Definitions

Hero A man who is endowed with great courage and strength, and celebrated for his bold exploits; a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life; a person noted for special achievement in a particular field; an illustrious warrior; an object of extreme admiration and devotion. Honor High respect, as that shown for special merit, esteem; A source or cause of credit; Glory or recognition; A mark, token, or gesture of respect or distinction; Principled uprightness of character, personal integrity; A code of integrity, dignity, and pride. Courage The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery; mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty. Sacrifice An act of offering to a deity something precious; destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else; the act of losing or surrendering something; a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value; endure the loss of; something given up or lost. Sacrifice of oneself or one's interest for others or for a cause or ideal. Commitment The trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose; the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action; something pledged; the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled. No, I have gone over the edge or completely insane. I think some American People need to understand what the definition is. Each one of these you will find in our Military Men and Women. Whether they are here in the states, sitting behind a desk. In another country, on the battlefield and shedding there own blood fighting for our freedom and others. Or the ultimate sacrifice are fallen have given. I started thinking about this today after my call with Sniper. Yes, I heard from him and it was great to hear his voice. He only seems to be able to call in the (my time) morning or early afternoons. Most of his family is at work or school, so I seem to talk to him a little more. He also is giving up his sleep to call, but that's another story and I am getting off track. We started talking about hero's. It seems a few Army men he is with, have put in for a Bronze Star for him. He has told anyone that will listen, he doesn't want it. It should be sacred for those who are true hero's and have shed there blood. "He is a Marine just doing his JOB" is what he tells me. This is the same reaction he had, when they presented his Purple Heart to him a few weeks ago. He tried to tell everyone, he doesn't want it. Well the General made a huge deal out of it. He was the first Marine to be WIA since the name change to 1st MLG. I don't personally know if I like the reason why he got the Purple Heart, but he earned it. I started to think about him being a hero and what it means. He is a hero, whether he chooses to believe it or not. He has shed his blood numerous times for his Country, our Country. See here and here. He has fought side by side with his Marines. He is the first one out of the humvee, the last one in. The first one in a door and the last one out. The last one to bed and the first one up. He won't send his Marines on a Mission unless he is with them. He rides in the front of the convoys they are on. He stands by his Marines who have needed guidance. He stands by his Marines and given them comfort when it is needed. I will quote him from another post: "Have you ever been souly responsible for another? How about 100 or more? Have you ever held a dying man in your arms that you were in charge of? Have you ever had 14 of your buddies hurt when you told them to do a job? Have you ever been faced with a child holding a weapon trying to kill you? Have you ever had to inventory your buddies gear to send home to his family? Have you ever had to make the choice of their lives or yours? Have you ever been blood drenched on battlefield and could not take the time for yourself because you were LEADING THE WAY???? Have you ever been bleeding profusely and then have someone tell you that you were going to die? Have you ever had one of your buddies put into a body bag and you flew them to safety so they could go home????" This is the Marine he is. The one who is just doing his job. He has not asked for any recognition in any of it. To him he is just doing his job. To me he is a great man, a hero, who has courage, honor, commitment and made a immense sacrifice to provide for our Country's future and our children's future, whether he chooses to believe it or not. So very few people actually ever do this and will never understand what sacrifices he makes or men like him make. I am Honored to be Proudly Standing Beside this United State Marine! Semper Fi! dyzgoneby