I wrote a letter (see below) to include with a certificate and a flag I mailed to friends and family I admire or appreciate. The flags were flown aboard a UH-60 helicopter on a combat mission over Iraq.
Today in church we watched a short video remembering that day 10 years ago. There is a lot of written documentation about what happened and how it happened, but I have two thoughts that struck me very clearly: Courage and Duty.
Todd Beamer who led a small group of passengers that stopped the terrorists on flight 93 from flying their aircraft into the White House and instead they forced the aircraft to crash into a field. Courage is doing the right thing for the right reason even if it may hurt you, or in this case kill you. Courage is what we do when we know what needs to be done and ignore the cost.
Duty: There were over 300 firemen killed in that one incident. Firefighting is dangerous work but that is the profession they chose and they performed their duty on that day. They performed it without hesitation or regret.
Soldiers do the same two things: We perform our duty every day and with courage when called. We recognize that the price may be our life, our limbs or just time lost. We stand ready every day to respond to the order, the call of the bugle or run to the sound of the guns.
All this is only in America. God Bless the U.S.A.
MK
Dear Friend,
Enclosed is a flag that I flew in our helicopter on a combat mission in Iraq. Details are on the certificate of the flight itself, but I wanted to give you a personal note to explain why I sent this to you and why I am where I am doing what I am doing.
First know that what I do is not particularly dangerous at any one time and our unit has been blessed so far with no deaths due to the enemy and only a few casualties who were wounded by shrapnel. My blog (asoldierlooksat50@blogspot.com) covers most of what I think is happening from a professional standpoint and gives another perspective on the army life.
I am stationed at Camp Taji, Iraq which is located next to the city of Taji north of Baghdad about a 15 minute flight south. I am in the headquarters of the Aviation Brigade and we have been responsible for all aviation operations in Iraq.
I fly about once a week (and as the Brigade S4 I am in charge of supplies, equipment and money and the staff that monitors all that) and flying isn’t my main job. My flights are with a company that is an airborne taxi service (think Super Shuttle: Never more than three stops!) that moves soldiers and contractors around Baghdad so they don’t have to drive on the streets. We can make anywhere from ten to twenty stops each mission going to wherever we have been scheduled to the day before. Many of the flights are taking Soldiers to their departure point for mid-tour leave or bringing them back from leave. The flight can last from four to seven hours which can be a little hard on the body at my age (the vibration, heat and noise can wear you out.)
I am a Soldier and an American Fighting Man. There are many ways the army communicates the message of selfless service to us in training and reinforces it regularly (especially when deployed). One part of that reinforcement is listed below that I think summarizes my duty and responsibility. This is from the United States Military Code of Conduct which has six articles that are our rules for Prisoners of War. I list two of the articles below.
Article I : I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
Article VI: I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
As time went on the army added the Warrior Ethos (below) because there was concern that Soldiers were not understanding or internalizing the role of a Soldier. This ethos gives a short understanding of what is important and in what order.
Warrior Ethos
I will always place the mission first.I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Reviewing that ethos brings home the possibility that some Soldiers won’t be coming back. The mission is more important than the individual and we must carry on in the face of whatever adversity we come across.
The singer Toby Keith has a song titled “American Soldier”. It causes me to tear and choke up whenever I hear it and I am not sure why. Probably because I am a big marshmallow inside or these responsibilities have been internalized and I just don’t realize what they really mean until they are expressed by someone else. A portion of those lyrics are here:
“And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh and I don’t want to die for you, but if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor, cause freedom don’t come free.
I’m an American Soldier”
Why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan is always ready for debate. When Soldiers and servicemen sign up they put themselves at risk and are subject to the whims and decisions of those placed over us. We are at the mercy of the wisdom of our leaders and require the support of the people of the country we love and defend.
You are one of those people. I do this so you can keep doing what you do. What you do is important and you are a part of what keeps America great. The freedoms outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is so precious that we require Soldiers to be ready to defend those rights wherever the enemy of freedom is found.
You have a responsibility to practice those rights (however you understand them and practice them) so the Soldier’s cause is not in vain.
Enjoy this flag, this certificate, and know that I salute and appreciate you. I serve for you.
Mark Kampa
LTC, AV
BDE S4
“Condor 4”
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