Today President Obama awarded his first Congressional Medal of Honor to the family of aUS Army Sergeant Monti who died three years earlier in Afghanistan. One of his soldiers was wounded and exposed to enemy fire. Sergeant Monti braved ferocious Taliban fire three times in an attempt to rescue one Private Hawes. On the third attempt to rescue to young man, he was killed by enemy fire.
This morning my wife Elena questioned the wisdom of risking other men to rescue a wounded comrade. I pointed out to her that in the US military when you put on a uniform, you become part of a brother hood. When one of you is in trouble you know that your fellow troops will come to your aid.
In 1971 I was off the coast of North Vietnam. Our patrol boat got blown up by enemy fire. My six ship mates and I found ourselves in the water with artillery shells bursting over head and shark fins circling. The commander of the patrol boat behind us could have done the safe and logical thing. He could have got on the radio and called for air attacks, naval gun fire support, and a rescue helicopter. The other boat commander called for help. He then turned on his boat sirens, started launching flares and firing his weapons that had no hope of reaching the enemy. He came roaring in under fire and rescued us.
I have had another 38 years of life because one man never forgot that proud tradition of brothers in uniform always helping those in grave danger.
Life takes us in many strange directions and wonderful discoveries. It never turns out the way we thought it would.
No comments:
Post a Comment