Vorlon Whispers

An Observation

I came across this observation by a military officer and found it very profound.

One evening I stood at the gate to Camp Victory, the US and Coalition base outside of Baghdad and watched our soldiers and Marines prepare to roll “outside the wire” on their patrols…on the hunt for terrorists. A very dangerous mission obviously and the ones most likely to encounter ambushes and road-side bombs. It was about 7:00 PM and I remember thinking that I was literally in Hell. It was 115 degrees or so even at that hour and the air was filled with talcum powder-like sand which made it very difficult to breathe.

That being said I watched our guys don their body armor, an additional 35 pounds of Kevlar helmet and flak vest, on top of what was already a very uncomfortable battle dress uniform or BDU. These were 18, 19-year old young men and their commander was a captain probably 26 or 27. They weren’t aware I was watching and I watched closely for their attitude and demeanor. Having spent 20 years in the Air Force and commanded many units I’ve always known that a quick look into a military unit’s morale and esprit de corps is best seen when they are operating in oppressive conditions.

Jamie, what I saw was remarkable. Not only were these soldiers professional and motivated they were also poised well beyond their years. They each possessed a steely-eyed confidence and it wasn’t a false bravado. There was a quiet calm and as they rolled out the gate I was shaken. Nothing I’d ever experienced in my 20 years of service prepared me for that moment. I realized then that I had just seen America’s future and it was bright and promising. The American people should experience what I did…every one of them. Our military is America and we should all be very proud and thankful for the ways in which they are representing our nation in this brutal conflict.