single drop at a time.
Honor the fallen! Honor the Constitution of the United
States of America. We are only a nation because of the tradition where men and
women put their service to us, to "we the people," above their own
self interest. This is America's strength. We are in their debt. Be grateful
for every drop of blood that has already been spilled and stands ready to be
spilled to keep us safe - to keep us moving toward "the more perfect
union."
