AN INDEPENDENCE DAY THANK YOU TO OUR WARRIORS

by Fred Edwards

July 3, 2009 — Because only one half of one percent of Americans are fighting the long war against radical Muslims, what can the other 99.5 percent do to help? Case in point is an Army sergeant in fatigues who my friend and colleague, Don Mace, sat next to recently during a flight from Dallas to Sacramento.

Mace, publisher and editor of Fedweek and Armed Forces News, described the sergeant as a “big guy, young, Hispanic/Indian ancestry, from California’s central valley.” He said they conversed during more than three hours during the flight.

The sergeant, an Army scout for the preceding five months in Baghdad, was heading home for R&R. He was due to return to Iraq in two weeks, but with American troops turning the cities over to the Iraqis, by now he could be somewhere other than Baghdad. Here are more of Mace’s comments:

“He was upright, motivated, intelligent and thoroughly squared away. He commands a squad of eight men, all but one of them NCOs. It was obvious from the photos in his well-worn laptop — which he showed me at my request — that all are experienced and battle-hardened troops.”

Mace used a metaphor to tell me that “he wore his patriotism on his flag-sewn sleeve.” He added that, “although the sergeant was weary of the combat experience, he was eager to get back with his men. I was deeply moved by his uncomplicated decency and paternal instincts.” Mace, a Vietnam veteran, explained: “He was, maybe, 24-25 years old.”

Mace continued:

• “I recalled a statement I once made that I thought this generation of military men and women may yet bail us out of the moral and ethical morass we’re in. If so, I could see him playing a solid role.”

• “I asked the sergeant how he’d been received by Americans as he wended his way from airport lounge to car rental shacks. He said he was very pleased, and was especially impressed when citizens approached him and thanked him for his service. I was surprised (and delighted) that he particularly appreciated the little ‘business’ cards some folks carry with them to give to servicemen and women like him — the cards that extol their commitment to all of us.”

More than 200,000 men and women like that sergeant are in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus thousands getting ready to go or coming back. Altogether 1.5 million are serving somewhere in uniform. If you are one of the other 99.5 percent, when you see one of those warriors, take the time to say, “Thanks for your service.” Better yet, get some cards that say “Thank you for serving.” Service members who get a card will treasure your thanks every time they look at it. They deserve thanks; they are carrying on the legacy of July 4, 1776.

The content of Crosshairs - Military Matters in Review may be copied or retransmitted for information purposes, but may not be used for any commercial purpose without my written permission. Please credit the source as “Crosshairs - Military Matters in Review” at www.milmat.net by Fred Edwards.

Fred Edwards is a military columnist and journalist. He has contributed articles to more than two dozen periodicals and has written six books. His most recent are The Buffie Brigade and The Bridges of Vietnam: From the Journals of a U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer.

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