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I received this email from a former Highlander who left Canada to join the USMC and did two tours in Vietnam. To me it certainly points out the difference between the polititians and the Military:
This is something most politicians just can't seem to grasp...honor!
When Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on Washington, D.C. yesterday,
Washington did what it often does - panic! The federal government was closed
yesterday as were the area's schools - even though up until 7:00pm last
night the day was only rainy with brief gusts of wind.
But while everyone else was running for cover, there was a different
character on display at Arlington National Cemetery, just a few miles from
my office.
The cemetery is "home" to 260,000 veterans. It is also the site of the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier, which was built in 1921 to honor those who died for
our country, but whose remains have never been identified. The Tomb is
watched 24-hours-a-day by the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old
Guard."
Cemetery officials were in a dilemma. The Old Guard has never abandoned its
post guarding the Tomb. But as Isabel slammed into the area last night winds
hit 75 miles an hour and the rain was torrential. The cemetery officials, no
doubt thinking of possible lawsuits, gave the Old Guard permission to leave
their posts for safety's sake.
You guessed it, my friends - the soldiers refused to leave! Staff Sergeant
Alfred Lanier said the Tomb was something "we cherish." Sgt. Christopher
Holmes said leaving the Tomb is "never an option for us" and added he was
prepared to die while guarding it
As Eisenhower asked when he surveyed the bravery on the beaches of Normandy,
"Where do we get such men?".
Indeeed, Where do we get such men. We just buried two this week.
Pro Patria
This is something most politicians just can't seem to grasp...honor!
When Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on Washington, D.C. yesterday,
Washington did what it often does - panic! The federal government was closed
yesterday as were the area's schools - even though up until 7:00pm last
night the day was only rainy with brief gusts of wind.
But while everyone else was running for cover, there was a different
character on display at Arlington National Cemetery, just a few miles from
my office.
The cemetery is "home" to 260,000 veterans. It is also the site of the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier, which was built in 1921 to honor those who died for
our country, but whose remains have never been identified. The Tomb is
watched 24-hours-a-day by the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old
Guard."
Cemetery officials were in a dilemma. The Old Guard has never abandoned its
post guarding the Tomb. But as Isabel slammed into the area last night winds
hit 75 miles an hour and the rain was torrential. The cemetery officials, no
doubt thinking of possible lawsuits, gave the Old Guard permission to leave
their posts for safety's sake.
You guessed it, my friends - the soldiers refused to leave! Staff Sergeant
Alfred Lanier said the Tomb was something "we cherish." Sgt. Christopher
Holmes said leaving the Tomb is "never an option for us" and added he was
prepared to die while guarding it
As Eisenhower asked when he surveyed the bravery on the beaches of Normandy,
"Where do we get such men?".
Indeeed, Where do we get such men. We just buried two this week.
Pro Patria
