As I write this, I have the distinctive privilege of sharing a plane with some 300 odd soldiers as we wend our way towards Kuwait. Our ultimate destination is not Kuwait of course, as those days are long gone, but instead Iraq.
I say privilege, and I mean it. While the plane is crowded, and the soldiers smell I count it a singular honor to be amongst them. The coarseness of speech and the caliber of conversation amongst some might appall the refined observer. However, as I look out among these men, and they are all men, I see something that I rarely see in any society: courage.
Earlier today, I witnessed and participated in one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do. Leaving for war in and of itself is so difficult that I have gained an increased respect for those who do merely that. I saw families, women, and children crying as their soldiers made their way onto the bus that would take them away. The departure is filled with pain and uncertainty, and it is something that most in the world will never share or experience.
However, every man that I now share this plane with, I shared this pain with. And now as we soar above the nation that we are sworn to defend, beneath us sleeps our countrymen, blissfully unaware of the pain that cost of their freedom inflicts upon their fellow man. And every man here, sits, talks, thinks, reads, and waits, as we move ever onward towards our destiny. We came willingly, and all we ask is others remember us. I sit with greatness, and I am blessed.
