Sunday, June 19, 2005
Heroes II
Since my Bro has posted a comment to my Heroes Blog, I guess I shall follow it up with a personal example of which he was speaking. If this sounds like I’m tooting my own horn, I am not. I find this extremely difficult to write about and withheld it from the original posting for what I hope to be the obvious reasons.
Approximately four (4) months after the end of hostilities in Kuwait/Iraq from Operation Desert Storm, I was paid an unannounced visit. At my door was a Staff Sergeant, his wife and child. And being retired by this time, this individual had to hunt me down.
Now I must be as honest as possible here. This individual was never one of my favorite people. In fact he was never one of my troops, just one of the men in the last Company I was assigned too. I will credit him with his soldierly appearance and go get’em attitudes that I noticed from time to time and his attention to detail when attending the NCO classes I often taught.
Well, he stood there at my door and introduced his wife and daughter to me. One thing struck me as odd was before he always seemed aggressive in conversation. You know the type, not bashful. Sort of like me!! But this time he seemed meek and his wife acted like she was meeting the Pope. It Didn’t take long to find out why things seemed to be different.
I had transferred to the Inactive Reserves awaiting Retirement prior to that moron invading Kuwait, so I missed the fun and games. I also knew that this individual had left the unit for a new assignment prior to the invasion.
So, to make a short story long, he had looked me up to say thanks. Which totally lost me at the moment.
He said that in the time he had known me, he considered me to be overbearing, often obnoxious, and generally full of bull feces. Remember when I mentioned above his attention to detail during classes? This comes from the fact he often questioned some of the information I was imparting. Doubting the validity of it. Especially those aspects of combat where no matter what the book says, someone will edit it in the middle of the night and not advise you until you are knee deep in crap and looking for a shovel.
He went on to tell me that he found himself near a wet spot in Iraq and under intense fire. He said he probably would have made another wet spot in the sand, but he was too scared to spit. It was at this time he said that all the nonsense he had ever heard me say about combat and the responsibility of the NCO came back to him in a crystal clear vision. He told me that within his mind, he could hear my voice telling the class that regardless how scared an NCO was, he could not let the men under him see it. He had too set the example.
I always taught that the worst crime a Non-Commissioned Officer could do was the failure to do his duty.
This NCO gathered up his men, lead them to a safer position and coordinated the supporting fires of his men until the battle was over. He gained no special attention nor medals for his part in the fight. But what he did gain was the knowledge he had done his duty. And in doing so, he brought all of his men home.
He might not have lost any of his men in the position he was at, but he knew that it was not a good position to provide support to the others in his company in the fight. Moving was necessary and in doing so temporarily exposed himself and his men to fire while moving to a position better to support and fight from.
One could say that a hero is one that ignores the dangers involved to do that which is necessary to protect and/or support the men they were responsible for. You could say this Staff Sergeant was a hero. He overcame his fears and took that action necessary to protect and support his men. He set the example, so they could overcome their own fears.
Has any of this made sense?
He told me before leaving my door something that I always knew, but would never admit to myself. He said, “Thanks for being such a hard ass.”
I’ve often looked back on my career with points taken or given concerning how I conducted myself. Many times I could have taken the easy path. Just did what those above me wanted, even when they were wrong. I walked my path strewn full of rocks and potholes. Also a few landmines and punjee pits. I know of many others who viewed me as crazy for ding this. Stupid for bucking a system that often promoted the incompetent because of the Peter Principal.
To those that walked that path with me, I hope they always were aware where I was from and going too. I make no apologies for who I am. Besides, as one once said of me, there is no excuse for me, I am what I am.
So I look back knowing that I did my duty. And in doing so, I influenced others. I can only hope that in the long run, I was correct in the path I chose. Cause it is way too late to worry about it now.
The Staff Sergeant left my door feeling he had done what needed to be done and said what had to be said. He wasn’t very complimentary in places, but he was correct. I was a hard ass. My job was to train young NCOs to do their duty, not to play patty-fingers with them.
And as one NCO once said, “The way you first treated me, I always thought you hated me. Then one day I realized all you was doing was forcing me to do my job. Once I recognized that, you became a real nice fellow to deal with. And I realized that it was easier to do my duty then what I had been working so hard doing before.”
Amazing, isn’t it.
So, take a look about you. A hero is not just a soldier that has put himself in harms way. He can be anyone in your neighborhood. He can be anyone that walks his own path, without creating harm to those about him, and providing assistance where it is needed.
But as the media is touting heroes these days, I am reminded of a Tina Turner song, “We don’t Need Another Hero”. Especially if it is the media that is selecting them.
19 Jun 2005
Kellyville, OK
Father’s Day 2005
Post Script: I have never told the above story to anyone associated with my time in the service. Which includes my Bro. Sorry Pard.
Approximately four (4) months after the end of hostilities in Kuwait/Iraq from Operation Desert Storm, I was paid an unannounced visit. At my door was a Staff Sergeant, his wife and child. And being retired by this time, this individual had to hunt me down.
Now I must be as honest as possible here. This individual was never one of my favorite people. In fact he was never one of my troops, just one of the men in the last Company I was assigned too. I will credit him with his soldierly appearance and go get’em attitudes that I noticed from time to time and his attention to detail when attending the NCO classes I often taught.
Well, he stood there at my door and introduced his wife and daughter to me. One thing struck me as odd was before he always seemed aggressive in conversation. You know the type, not bashful. Sort of like me!! But this time he seemed meek and his wife acted like she was meeting the Pope. It Didn’t take long to find out why things seemed to be different.
I had transferred to the Inactive Reserves awaiting Retirement prior to that moron invading Kuwait, so I missed the fun and games. I also knew that this individual had left the unit for a new assignment prior to the invasion.
So, to make a short story long, he had looked me up to say thanks. Which totally lost me at the moment.
He said that in the time he had known me, he considered me to be overbearing, often obnoxious, and generally full of bull feces. Remember when I mentioned above his attention to detail during classes? This comes from the fact he often questioned some of the information I was imparting. Doubting the validity of it. Especially those aspects of combat where no matter what the book says, someone will edit it in the middle of the night and not advise you until you are knee deep in crap and looking for a shovel.
He went on to tell me that he found himself near a wet spot in Iraq and under intense fire. He said he probably would have made another wet spot in the sand, but he was too scared to spit. It was at this time he said that all the nonsense he had ever heard me say about combat and the responsibility of the NCO came back to him in a crystal clear vision. He told me that within his mind, he could hear my voice telling the class that regardless how scared an NCO was, he could not let the men under him see it. He had too set the example.
I always taught that the worst crime a Non-Commissioned Officer could do was the failure to do his duty.
This NCO gathered up his men, lead them to a safer position and coordinated the supporting fires of his men until the battle was over. He gained no special attention nor medals for his part in the fight. But what he did gain was the knowledge he had done his duty. And in doing so, he brought all of his men home.
He might not have lost any of his men in the position he was at, but he knew that it was not a good position to provide support to the others in his company in the fight. Moving was necessary and in doing so temporarily exposed himself and his men to fire while moving to a position better to support and fight from.
One could say that a hero is one that ignores the dangers involved to do that which is necessary to protect and/or support the men they were responsible for. You could say this Staff Sergeant was a hero. He overcame his fears and took that action necessary to protect and support his men. He set the example, so they could overcome their own fears.
Has any of this made sense?
He told me before leaving my door something that I always knew, but would never admit to myself. He said, “Thanks for being such a hard ass.”
I’ve often looked back on my career with points taken or given concerning how I conducted myself. Many times I could have taken the easy path. Just did what those above me wanted, even when they were wrong. I walked my path strewn full of rocks and potholes. Also a few landmines and punjee pits. I know of many others who viewed me as crazy for ding this. Stupid for bucking a system that often promoted the incompetent because of the Peter Principal.
To those that walked that path with me, I hope they always were aware where I was from and going too. I make no apologies for who I am. Besides, as one once said of me, there is no excuse for me, I am what I am.
So I look back knowing that I did my duty. And in doing so, I influenced others. I can only hope that in the long run, I was correct in the path I chose. Cause it is way too late to worry about it now.
The Staff Sergeant left my door feeling he had done what needed to be done and said what had to be said. He wasn’t very complimentary in places, but he was correct. I was a hard ass. My job was to train young NCOs to do their duty, not to play patty-fingers with them.
And as one NCO once said, “The way you first treated me, I always thought you hated me. Then one day I realized all you was doing was forcing me to do my job. Once I recognized that, you became a real nice fellow to deal with. And I realized that it was easier to do my duty then what I had been working so hard doing before.”
Amazing, isn’t it.
So, take a look about you. A hero is not just a soldier that has put himself in harms way. He can be anyone in your neighborhood. He can be anyone that walks his own path, without creating harm to those about him, and providing assistance where it is needed.
But as the media is touting heroes these days, I am reminded of a Tina Turner song, “We don’t Need Another Hero”. Especially if it is the media that is selecting them.
19 Jun 2005
Kellyville, OK
Father’s Day 2005
Post Script: I have never told the above story to anyone associated with my time in the service. Which includes my Bro. Sorry Pard.
