The greatest among us

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November 14, 2009

Anonymous The Jacksonville Daily Progress Sat Nov 14, 2009, 08:52 PM CST

As an American veteran, my father is a hero. That he never once carried a weapon into combat does not diminish this in the least.

An Army chaplain for 25 years, my father’s worth to the armed forces is not measured by how many enemy combatants he killed, how many of his foe’s convoys he captured or how many strategic bridges he destroyed. My dad’s mission was to tend to the spiritual needs of his fellow soldiers, a task he did with honor and dedication, even when the commission of that duty took him into harm’s way.

There are more than 150 different job classifications in the U.S. military, relatively few of which have anything to do with combat. Behind every infantryman with an M-4, every tank operator nestled inside an M1A1 and every jet pilot flying over foreign territory are countless clerks, engineers, cooks, doctors, mechanics, communications officers and quartermasters — all as committed to their nation as any of the fine men and women on the frontlines.

For eight months, from August 1990 to March 1991, my father was one of the approximately 543,000 Coalition soldiers deployed first to Saudi Arabia and eventually Iraq during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He served with the 24th Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Ga., and ministered to the men and women of that division as they battled the Iraqi 8th Infantry Division.

During those engagements, all soldiers, the armed and the unarmed alike, came under frequent fire from enemy artillery units and missile sites. Mortar shells do not discriminate — they will tear through a pastor just as easily as a rifleman.

Having grown up as a military brat, I can tell you the military lifestyle is not an easy one. Countless wet, cold nights are spent training in the field, honing deadly skills that soldiers pray they will never need to use. Drill sergeants don’t exactly have a reputation for their exemplary social skills, and constant relocation to far-flung locales is a guarantee.

Many servicemen and women could be making much more money doing what they are doing in the civilian market, and all are underpaid. As I have mentioned in previous columns, the youngest enlisted men — those who are most likely to find themselves at the tip of the spear — make little more than minimum wage.

Each man and woman who has ever put on a uniform of the American military is a hero. The lucky few who have served in our nation’s armed forces during times of peace displayed no less courage and made no less of a commitment to their nation than those who were unable to avoid the fires of war — and are no less worthy of our appreciation and admiration.

We “celebrate” Veterans Day on Nov. 11 of each year, to commemorate the armistice which ended the hostilities of World War I — a treaty that was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. But don’t let reverence for our veterans be a once-a-year thing. As Americans, we enjoy the liberties that our veterans have won for us on a daily basis. Should we be appreciative to the men and women who fought for those freedoms any less frequently?

Cherokee County has no shortage of military veterans. Never pass up an opportunity to show one of them how thankful you are for their service.

Kelly Young is a former reporter for the Jacksonville Daily Progress.

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