Across my 30-year Army career, I saw Soldiers depicted in many different ways. The depictions range from stoic heroes to selfless servants to pawns of the government. They are sometimes referenced in politics to make one point, or another. Their selfless service is lionized and sometimes belittled. Characterizations from cinema or publications fail to capture the person. Soldiers are rarely asked to describe themselves. Why do they make sacrifices, and why do they serve?
Whatever brings someone into the Army, if they stay, they begin to take on the ethos. Military service, over time, becomes more of a religion than a job. Some will stay the course and endure many hardships because it is hard to give up this religion. Soldiers are committed to each other. They become very committed to their military community. It becomes their extended family. Over time, their military family becomes a very important part of their life – maybe even the most important part.
To say that soldiers are patriotic isn’t enough. When someone takes an oath (makes a vow) to support and defend the Constitution, it is an immense commitment. They are agreeing to put their service ahead of everything else. It is easy to say that they have agreed to give their life if necessary to protect our Nation, but it is everything else that is sacrificed that makes the commitment profound.
Military members will leave their families for training, exercises, and global missions. They will miss important family events and holidays. Sometimes they will miss events that are very important to their loved ones. Military families will move and start again in a new community repeatedly. Constantly starting over is a big ask for a family. It requires buy-in from every member to hold the family together. It requires true commitment to the values to flourish. Soldiers are not automatons. Sometimes the sacrifice is painful. They understand the sacrifice. They feel the pain.
So, if you aren’t going to get rich, and you will certainly endure hardships, why stay the course? Many Soldiers are drawn to the idea of being part of something much bigger than themselves. They know their service matters. America’s freedom, and to some extent freedom around the world, depends upon it. The Soldier’s view of self is rather romantic. By wearing the uniform, they form a link to every other American who ever served. This commitment to brothers and sisters in arms crosses time and will endure history.
They are servants of their country and part of the hope of the free world. If they were back home, odds are they would be working just for the money. They would not have the same sense of living a life that makes a difference.
Their commitment is honorable. No where is this more self-evident than in a combat zone. The actions of the Soldiers demonstrate who they are. In Iraq, the Soldiers in our brigade were committed to helping the Iraqi people. OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom] I was a nonlinear, asymmetric war – a marathon event interrupted by short violent races. It required constant vigilance in the often-searing heat. Our Soldiers knew that they were there to prosecute the criminals and to protect and assist the good Iraqis. For the most part, it was not hard to discern. You could separate them by their behavior. The criminals, Saddam’s evil inner circle, and those vitiated by his regime, would identify themselves.
Many would think that young men and women would have trouble negotiating this distinction. My experience was that they did not. I was always pleased, and sometimes amazed, by their restraint in using deadly force. They seemed to naturally apply only the force needed. They were brave and sensible. It seemed to me that their commitment to service made them wise beyond their years.
Across my 30-year Army career, I saw Soldiers depicted in many different ways. The depictions range from stoic heroes to selfless servants to pawns of the government. They are sometimes referenced in politics to make one point, or another. Their selfless service is lionized and sometimes belittled. Characterizations from cinema or publications fail to capture the person. Soldiers are rarely asked to describe themselves. Why do they make sacrifices, and why do they serve?
Whatever brings someone into the Army, if they stay, they begin to take on the ethos. Military service, over time, becomes more of a religion than a job. Some will stay the course and endure many hardships because it is hard to give up this religion. Soldiers are committed to each other. They become very committed to their military community. It becomes their extended family. Over time, their military family becomes a very important part of their life – maybe even the most important part.
To say that soldiers are patriotic isn’t enough. When someone takes an oath (makes a vow) to support and defend the Constitution, it is an immense commitment. They are agreeing to put their service ahead of everything else. It is easy to say that they have agreed to give their life if necessary to protect our Nation, but it is everything else that is sacrificed that makes the commitment profound.
Military members will leave their families for training, exercises, and global missions. They will miss important family events and holidays. Sometimes they will miss events that are very important to their loved ones. Military families will move and start again in a new community repeatedly. Constantly starting over is a big ask for a family. It requires buy-in from every member to hold the family together. It requires true commitment to the values to flourish. Soldiers are not automatons. Sometimes the sacrifice is painful. They understand the sacrifice. They feel the pain.
So, if you aren’t going to get rich, and you will certainly endure hardships, why stay the course? Many Soldiers are drawn to the idea of being part of something much bigger than themselves. They know their service matters. America’s freedom, and to some extent freedom around the world, depends upon it. The Soldier’s view of self is rather romantic. By wearing the uniform, they form a link to every other American who ever served. This commitment to brothers and sisters in arms crosses time and will endure history.
They are servants of their country and part of the hope of the free world. If they were back home, odds are they would be working just for the money. They would not have the same sense of living a life that makes a difference.
Their commitment is honorable. No where is this more self-evident than in a combat zone. The actions of the Soldiers demonstrate who they are. In Iraq, the Soldiers in our brigade were committed to helping the Iraqi people. OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom] I was a nonlinear, asymmetric war – a marathon event interrupted by short violent races. It required constant vigilance in the often-searing heat. Our Soldiers knew that they were there to prosecute the criminals and to protect and assist the good Iraqis. For the most part, it was not hard to discern. You could separate them by their behavior. The criminals, Saddam’s evil inner circle, and those vitiated by his regime, would identify themselves.
Many would think that young men and women would have trouble negotiating this distinction. My experience was that they did not. I was always pleased, and sometimes amazed, by their restraint in using deadly force. They seemed to naturally apply only the force needed. They were brave and sensible. It seemed to me that their commitment to service made them wise beyond their years.
Proper training and the proper attitude went a long way.
When the Soldiers had the opportunity to assist the good Iraqi people they seemed to cherish it. For instance, when we were able to get water pipe for the town of Taji, the Soldiers worked diligently to bring the pipe to the community. It was the Islamic holy day of the week, but the citizens of Taji went to work to get the pipe on the ground. Shiek Abd, the leader of that community, said that all his citizens were deeply touched by how much it meant to our Soldiers to get them safe drinking water. No one speaks better for the heart of the American Soldier than the Soldiers themselves.
We helped the Iraqis build many schools. I was surprised at the importance that Iraqis placed on education. I was also surprised that they taught English in schools across Iraq – even in the remote villages of the far desert. Our Soldiers took great pride in their contribution to these schools, and everyone was touched by the significance of these schools to the Iraqis.
Saddam Hussein had spent a small nation’s fortune on explosives and munitions. Often, it did not make sense. They had munitions for planes and ships they did not have. Several nation’s fortunes in weapons laying on the ground across Iraq. While they did not have the delivery systems, a terrorist could use these explosives for their purpose. Regrettably, Iraqi children played in the piles of explosives, sometimes blowing themselves apart. Our Soldiers saw the mission and humanitarian urgency of getting these explosives up off the ground and taken to a demilitarization site. During these operations our Soldiers secured the areas, taking care of each other and then handled the explosives with proper caution. Again, I was very impressed with their commitment and composure. These were dangerous missions, and the Soldiers handled them very well.
There was never an issue with getting volunteers for the humanitarian missions – whether it was providing resources for schools, roads or power stations. However, water, the precious source of life in the desert, was especially powerful. Our unit assisted the Iraqis in restoring the water station (that had been damaged during the invasion) just north of Bagdad that provided irrigation to the Taji area. For our Soldiers, this was an act of love. This event meant a great deal to the Iraqis, not just because they so sorely needed the water, it represented the high point of their collaboration with the American Soldiers. On the day the water station opened, the Iraqis surprised our unit with a feast of sorts by the station. Their appreciation of the American Soldier was on display. The bond between the tribes in that area and our unit had become very strong.
All these accomplishments are a tribute to the heart of the American Soldier. I had a captain who had performed remarkably in Iraq. He was a soft spoken, self-effacing young man. He was a good officer back in the United States, but he was a remarkable officer in a combat zone. I was very impressed with his leadership of our quick reaction force (QRF). He led from the front and demonstrated technical competence, bravery and love for his Soldiers. One day, when there was a moment, I took the opportunity to make sure he knew that I greatly valued his service and appreciated all that he did. His response to me was very moving, partly because it was so humble and partly because it was so deeply sincere.
He said, “It is a great honor to serve the United States of America in mortal combat.”
For this reason, he was not afraid.
It has been a long time since we left Iraq, but when I run into Soldiers from the brigade, they often talk about the collaboration with the Iraqis. They wonder how these people are doing. I have kept in touch with the Iraqis from the village through my interpreter/cultural adviser (but that is another story).
The heart and soul of the American Soldier is romantic. It is an act of giving. One might say an act of love – love for country, but also for each other and their families. They do it together. The family members, to weather the storm, must share the commitment.
There is a moral aspect to going to war. This aspect, often avoided in discussions of national power, may be the most important. It is not lost on the Soldiers who serve. When we pulled out of Iraq and left our Iraqi friends to fend for themselves in the chaos of the civil war that followed, many Soldiers questioned their service. They questioned their sacrifice. When the suicide rates were so very high, I wondered why so many seemed surprised. For many Soldiers the Nation’s handling of the war represented a breach of faith. It left them alone, looking for the moral high ground.
On one of our trips out west of Baghdad, we found a small village that was lost to the rest of the world. As it turned out, they had moved far away from everyone else to avoid Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. They were thrilled to see us arrive. When we met them, they curiously asked: “What took you so long?” We could hardly imagine that they had been expecting us. They had such awe for the America they imagined. As Soldiers, we did not see ourselves as the global police force, but we did expect our nation to first seek the moral high ground before entering into war.
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