HSOBOB(a)aol.com wrote:
This is a good profile of the young men - and women -
serving aboard the USS JOHN C. STENNIS, the NSDAR adopted
Navy aircraft carrier. Makes you feel proud.
FULL SPEED AHEAD - SEN BOB
The American Military Man
>
This is really powerful. Whether or not we
agree with the proposed war with Iraq, the troops deserve all the
support we can give them.
The average age of the military man is 19 years old.
He is a short haired, tight muscled kid who, under normal
circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet
dry behind
the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old
enough to
die for his country.
He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax
his own
car than wash his father's; but he has never collected
unemployment
either.
He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an
average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year
old jalopy, and
has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when
he left, or
swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world
away.
He listens to rock and roll or hippo or rap or jazz or
swing and 155
mm Howitzers.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home
because he
is working or fighting from before dawn to well after
dusk. He has
trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him,
but he can field
strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time
in the dark.
He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or
grenade launcher and use either one effectively if
he must.
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like
a medic.
He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is
told to
march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is
not
without spirit or individual dignity.
He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he
washes one and
wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet
dry.
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean
his rifle.
He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix
his own hurts.
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you
are hungry, his food.
He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of
battle when
you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons
like they
were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because
that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half
the pay and
still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more
suffering and death then he should have in his short
lifetime.
He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to
create them.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have
fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through
his body
while rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire
to 'square
away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand,
remove their
hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day
out, far
from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather,
he is
paying the price for our freedom.
Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country
free for
over 200 years.
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and
understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and
admiration with his blood.
For our Military Prayer wheel for our military...please
don't break it.
Please send this on after a short prayer.
Prayer Wheel
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them
as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need. Amen."
Prayer Wheel: When you receive this, please stop for a
moment and say
a prayer for our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on
ships, and airmen in the air, and for those preparing
for a possible war with Iraq. There is nothing
attached.... This can be very powerful....
Just send this to all the people in your address book. Do
not stop the wheel, please.... Of all the gifts you
could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman,
prayer is the very best one.