New Seniors

It was 1960, my junior year in high school. My friend Artie was getting his butt kicked by the class bully in the parking lot. A small crowd watched uneasily. Despite the fact that Artie made no attempt to defend himself, no one stepped in to break it up….until I got there. I confronted the bully, landed a few quick (albeit lucky) punches, and the fight was over. Let me be clear, I didn’t enter the fray because I’m a brawler — I’m not by nature a violent man. I simply did what I felt I had to do.

After the incident, things weren’t the same between Artie and me. He grew distant, and after graduation we never spoke again. I suspect this shift in attitude came in part out of his private resentment of the fact that I would do what he would not. My willingness to fight, whether I won or lost, evidently resulted in self-perceived inadequacy on his part. I didn’t see it that way, but he did, and it ruined our friendship.

Image by andy in nyc via Flickr

Sadly, we are becoming a nation of people who are not inclined to raise our fists in our own defense. And someone who has no stomach for a fight is more inclined to denigrate those who will, characterizing them as mindless drones who march to the drumbeat of their saber-rattling masters. It’s convenient to diminish the strengths of others when they underscore our own failings. This is not only petty, it is patently false. The men and women who wear the uniform of the U.S. military are now more than ever our best and brightest.

There is another reason our society is reluctant to acknowledge it’s soldiers. Their very existence implies a terrible truth: there are millions of people who get up every morning with only one thing on their minds – killing Americans. When we see a man or woman in uniform, we are reminded of the disquieting fact that there are indeed wolves circling the flock.

It may provide small comfort for some to ignore our warriors, but I thank God for them.

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