Memorial Day

Being that Memorial Day occurred on a Sunday, it was to be expected that at church the pastor would single out the veterans. And that is exactly what happened. In an interesting turn I found myself being hugged by some fifteen or twenty people; so many that I actually lost count. Each one of them said a heartfelt thank you to me and then moved on for the rest of the line to have their turn.

It was touching to say the least.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon doing flight physicals and catching up on pending waivers for airman with far more problems than I currently have. Several of them expressed regret that I had to spend Memorial Day ‘working’.

I replied to each one that, 1. I enjoy doing FAA work and 2. EVERY day is Memorial Day for me. I mean that. I remember every day, something or someone from the Balkans or Iraq. For this reason the “DAY” is not particularly special to me. It is a holiday for non-veterans. I also told them that I had an entire nation of other Americans behind me and every other warrior over there, Americans who help equip, clothe and feed us better than any Army in history...and then I thanked them. They are not quite certain what to make of that.

If there is a tragedy in the Iraq War it is that there has never been a full synthesis between America's people and her warriors. Unless our nation is fully galvanized in its efforts in the arena of armed conflict, the certainty of victory is always precarious. Americans go to war best when America is fully understanding and appreciative of the essential importance of going to war. To that end I offer you the Powell Doctrine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_Doctrine

But enough of the whats-its about what I feel and think. This day is not about me, it is about others and with that I want to take a few lines to remember a few people:



CPT Chris Cash, 1/120th INF. Killed in Baquba, Iraq. I liked Chris a lot and he was a fine warrior. He died protecting the peace where he was patrolling.


SGT DeForest Talbert, 1/150th AR. Killed in Balad Ruz, Iraq. I spoke with “Dee” a few times and he struck me as a gentle and happy man. He was killed serving as security for people who were trying to rebuild part of Iraq.



1LT Ryan Hollin, who is still very much alive and thus I have not included his photo. He has a life to live... but Iraq is very personal to him because he left part of his body over there. He is a young man with a bright future and I have known him since he was a few weeks old.

These were and are men that I knew and know. I remember them every day because as a soldier who went through Iraq, like 97% of the rest, and didn’t get more than a few cuts and scratches during combat, these men are my heroes. Memorial day is every day for me.

But there is also more to Memorial Day for me as well.

It has to do with the WWDC. The World Wide Developer’s Conference. That is Apple ® Computer’s annual conference and it also seems to be the time when Steve Jobs tends to release upon the world whatever is next in the advancement of real useable technology. It was at a WWDC that iPod was first introduced and this year everyone is waiting for whatever it is that Mr. Jobs will show us. It will most likely be amazing.



The reason why this is important to me is because amidst the bickering over Congressional Offices being raided “Oh, the gall of that!” and an energy policy that seems to wax and wane and is never fully articulated, I am reminded as a man blessed with the skills and love of being a warrior for this great land that my efforts help protect the folks like Jobs and his crew. They consistently measure and adapt and create new and innovative things that make all of our lives run well.

Now you might think it is really a crass thing to link the memory of a hero like CPT Chris Cash to an iPod, and it sure would be if I was really comparing the value of Chris’ Life to some crap downloaded off of iTunes. But I am not.

Chris and the others gave for the sake of a great land and a great people. A land that develops innovative minds and folks who think beyond the box so far that the cube becomes a distant memory. It is this innovation that will deliver this nation from the chains of bondage that tie us to despot-controlled oil in the Middle East and it is this innovation that will work in favor of the persistence of the Constitution in spite of a government that doesn’t seem to be able to come up with an aggressive and salient long term policy for anything that we truly need.

Make no mistake, NOBODY, Republican or Democrat, seems to really have any handle on the reality of the future we face. We now have Mr. Gore desperately trying to recapture some sense of importance by making some drivel documentary on global warming. Pathetic. Hysteria, when he could be writing and promoting REAL policy.

We have Republican leadership parsing policy about the sanctity of Congressional offices after Congressman William Jefferson’s office was raided in conjunction with a whole lot of money he felt was better kept in his home freezer than the bank. If you don’t have anything to hide… Besides I think $90,000 stored in a freezer on a Congressman’s salary is pretty darn good probable cause.

Wouldn't it be nice if Congress lived under the same conditions that the citizenry must?

So as a warrior, who really cares about those three men, I reaffirm that my allegiance lies with that which I swore an oath too; the United States Constitution. It is worth protecting because under it’s aegis Americans who have some semblance of common sense and drive can still create and envision a better future for a stronger America. You would be fooling yourself if you think that Mr. Steve Jobs is not in that group. If his politics bother you, then I would offer you Steve Forbes or any number of other entrepreneurs who drive our nation toward the future.

That 'future' that might take us to a place where we no longer have to link our nation’s security to godforsaken places where fine men like DeForest Talbert die and kids like Ryan Hollin spill their blood. That is what I remember, and hope for, on Memorial Day.

God Bless my fellow warriors, God Bless my fellow Americans and for certain, God Bless America!