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| A generation transformed |
| 2005-08-05 |
| TWENTY-NINE PALMS, California I have a friend who recently commanded a Marine infantry company in Ramadi, in central Iraq. Captain John Maloney spent four months in the most dangerous city in Iraq, and his story needs to be heard because he is representative of a class of Americans whose lives are rarely depicted in the press. A new fighting American is forming on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Every day, more than 100,000 of them face challenges that will define their lives, and their country, for decades to come. When I called John last month, he was minutes away from departing on a combat patrol. Patrolling is one of the most basic operations in Iraq, but also one of the most dangerous. Small groups of soldiers or marines will walk a route through a city looking for anything unusual and "showing the flag." At times it feels like you are walking around waiting for an improvised explosive device, or IED, to detonate, just so you can react to the event. Other times, I have been almost overwhelmed by the sense that my head or chest may be in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle. Patrolling is slow, dangerous and difficult work. Most units in the U.S. military have by now been to Iraq, and like my friend John, their veterans' psyches are being seared by the constant exposure to the danger and stress they face. Yet they still patrol. They persevere. In my infantry company, which returned from the Syrian border last September, men are re-enlisting in robust numbers. I had 12 men step forward and volunteer to fill nine slots for another four years. We took all 12. The other companies in my rifle battalion had similar success. These men (and in non-infantry battalions, women too) will go back to Iraq and patrol again, day in and day out. These young Americans are being redefined. For John, as for all our service members, the definition of a "normal" life has been changed in a way that's almost impossible for others to comprehend. The implications for America are profound. In four months spent last year near Iraq's border with Syria, I was exposed to the full gamut of emotions and experiences typical of any modern combat tour. I saw corrupt, wicked men captured or killed by 19-year-old Americans who possessed maturity in applying different levels of force that left me in awe. Eleven years ago when I was their age, I wouldn't have held a candle to our 19 year-olds of today. On patrol last year, I saw one old friend and 17 new ones killed by sniper's bullets, exploding artillery shells or hidden land mines. I grieved in the desert and saw 900 comrades do the same. Then I saw our marines lock their grief and rage behind a mental door and go back out the gate to patrol again. On those very next patrols, I saw looks of utter joy in the eyes of Iraqi children when I'd hand them a soccer ball, or when one of my marines would mimic a salute at a child pretending to be an Iraqi Patton or Schwarzkopf. Through it all, our countrymen have been imprinted with a new perspective on life. Much like the returning veterans of World War II, they stepped off the plane with a sense of how petty or unimportant many of the seemingly pressing issues covered in the news media truly are. Compared to the shock of the instant, violent death of a squad-mate standing right next to me, or the excitement of a child looking at my uniform, the constant barrage of partisan politics, runaway brides and the activities of Paris Hilton seem utterly devoid of importance. I have marines slowly recuperating at hospitals in San Francisco, Washington, Bethesda and San Diego. Who is telling their stories? To be honest, I just want to go back to Iraq. It's where I understand the world now. It's where I find perspective. It's where I make a difference every day. For all the mistakes in planning that have been made in this war, and all the acts of heroism that have (or more often have not) been reported, this war is transforming young Americans. We are forming a new "greatest generation" that will counteract the obsession with one's self that has characterized the last few decades. On June 16, five days after I last spoke to him, John Maloney was killed. He was 36, and he came from Chickopee, Massachusetts. John was leading his rifle company on patrol in southern Ramadi when an IED detonated near his Humvee. He died instantly. Even in a service that values its reputation as America's elite, Maloney was an icon. It would take a book to do justice to his impact on the Corps over 18 years of service. Now he's gone, like almost 2,000 others. The day after he was killed, John's marines were out on patrol again. In six weeks, my rifle company will deploy again, this time to Ramadi. We will replace the company formerly commanded by Captain Maloney. We will patrol the city for seven months and train Iraqi security forces and then come home, God willing, with every man in one piece. But even without any scratches, my 19-year-old men will never be the same. Gone will be the self-absorbed, pleasure-focused children raised on video games. Instead, they will humbly want to serve society and make the world a better place. If the policy makers and politicians choose the right path, if they spend our lives wisely, this global war on terror will be a Normandy, and not a Vietnam. Through the actions of our service members and the sacrifices of our Maloneys, we are transforming Iraq. As we return home, we are also transforming the face of America. (Rory B. Quinn is a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps.) |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 Oh, and spoilt though this generation may be -- and they are -- they've lived through 9/11 and many of them know, better than the parents who spoil them, what is important and what isn't. From what I've seen of them, these children of divorce and two-career households value family and parenting, often more than career or material possessions. They may act like spoilt brats sometimes, but didn't we all at that age? And look how well we turned out! ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-05 23:12 |
| #13 BA, as the parent of two former 4-year olds, I can promise it only gets better... and more complicated... and more frightening... and much more rewarding as they get older. Have fun! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-05 23:05 |
| #12 Agreed, TW. Wasn't really meaning to back the draft (and I completely agree with your argument), but this upcoming generation is much more spoiled/bratty than any before it. Military service changes that and quick! Don't know the solution (except for parents to be parents, not friends, as I'm quickly learning myself). |
| Posted by: BA 2005-08-05 12:33 |
| #11 I disagree about the draft. Those who don't want to be there will just get in the way of those who do. The American and British armed forces have real work to do, not like the many armies whose only purpose is to look good in parades and keep the lads off the dole for two years. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-05 12:18 |
| #10 It's a sign of self-confidence that you can acknowledge that you are proud of the accomplishments of others. |
| Posted by: in confidence 2005-08-05 09:37 |
| #9 I agree, CF and 2b! Sometimes, I too, find myself sitting there jealous that I didn't serve like these TRUE heroes. I have coffee club with 2-3 vets each morning here at work (1 served in 'Nam and another served in GWI, the third was in the service, but didn't get deployed). Their comraderie amazes me. Differences in age (1 is about 32, the others in their 50s, black/white, but they share a common bond I'll truly never understand. Though I don't agree with the draft (generally), a call to service could be what the "X/Y" generation needs. After 9/11, though, I find that many young kids (at least in my neck of the woods) are returning to service of the country. Maybe I'm just meant to back the troops here and by speaking up for them whenever I can, but many times I do find myself jealous of their service. |
| Posted by: BA 2005-08-05 09:01 |
| #8 I'm going to have to give the imfamous. Me too! to 2b's comments. Execellent artice and comments. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-08-05 08:48 |
| #7 It's to learn to help others selflessly - your reward being only to see smiles slowly replace fear. It's to inculcate doing the right thing automatically - even when it can get you killed - and being fully aware of the fact. It's to mourn the loss of good people in a worthy effort. It's to step outside oneself and serve a greater and lasting good instead of fleeting self-centered gratification. It's to grow up, take responsibility, show loyalty, defend the good, and fight evil. It's to do all this by deeds, not mere words it's worthy of being framed! I only wish I had had an opportunity to serve. Sometimes, I think that some people are jealous of the experiences of soldiers and that is why they try to demean the service. While most people, like me, are just grateful for those who were tested, others see it as something they lack. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-05 08:14 |
| #6 heh, heh - maybe we've discovered the secret to getting the message published. Throw them a bone so yummy that they are willing to bite. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-05 08:08 |
| #5 published in the International Herald Tribune I guessed that it probably was posted in a liberal paper as I was reading. To them it was all blah, blah, blah, For all the mistakes in planning that have been made in this war and blah, blah blah.....Now he's gone, like almost 2,000 others. It was worth it for them to suffer through the rest of it just to hear a soldier talk about mistakes made and precious lives lost. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-05 08:01 |
| #4 bravo! |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-05 07:56 |
| #3 Hear, hear! And this was published in the International Herald Tribune no less, newspaper of Ami expats, and recently become NYT-lite -- the audience that most needs to be exposed to these ideas. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-08-05 07:35 |
| #2 Well said, .com. You're right about the British, as well. It's well within living memory that people from other cultures admired their British officers enough to willingly die simply for their approval (see Fourteenth Army in Burma, for example). Those national character traits can't have disappeared that quickly. I think they've just been hidden under a stultifying blanket of PC idiocy. It's long past time now to get rid of that blanket. No one in the West can afford to be that foolish and obtuse anymore in the face of people who want to kill us simply for existing. |
| Posted by: mac 2005-08-05 05:53 |
| #1 Here's the seed corn needed to cure the decadence John Hayes so laments in another Op piece today. It's right here in this piece, Johnny. Read slowly, carefully. It's to learn responsibility, of the life and death variety, in early adulthood. It's to learn trust and teamwork that the omnipresent faux corporate training programs only play at. It's to learn to help others selflessly - your reward being only to see smiles slowly replace fear. It's to inculcate doing the right thing automatically - even when it can get you killed - and being fully aware of the fact. It's to mourn the loss of good people in a worthy effort. It's to step outside oneself and serve a greater and lasting good instead of fleeting self-centered gratification. It's to grow up, take responsibility, show loyalty, defend the good, and fight evil. It's to do all this by deeds, not mere words. It's something not learned in a pub, or school, or on the telly, or even in the gym, on the pitch or playing field. It's tough and demanding and humbling and full of payback that's only understood or valued by those who've done it. So there you go, John, my boy. Want a solid society chockablock full of solid citizens who can get things done, without whining and dithering? Want a society which will make the right choices in future conflicts? Want a society which values the long-term future and knows it all begins with what you do here and now? Commit your entire society to doing the right thing - which means working to elect political leaders who have that vision and will act and show the backbone required. Commit your best and brightest to the task. Support them - honestly support them, without reservation or hesitation. The crucible of life is a mean and arbitrary bitch, taking many who are full of promise. But that is the nature of the beast and those who survive are further ripened and tempered by that realization. I know that America will have a solid core of amazing citizens born of this war on Islamofascism. I hope they remain in the majority, but I know they will not tolerate submission, regardless. Period. And that means precisely what it means. The future of America is secure with such people. No John, you can't borrow any of ours - you don't need to. You need only support your own in harm's way and bitch-slap your leaders into stopping the insanity of subjecting them to jingoistic PC "standards", both at home and on the battlefield. Flush your officers, if needed, as well as your political leaders, where needed. The people in the crucible deserve your honest best efforts, not hand-wringing or justification of your enemies. Do this, do it well, and you might survive the laxity that has brought you to this moment in time. Fail in this and the slide steepens. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-08-05 03:14 |