This is a re-edited post of a February 2007 post.
On the Beatles Abby Road album, there are three tracks which run together to form a great tune. The three tracks, “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry that Weight” and “The End” are stitched together so well, that if you didn’t look at the album jacket, you’d never know they were three separate songs. One song, “The End,” has a very powerful line that sort of has become my personal mantra: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Over a long professional life, I’ve had the opportunity to work with and associate with some outstanding people. Most of them worked (and are still working) in a dangerous occupation in which there is much more personal than financial reward. I’m referring to the American military in general and the U.S. Marine Corps in particular. They don’t serve because they, as some would have you believe, couldn’t hack it in the so called ‘real world’ or were too stupid to get into college or weren’t smart enough to get away from a fast talking military recruiter. They serve because they chose to answer the challenge President Kennedy set forth half a century ago when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Answering this call, when they didn’t have to, doesn’t make them foolish or stupid. In my heart, it makes them heroes.
Some very talented men and women have paid the ultimate price so that some old dog like you and me could sleep in peace at night. But this post is not about me or you. It is and has always been about the young men and women who every day are standing a vigilant watch in lands we couldn’t find on a map fifty years ago. It is not about the politics of whether or not it is in the best interest of this country to commit its professional military to changing diplomatic objects; or have it perform guard duty at the border as political grandstanding to dissuade migrant women and children fleeing personal violence in South America that they’re not welcome here.
This post is about recognizing that there is a price for everything. And there are some among us who awake every morning knowing today might be the day they have to make the ultimate payment. What amazes me about these people is that they are ready to do so without hesitation. And I am so proud of them for that.
As you enjoy your holiday, remember our military in your thoughts and prayers and give thanks to the brave Americans across the globe who are on watch defending our way of life. May God bless them all and may you, who view this post, have a joyful Thanksgiving with family and friends.
