Wednesday - April 06, 2005
Giving and Taking
The chaplain, the battalion commander, and a few
others stood one at a time in the front of the company formation. They were
sharing their words and thoughts in a formal, somber, formulaic way. We've lost
one of our own, a communications Marine that served with Kilo Company.
The ceremony was rehearsed by everyone
in the ceremony. It seemed odd that the entire company practiced the formation
for an hour or two. Then with no break they announced that the real ceremony
was to begin. It was odd. But it seemed proper to spend the extra time to do
the job right, even though no one besides us was
watching.But one of the phrases used
by the speakers is one that is commonly used so freely today. They say that Cpl
Richardson gave his life for his country. No he didn't. It was
taken.
Words mean things. When a Marine jumps on a live
grenade with the intent of saving those around him, it is proper to say that
this Marine gave his life for others.
But to say that a Marine riding in an
up-armored humm-vee when it rolls over an anti-tank mine gave his life for his
country, I cringe.
It demeans his
death to not seriously understand how he died. Cpl Richardson, and most Marines
would never give their life to roll over a mine. He would never give his life
so uselessly. His life was taken by murderous animals.
His death
does not inspire us in itself. No one should jump in the back seat of a truck
just to be like him. Because his life was taken, though, we should be inspired
to redouble our efforts to slaughter our enemy, remove these vermin from the
face of the Earth, to wipe out the violent, oppressive, and anti-living religion
of Islam.
That's what we should
remember Cpl Richardson for.
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