When a man or woman makes a decision to serve Our Nation we should all rejoice, after all at any one time, about 1% of Our Nation’s population is in viable service (active, reserve, or guard) to protect U.S. National and World Peace interest. Contrast that with World War II, when about 12% of the population served, with numbers of Americans totaling less than half of what is today, and you can imagine, Love of Country across The Nation was very high. The losses from WWII were of course devastating. Even one was too many at that time, just as any casualty in our past or present conflicts is one too many. And we honor those who never came back officially in May on Memorial Day.
Stepping foot in a combat zone is a risk for anyone, not just the infantry, field artillery, armor, aviators, (whether helicopter or fixed-wing); but truck drivers, medical personnel, cooks, or technical personnel. The March 1st drone attack in Kuwait that resulted in 6 American deaths, were from a tactical support command in a logistical mission to ensure the movement of food, water, fuel, ammo, and other spare parts and supplies wouldn’t be hindered. They were serving in an Army still a bit unfamiliar with drone warfare defense. They were reservists from Iowa, who until they were ordered to deploy, were working their usual 9-to-5’s, contributing to society like the rest of us. They never imagined they would be in danger; no one did. But the nature of warfare changed, and boy did it. And it hurts.
The faux pas on the part of The War Department in not anticipating logistical concerns prior to Operation Epic Fury, and hopefully future After Action Reports (AAR) and reviews will have more mobile logistics teams on stand-by for just such an occurrence. No doubt there will be calls for a better overwatch system to prevent ‘squirters’ such as the lone drone that squirted, or squeaked by the available air defense in the area causing the deaths.
There is a cadre of millions of Veterans, especially those that have seen combat service, who think about their time in The Zone on a daily basis, and that goes for the families who have lost loved ones who served right along with their battle buddies. And of course, we all had different experiences when under Combat Pay conditions, and in reality we all leave a piece of ourselves there, whether it be mind, or physically related, or even our literal souls. For our comrades that didn’t make it back, our mission is simple, we remember them. We honor them. Then there is the aftermath of those that came back, forcing us to complete our own AAR’s if you will. For a percentage of us, processing our experiences can be overwhelming, and some slip and offend the law, or for a growing number, some of us lose the battle with our post traumatic concerns. Others face medical episodes, whether light or heavy, and for those of us with missing parts, or with feet of scars, thoughts on the past can be hourly. The result of IEDs, or enemy action, or both, and it’s something that dwells in you, at times wishing you could join your brethren already passed-on. But we fight. We must always fight.
The pain from the families of the fallen is not there’s alone. It is shared with the brethren of their loved ones, and it can harm relationships with the brethren’s own loved ones, causing their failure, or their inability to properly develop new ones. Strength is needed to deter wishes for self-harm, and it should be done in remembrance of those who didn’t get a chance to come back. We need to live for them. We must endure the unendurable, and carrying on living in their memory.
The Iran War history will hold firm, as being a justifiable police action. There is no way that a single nation, a rogue state, such as Iran under the radical mullahs and IRGC, can hold The World hostage with constant threats of the use of nuclear weapons; much less holding a viable and independent waterway for world commerce as their own tollgate. The 6 Epic Fury combat deaths are of course six to many, and their service will be remembered on Monday, May 25th; as well as on Saturday, May 23rd, at the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park.
Memorial Day is a time where we search our past and reflect on the Sacrifices of Our Nations Military men and women in our conflicts that may or may not have been popularly received, but were done with the best intent of our civilian and military leaders at the time. The decisions they made may have been right or wrong, but the harm that was done to our forces cannot be taken back, and those who either perished, or were injured via enemy action, whether it be in mind or body, or developed conditions later from old injuries or cancer; they take the a great amount of the pain, and at times some think that the ones who perished were the lucky ones.
At the end of World War II, there was nary a family in Our Nation that didn’t have someone in uniformed service, so the cohesion of love and respect for the country and flag was high. Over the decades, and since the 1960s, the national love amongst the population has softened. A fair number of Baby Boomers, whose parents did the heavy lifting in maintaining our national pride and freedoms, were allowed to languish in Socialist slop that congregated in social clubs and academia, lazily building their lives away from pride of country to a sense of being ashamed of Our Great Land. They spat on returning soldiers and on the graves of those who died. They rebelled against their parents, and the societal system that gave them freedoms and opportunities. They turned against American ideals in support of socialist and communist standards, and thankfully their enterprise is failing, as it is easily seen in Socialist cities and states that think individual success is a curse.
By the 1980’s, the 1960’s radicals were growing in charge of academic institutions, as bureaucratic institutions, at all levels of government. Since then the sickness even began affecting our military with officers taking stances that favored the individual instead of providing team cohesion standards, which distracts from the warfighting mission. Thankfully that is being corrected, and as seen in the Afghanistan withdrawal, if there is mistrust of others in a combat zone, how can you win? Americanism needs to be taught in schools again. Proper American History needs to be taught again, so our students can learn about how special and how blessed Our Nation really is. It truly is an honor and privilege to be an American citizen, and to go even farther, a Texan. And how socialists cannot recognize that reality, it truly boggles the mind.
Texas leads Our Nation in leadership, whether it be business, or morals. We honor Our Veterans, and respect Our Fallen. Montgomery County is a leader amongst Our Nation with our Veterans Flag Park which is premiere in reference to its kind. It’s a tribute to Judge Jimmie C. Edwards III recently passed away, the first chairman of the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission, and his vision in design of the park that allows family, friends, and even average citizens, a chance to remember, reflect, and pray for the memories of those who have passed on in service to Our Country. The park is also there to thank the Veterans who served and are recognized on The Line, in an honor roll of names that simply served without regard to rank or distinction, and are noted in that equal respect.
Thanks to technology, training, strategy and tactics, the number of Our Nations fallen over 250 years in foreign conflict is approximately 500,000, as compared to other countries whose war dead number in the millions or much higher. The half-million is a number greater than the yearly attendance at the Indy 500, and every year, families of past conflicts from generations ago lessen, while new families join the congregation in remembrance.
Memorial Day is a time when we do not cheer, rather we recognize the pain and sorrow of fallen sacrifice, especially when it hits close to home. It’s a day of what ifs. Of futures that were cut short. Of dreams that were not carried out. Of families that were not added to or not built at all. It is a day that is filled with a maze of emotions, remembering the good and bad times. It is a yearly reminder that instills the spirit that America is worth fighting for, with the understanding that we all go into danger as a team to protect national and world safety interests, but with the realization that we may not all come back. May God Bless the Families of The Fallen.
The Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Commission will hold a ceremony honoring America’s Fallen on Saturday, May 23rd, at the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park at 9am.