Service to something besides oneself has become rare it seems. But when you and others make the sacrifice and an accomplish things that are difficult there is a reaffirmation of those values and a certain serenity. Sometimes those sacrifices include losing people and all the pain that entails. But that is why we chose to Remember.
When I first started working with military personnel it didn't take long before realizing that I had taken advantage of position and wherewithal and opportunity without ever paying for it all. And it was time to do so. While I didn't volunteer for that work (I was paid), sharing my experience and expertise with men who might do their work more effectively because of it, and might return home to their families because of it gave me a sense of purpose and service to a higher thing, which made that period one of the most satisfying of my life.
When I first moved to Alaska some 13 years ago, it seemed like my "list" was still growing. I compiled photos of all of them and intended to create a framed montage to put on the wall. I wanted to remember them and also be grateful that I was still alive to do so. Ultimately, I never got it done. New entries would arise and then it would be incomplete. Lately I've noticed, likely do to my peer group's advancing age, that the body count no longer accumulates due to climbing and skiing but rather illness and suicide. The suicide ones hit me the hardest. When I learn of such a fate, I quickly do a mental accounting of all the interactions with that person over the years. The conclusion never makes sense. There are no platitudes ("he died doing what he loved...") for those who take their own life. However, the memorial is deserved, maybe even more so because of the loneliness and pain that presumably preceded the action. We could not help them but we can still honor their place in our lives.
Service to something besides oneself has become rare it seems. But when you and others make the sacrifice and an accomplish things that are difficult there is a reaffirmation of those values and a certain serenity. Sometimes those sacrifices include losing people and all the pain that entails. But that is why we chose to Remember.
When I first started working with military personnel it didn't take long before realizing that I had taken advantage of position and wherewithal and opportunity without ever paying for it all. And it was time to do so. While I didn't volunteer for that work (I was paid), sharing my experience and expertise with men who might do their work more effectively because of it, and might return home to their families because of it gave me a sense of purpose and service to a higher thing, which made that period one of the most satisfying of my life.
Well written, as usual. I needed to read this right now. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, and for your words. I too needed this today.
Excellent piece of writing, probably the one that has resonated the most and they’ve all resonated.
May their memories be a blessing.
🙏🏻
<salute>
Back it you, sir. 🫡
When I first moved to Alaska some 13 years ago, it seemed like my "list" was still growing. I compiled photos of all of them and intended to create a framed montage to put on the wall. I wanted to remember them and also be grateful that I was still alive to do so. Ultimately, I never got it done. New entries would arise and then it would be incomplete. Lately I've noticed, likely do to my peer group's advancing age, that the body count no longer accumulates due to climbing and skiing but rather illness and suicide. The suicide ones hit me the hardest. When I learn of such a fate, I quickly do a mental accounting of all the interactions with that person over the years. The conclusion never makes sense. There are no platitudes ("he died doing what he loved...") for those who take their own life. However, the memorial is deserved, maybe even more so because of the loneliness and pain that presumably preceded the action. We could not help them but we can still honor their place in our lives.