Come home bearing your shield, or on it

Have the ways of honor in battle died?

Published on February 7, 2006 By perrinwlf In Blogging

The quote on the back of my senior T-shirt reads, "come home bearing your shield, or on it" except that it was in latin. It was much cooler that way. If you don't quite get what that means, it's pretty much "do or die trying." It was the phrase that sent warriors into battle, to fight, and sometimes die with pride and honor. It was inspiration, but also a promise that nothing short of death itself could stop the men of the army.

People protested in the streets when the soldiers loaded up and left for Iraq. Men who sit fat and happy in peace, scorn soldiers that are obeying orders from those above them. They signed up so that they could carry themselves with honor, and die with honor. It seems like we are spitting on them with every word against them. It's not as bad as when my father came back from Korea, people literally spit on him as he got home. Think how that had to feel. You had been drafted into a terrible and bloody war, fighting for your life every day. You saw your close friends get gunned down and couldn't do anything to bring them back. Finally you served your time and come home looking only for peace and time with friends and family. When you get back the first thing you see is your own people screaming hate cries, and spitting on you. I don't think I could hold myself back after that.

So has the military lost its pride? Are the armed forces now walking as outcasts, shamed by their own people? No. Those serving have not lost their honor, not even in death could they ever lose that. It is the Civilians who spit upon those who opted to protect, those civilians who try to make life just as hellish for soldiers at home as it was at war. Where has the honor of America gone. I may protect your right to say anything against me with my life, but I will protect my life and my honor just as fervently.

Comments

Texas Wahine

on Feb 08, 2006

How old is your dad? I'm 27 and my GRANDFATHER fought in the Korean war (he's in his late 70s now). The fighting ended in 1953. Maybe you mean Vietnam?

I disagree with the war, and I have never spit on (literally or metaphorically) a Soldier. In fact, I have been involved in many morale/support projects.

It is our right as Americans to express dissent with, or disapproval of, the actions of our government. Service members take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. They are sworn to fight to defend Americans' right to freedom of speech. This is honorable and vital.

Service members of today, despite the divide in American opinion on the Iraq war, are almost universally honored and treated with respect. I think you are mistaken if you believe that today's American civilians are hostile to the military. The US is not "hellish" for Soldiers. It's generally quite the opposite...service members are applauded and given perks, benefits, and respect in the civilian community simply because they wear the uniform.

I may protect your right to say anything against me with my life, but I will protect my life and my honor just as fervently.

This seems contradictory. Care to elaborate?

Curious: Are you planning to joing the military?

bakerstreet

on Feb 08, 2006

" How old is your dad? I'm 27 and my GRANDFATHER fought in the Korean war (he's in his late 70s now). The fighting ended in 1953. Maybe you mean Vietnam?"

To play devil's advocate, my uncle was stationed in Germany during the hateful hippie era. I could say "my uncle came back from Germany to a hippie-ridden nation that despised its military", and it would sound just as anachronistic.

We've had a large presence in Korea for a long time, so it is quite possible his father came back from Korea in the 60's or 70's.

Texas Wahine

on Feb 08, 2006

Baker, I had to look up your big word (although, in retrospect, I should have been able to easily discern the meaning, haha).

We've had a large presence in Korea for a long time, so it is quite possible his father came back from Korea in the 60's or 70's.

Hmmmm...

PS - You forgot to mention that I misspelled "join".

Dr Guy

on Feb 08, 2006

Curious: Are you planning to joing the military?

Yes he is.

We've had a large presence in Korea for a long time, so it is quite possible his father came back from Korea in the 60's or 70's.

I think what confused Texas and I was the part about his father's friends dying. While there are pot shots across the DMZ every now and then, there is not wholesale fighting going on since 1953.

But back to Texas, a Friend of mine just had a baby at 50. So his father could have been fighting in Korea, but I dont think he would have been spit on coming home in 53.

Tova7

on Feb 08, 2006

I read a really long and good essay on why white American men are in trouble. Some I agreed with and some I didn't...here is something I am chewing over.

The essay says you are talking about the two types of white men our society produces.

Some men are more one than the other, some are a mix. (But you can tell by a man's choices and actions which he mostly is...)

The two types described in this essay were "warriors" motivated by honor, and the "businessman" motivated by profit.

I won't go into all of it but the warrior is the kind of man who conquers and sets up nations, then defends them. The businessman is more effeminate. The businessman lets the warrior take all the hits, then moves in and starts running things for profit. All the while convinced he is better and smarter for not putting himself in harms way. And then later, once in control, makes life hard on the warrior for being so different.

The two clash because the warrior wants to do the honorable thing, the businessman wants to do the profitable thing and keep his power. And sometimes the honorable thing and the profitable thing are not the SAME.

However, the essay's author suggested the reason white men in America are becoming less like men and more like women, (ex: he used a crime where 3 white men and 2 white women were beaten and raped, and made to do all sorts of disgusting things to each other before watching as each one's throat was slit. Their tormentors were TWO black guys with tough talk and knives. His point was, what kind of men are we producing that would let their women be raped and their throats slit right in front of them without even fighting? When they obviously had the numbers to stop it. And I have also written a post about such behavior from personal experience.)

I will see if I can link the essay, right now I can't find it. I was gonna write an article about it but now I can't find it! Grrr.

Men who are warriors (and they don't have to be in the military, I consider MM a warrior) in this society, are often laughed at and made fun of (though usually not to their face), mainly because their services are no longer needed. The warriors before them have paved the way for peace, allowing the businessman to come to power. And allowing the businessman to focus solely on the bottom line.

Look at the ideology of most 25 year old men. (A very broad stroke here.) Think of the ones just getting out of college compared to the ones who are in the military and the same age. I used to think it was the training that made them so different. But now I'm not so sure.

The men who join the military may have different reasons for doing so, but I would submit that unless they have a warriors heart, they will not succeed in the military. Honor. (Lets face it, they didn't join to get rich!)

The essay suggests men who are warriors at heart find occupations that support that, even cherish it. OR else they are very angry men. But these occupations are not usually high paying because the businessman is setting the bar so to speak on what is valuable and what is not during peace time.

The other kind of man, the one that our society produces is more effeminate. Profit is his bottom line. And right now in this country, imo, that is whose running the show. Not just in government but across all levels of society. And since it has been un-pc for a long time to be a man who takes charge, a man others can depend on when in trouble, both PHYSICALLY and mentally, a man who keeps his body strong "just in case"...a man who would protect his woman with his life (whether she thinks she needs it or not).....well you see what I mean.

Lets face it. If we were invaded tomorrow, and this country was thrown into chaos with invading forces, who would you want in your corner? But since we are in relative peace, profit rules.

Therefore the effeminate businessman, with profit as his bottom line, can make the warriors in this country have a hard road. Sometimes when I see warriors getting a bad wrap, I look at who is saying it. Guess what? It's generally not other warriors.

This is a VERY BROAD summary of a few points of it. Of course I know not every businessman is effeminate or every warrior in the military...he used those as examples, so I am hoping that the gist is coming across and you won't get sidetracked on the labels.

Like I said, I am still chewing on it and paying close attention to all the men I encounter in my daily life.

So all that to say this. "Come home bearing your shield, or on it." Is something people who value honor would say, and YES they are still around. Don't think they aren't..and don't lose hope. They aren't grabbing headlines because peace rules at the moment.

A "businessman" would scoff at this mentality, and then go have a manicure....hehe...sorry couldn't help myself.

Guess you can tell which I respect more.

Tova7

on Feb 08, 2006

I still like the saying tho.

perrinwlf

on Feb 10, 2006

just to clarify the point on my father, he is 56. He was not stationed there during the Korean war, but the Vietnam war. He was stationed directly on the DMZ, and sometimes, here are some things the government does not tell you about, they were sent over into the northern Korean territory. It wasn't fierce fighting every day, but he lost alot of friends on some of those missions. Not exactly something that the government decided to share over the news. So that hopefully explains the age issue.
As for my quote, "I may protect your right to say anything against me with my life, but I will protect my life and my honor just as fervently." I was raised to believe that with power of speech comes responsibility. You have the right to say whatever you want about me, but you also have the responsibility to own up to it when I, with my equal power of free speech, challenge you. I believe that every American has the responsibility to protect their honor.

Dan Kaschel

on Feb 12, 2006

If the issue at hand is why soldiers are being treated as they are, I would respond on two point: firstly, that soldiers do not go for honor or dignity; they go because they need money and they need a plan and they need discipline, and those are three things that the military provides. Not all soldiers, of course, but the majority. Secondly, that in the days when soldiers were celebrated as heroes, they were wars that weren't opposed by more than half of the American public. By the end, most people thought the Vietnam war had been a bad idea. At this time, Iraq seems like a mess.

If the issue is whether honor exists or not, I would respond that honor has finally developed a selling price, and most men are willing to take their money and run. Who can blame them? Things are tight, these days.

Dan

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