Hi Folks,
This is my first post here, as I'm more of a casual reader of the forums and a big fan of DRTV. My wonderful wife wrote this blog on her myspace page the other day, and I thought that today of all days, it would be fitting to share it with as many people as possible. This is all from a woman who was intimidated by guns before we met. She really gets it now... If her words made you think or inspired you in any way, please drop her a comment and let her know what you think. http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=55800974&blogID=308130367The Makings of a Hero
My husband once sent me an email with an attachment that he said would explain how he had felt about being in the military and about who he is in general. It was an exerpt from a book by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman which explained that in the world there are different kinds of people. The kind of person who was the focus of the chapter was a person the writer referred to as a sheepdog. These people go through life completely aware of the threats that surround us all and they accordingly choose jobs which protect the rest of us, those of us who would rather not focus on the dangers but go about our daily lives focusing on other, albeit important, details. These "sheepdog" personae are the police officers, the military personnel, the fire fighters of our communities. They are the ones who take action in the face of danger. Those who walk about always knowing there are wolves out there and knowing exactly where the wolves are. These people sacrifice their own peace of mind so that you and I don't have to. They are the ones who would give their lives to serve and protect the rest of us. It is, this writer explained, in their psychological makeup to be so. It is so deeply a part of who they are that they could not choose to be anything other. In a crowd, they'd be the ones to spot the purse snatcher and give chase; they'd be the ones who re-enlist to fight a war simply because the oppressed need them.
In today's global climate much is made of which side of this war we are fighting you are on. To the soldiers on the front lines the politics are not as relevant when they face the day to day struggles of the people they walk amongst. I am certain that if you ask a soldier why they are where they are, they'd likely not go into some politically thick diatribe about cultural identities, but they'd say they are fighting to protect their fellow soldiers, the children they see on the streets every day as they patrol, the men and women who get caught in the middle of the hate and the politics. They protect the victims of a wolf that wears many faces.
Recently, I spoke to a friend who just re-enlisted in the Army after having fulfilled his initial contract, joined the Navy reserves, been deployed several times, and decided that this is who he is and where he belongs. I hadn't heard from him in a while and, of course, thought that maybe he'd been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. He called me to explain he'd been very busy and when I told him what I'd thought his response was, "I wish." I asked him, then, if he wasn't afraid he'd be sent and his response was, "That's what I do." This choice of words struck me, because frequently I've heard my husband use the same exact words to express his stoicism in his careers. "It's what I do." This guy is not a war monger, nor is my husband, nor are their friends. He doesn't want to go because he loves the act of fighting. He doesn't want to go because he wants a medal or the title "hero"-- those things would likely make him, as it would my husband, uncomfortable. These men and women choose to serve because those places where no one "in their right mind" would wish to be are the very places where they feel it is their calling to rush to. They go in spite of the fact that they are leaving behind weeping wives, small children, worried parents, because they would rather it be them doing the job than anyone they love. They go because they know they belong there and their wives, children, and parents do not. They want to help using that gut drive that makes them observant, vigilant, tolerant, calm, and brave. Their duty is not just to their country, it is not defined necessarily by the boundaries man has drawn, but to society in general. It addresses the need, not just the geography. Where else would a protector be if not where there are those in dire need of protection?
I've long wondered what it is that made my husband who he was, professionally speaking. I've long wondered what it is that makes a fire fighter rush into a fire when everyone is running in the other direction. I've long wondered what it is that made so many police officers and everyday people step up in the World Trade Center and save so many lives. Until I realized that guarding could be part of someone's genetic or psychological makeup I didn't click with the idea that these people are not tragic figures, but that they are fulfilling the highest calling to themselves as well as to others. In doing these jobs, they are not only serving society, they are serving their own purpose, answering their own call.
These jobs, decidedly, are dangerous. Until I realized there were "sheepdogs" walking amongst us, I thought it was adrenaline that drove people to choose these careers or to step up and take action in emergency situations. I thought that it was the fact that they'd acquired a specific skillset and a love of weaponry that made so very many former military members turn to jobs in organizations like the police force once their enlistments were done. But in reality it is the deepest form of love for humanity that makes a man or a woman pick up a gun every day, in any capacity, and patrol a neighborhood where they know danger lurks at every corner and their lives and safety could be compromised. It is they who walk the narrow boundary between dark and light, who see the world as it truly is- in constant struggle between the two sides of human nature- that we look to when the face of danger or evil shatters our perception of peace and stuns us beyond action. Now that I know that among us there are people who protect because it is who they are I feel freer to go about being an innocent in the world.
That one chapter explained to me who my husband is at his core. It explained to me who so many friends are, and it taught me about who I am, as well. It opened my eyes to appreciating the quiet, unsung heroes among us in a completely different way. A sheepdog gives his life to protect the lambs because it is who he/she is, not because they have some wish for action or a "rush". I find great comfort in knowing that silently, and perhaps without even knowing it themselves (instinctively), there are heroes among us who would step up in a crisis to serve and protect if the need is there. It redefined for me who a hero is, for most sheepdogs go about their daily lives silently serving, calling no attention to themselves as they guard so as to not alert the wolves. I am proud to know a few of those people. People who have the makings of a hero.
All the best to everyone out there, and of course my undying support to all the brave men and women serving us in all the corners of the world.
V/R,
Christian
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