Miasmatic Review

Have I supported our troops?

Sunday night I watched the movie Black Hawk Down. If you haven’t seen the movie it’s a based on the true story version of what happened to American troops on October 13, 1993 when they captured some Somalian Warlords in the capital city of Mogadishu. I love this movie, it touches me to know that men like that exist. Watching this movie made me realize something about myself.

I never served in the military. In High School I was in the ARMY JROTC program until the school board cut it. Because of that I was on the recruiters lists. I can honestly say I only received approximately 8 calls from recruiters however. The first ones came during my senior year I already had been accepted into the college of my choice and had a free ride. However, I was planning on going into Law Enforcement and I knew that the military would greatly help out that career. I explained to each recruiter my position and they all thought I should go to college first and then I can review military service after I graduate. I then asked a couple of questions and was told that my serving in the military probably would never happen. I have a couple of medical conditions, one being an offset bone with four metal pins holding it together in my left leg. Each recruiter told me the same thing: “You probably wont make it past the physical.”

After college I received the other half of those calls. This time I just started out with my medical conditions and each one thanked me for my time but again told me I would probably never pass the physicals. Oh well, life goes on.

Flash forward to Sunday. I finish watching Black Hawk Down and I’m talking to my wife about the movie. I’m explaining how it’s not the death in the movie that touches me. It’s the bond between the soldiers. How they will put themselves directly into harms way and almost certain death to help someone they may have never met before. The men and women of our US Armed Forces display some of the best ethics and traits one would like to see in a human. This movie exemplifies those attributes.

It’s during my little speech that I realized that… I talk the talk, but I have not walked the walk. I say I support our troops and I’ve donated items and some money, but I haven’t actually sacrificed anything to aid these men and women. I’ve decided it is time for me to stand up and take responsibility for my own inactions. I spent the last couple of days looking for a soldier or unit that I could do something for. I found, in my opinion the perfect unit.

Until August first I am dedicating the top post of Miasmatic Review to this soldier and his unit. See the next post for more details.