As is usually the case my wife and I were sitting around the kitchen table this morning doing our morning thing of banter, coffee, internet, coffee, TV, coffee, wake up of the kids, and more coffee. It is here that I get the information of the day. During one of the news breaks provided by the local TV station in Temple, Texas we were informed of a soldier who was going to the brig for disobeying a direct order. He was sentenced to 30 days hard labor, demoted to private, and most likely put out of the army upon completion of his sentence.
A little background information. Age 24, male, joined in 2005, already served a tour in Iraq, soldier of good standing, then refused a direct order to go back to Iraq.
Why is this of interest to me? I am not a former serviceman. Consequently I do not have any war stories. Although the war of excuses that I have lived may or may not be harrowing I am sure that this soldier does have harrowing stories. I connected to this serviceman because of my respect for him.
Respect by defintion is:
| esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment |
I do have great repsect for his judgement. He has done something that I chose not to do. He chose to enter into the military. I chose not to enter the military. By making that choice to enter into the military he chose to deploy to Iraq. I chose not to. (I know that I was not into the military but with my writing style I need all the help I can get to make this seem like we have something in common) Soooo…all we have in common is choice ? Well au contraire?…! I relate to him by what I live by, “Do what you say and Say what you do. Simple but covers it all if one lives up to the code. A code innate to any honorable man. What is fair is fair…correct? I think this soldier is an honorable man and I will tell you why. He has been there, He has done that, and he doesn’t want to do it again, and he is willing to bear the consequences of his actions. He is doing something that I may or may not agree with but I can certainly stand behind his obvious determination to do what he thinks is right.
I always tell my wife that I am willing to do most anything once…as long as it is not illegal, immoral, or draws blood. When I do it a second time it is because I want to do it. I climbed a rock wall in a quarry once. Won’t do that again…willingly..??! I took a certain friend of mine hunting on my boat once…Won’t do it again…ever! I even attempted a deer hunt in Southeast Alaska using a river boat to travel the sea. Won’t do that again for sure! Ya, I know I have a million of them. OK, one more. I worked on an oil burning furnace ignitor’s electrical system once…I got shocked!!! Need I say more?
So what I am saying is that I understand the commitment. Only he knows what he experienced in Iraq. Only he knows the justification that would cause him to loose his status in the military by his refusal to submit to a lawful order. I must admit that if he had entered into the military and refused the first order to go to Iraq I would have a different mind set. There is conscientious objector status plus some other considerations but it is not in the same venue so it is incomparable. Everyone reaches their limit. I know that I have reached many limits in my life because of the code that I live by. Apparently, his limit had been reached. I can respect that.
I am pretty sure that this soldier is going to be put out of the arm. I am also pretty sure that he will recieve either a less than honorable discharge to a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Because of my code this soldier will have to bear the consequences without me giving any support what so ever. He admits his guilt. It is not like this kid chickened out. Can’t someone come to the point where they just do not want to do it anymore? I have …and have already stated some of them. Today’s professional soldier must consider death and all of its ramifications up to an including their own death. Is not offering up one’s life in service of your country once …enough? Hmmm… Not according to my code. I hate codes……..!
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