Note: This was originally posted at Daily Kos very early this morning after drinking a few beers. I apologize for the long hiatus.
-Stipes
I haven’t been posting much here recently. Probably because I’ve been trying to crank out that novel that I’ve been planning to inflict on the world for the last 20 years.
Either way, I’ve found that my participation here has been somewhat pointless. It doesn’t make any difference in the real world and has mostly been a waste of my time as a long time Democrat. The oxygen in this space gets sucked up by those who have the time and energy to advocate for their beliefs, which oddly enough, don’t seem to resonate with my particular circumstances.
So why did I decide to post a diary now after such a long hiatus?
Probably because I’ve had a few beers and wanted to share my thoughts on something topical.
I graduated in the late ’80s from the U.S. Naval Academy, in the top 20% of my class. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL, but there were a few things standing in my way.
1) The 10 or 12 billets for SEALs were taken by the top 80 mids in my class during selection night. I wasn’t even close to grabbing one of them. I’m considered a pretty bright dude by most folks, but the guys who grabbed these slots had me beat…by a mile.
2) I probably never would have made it through BUDS. Although I was a top NCAA wrestler while at the Academy, my knees were starting to go even before I graduated. My spirit was strong, but my flesh was weak. For that first 6 months at BUDS, I don’t think my knees would have made it. Many folks who drop out do so because their bodies just can’t take it. You have to be a bit of a genetic freak just to make it through the initial training.
3) I didn’t have 20/20 vision by the time I graduated. That was the real deal killer right there. I’d spent so much time studying in that 4 years before graduation, that my vision decayed. It didn’t seem fair to me, but that was the reality of the situation.
The SEALs stole the best and brightest of us from the Academy. The ones whose bodies could not only withstand the rigors of severe physical stress, but those of us who could think and analyze at the highest levels. These guys are not just physical specimens, but intellectual ones as well. And here’s the thing: They still spit more than 70% of us back out as unworthy.
I have a few classmates who were/are SEALs, including a couple of close friends. I also had the honor of working closely with several teams during my 12 years of active duty. If there is one word that I can use to classify them it is this: Integrity. These guys embody the word. Most of us talk about “Integrity” and use the word almost too casually. But very few of us have ever seen the word brought forth in the flesh. Although I have never truly walked among them, as one of them, I know who these guys are.
That woman with Bin Laden who was shot in the leg? That was not an accident. These guys don’t miss. That was intentional. And those two little girls who were scooped up by that SEAL and spirited out of harms way, (and thus depriving the team of an active offensive member?) That was no accident either.
That’s who these guys are.
And Bin Laden shot in the head? Unless he was kneeling on the floor with his hands clasped behind his head in surrender, that is also exactly how it should have been. Whether some folks call this “murder” or “assassination,” I really don’t care. Use the words that make you feel happy. What I do know is that I couldn’t be any prouder of these guys for carrying out their mission without losing a single man, and without harming a single child in that compound.
But that’s who these guys are. Many folks around here may think that these guys are just mindless commandos inculcated into the military at a young age and taught to kill. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The vast majority of these guys would put 99% of us to shame with their intellectual powers, as well as blow us away with their physical abilities. They are intimidating. And to be perfectly frank, they are the best in the world at what they do. Possibly the best warriors that have ever existed, in my humble opinion.
And I am so proud of who they are.
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