Still working for the Army and as I watched out the window today, I saw the four branches of the military interact from the other side of the glass. It was quite a different perspective than the one I got standing among them. I saw the Sergeant who really thought he had some rank...thumbs tucked into his pockets while swaying back and forth on his feet…his stance seemed to be letting everyone know he has pretty important. As he talked, a Private played with her I Phone and a Specialist tried to look interested. The other Sergeants seemed to be trying to one-up each other the way the body language looked. The officer, on-the-other-hand, stood back a little with his arms crossed comfortably taking it all in. He seemed relaxed and had a bit of a smirk on his face. He was obviously not threatened by their play for power and was finding it all rather amusing. A Sailor sauntered by. He seemed to be returning from somewhere, but was in no hurry to get wherever he was going. Then a Marine popped into view. She was making a bee-line for a doorway when a Marine officer appeared out of another doorway. He shouted something to her and she volleyed back. It reminded me of an exchange I used to have with one of my platoon Sergeants. He would always shout, “Air Assault” and I would echo back “Airborne”. He, of course, had his Air Assault badge proudly displayed on his uniform while I was applying for Airborne School.
The exchange between them started an avalanche of memories. Those days in uniform seem so far away…like they were from another life time. I try not to think about it for too long as there are so many memories that are painful to recall for reasons I dare not say. Just the same, I stand in awe that I was once there…and while I find a guilty pleasure in the fact that I no longer have to crawl out of bed at 4:00 am to survive physical training every morning, I still find a surge of pride that I once served this nation as G.I. Jane. Not everyone can say that…and many times I wonder that I can. It truly was by the sheer grace of God that I had the honor of serving the people of America in one of the toughest organizations in America…signing away my life and willingly giving up my citizenship to become government property. And now, knowing the price that is paid everyday…a price that no one will ever know unless they have walked a mile in combat boots…I can never take for granted the sacrifice military members make in the name of freedom, while giving up their own freedom to decide where to live, how much to weigh, who to have as friends, and so much more. As I watch out my work window, I know that they are the real heroes of today…they may never get the fame of a Hollywood star or the pay of an all-star athlete…no, when they die, only their family and local town will know that they have paid with blood by the few lines in the obituary section…even though they give so much more than some overdosed pop star who makes headlines. While on a battalion run with my platoon, my drill sergeant said, “There are guys that run around in a pair of tights and get paid millions of dollars for it, but you are the real heroes of today.” It was nice to hear.
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| My last crew - attached to S3 / Operations of the 229th MI BN |
