Just A Job?
Jan 17, 2008 9:29:56 GMT -6
Post by Moderator on Jan 17, 2008 9:29:56 GMT -6
JUST A JOB?
By: CPT John G. Donovan ... St. Joseph, MN
Imagine this - a convoy encounters a coordinated attack of IED's and small arms fire. The lead M114 is disabled and the occupants injured. A truck driver (88M) jumps out of his truck, jumps on the unmanned .50 caliber of the disabled vehicle and starts returning fire. He is submitted for the Bronze Star Medal, but it is downgraded to an Army Commendation Medal because in the opinion of the command, "he was just doing his job."
Picture this - A navy ship comes under attack. A young Navy steward runs topside and finds one of the weapons unmanned. He jumps on it, pulls the trigger, and it works just fine. Latter he is awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism.
As you have probably already surmised the first story is fictional, but not too fictional. The second story is a true and based upon the factual events of Naval Steward Dory Miller's actions on December 7, 1941.
It seems in today's current war environment we are less willing to acknowledge acts of bravery. When a Soldier or Marine gets into a fire fight there is a tendency to say "well, he was just doing his job - he was just doing what we taught him to do."
No one can fault this phrase or logic. It is true that the Soldier or Marine who returned fire or rallied his men in a fire-fight was following through on his training, but are we forgetting to realize that he did so under the most extraordinary circumstances? Keeping ones wits while taking fire, reacting to indirect fire, or providing first-aid to an injured buddy is an act of bravery. It is more than "just doing a job".
My wife has a job. She gets up Monday through Friday at 6AM. She watches the news, has breakfast, gets dressed and then drives twenty minutes to her office. Along the way she has to stop for an occasional red light or school bus. Nowhere in her travels does she have to keep one eye peeled for suspicious looking objects along the side of the road. She doesn't have to make a split second decision of "friend or foe" when she sees someone along the roadside. And she doesn't give a second thought to driving through built up urban areas. Moreover, while she's driving she isn't wearing sixty pounds of protective gear with a weapon at the ready and all while enduring triple digit temperatures. No, she is driving to "a job".
Consider this - if what we are doing is really "a job", then why aren't more people willing to do it? Why are we just barely meeting our recruiting goals? Why is less than 1% of the American public serving in our Armed Forces today? Is it perhaps because we are doing more than "just a job?"
I write not to spread shame or doubt on our actions in Iraq. I am proud to have served my country while bringing the prospect of peace, hope and prosperity to the Iraqi people. No, I write not to disprove of what we are doing. I write only to say give credit where credit is deserved. What we are doing, and even more so, what the patrols and Convey Escort Teams are doing everyday is more - much more than "just a job".
CPT John G. Donovan ... St. Joseph, MN
MN Army National Guard ... 1990 - Present
Operation Iraqi Freedom
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PLEASE NOTE: This submission was chosen for the FREEDOM AWARD in the Essay Category of the Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative.
By: CPT John G. Donovan ... St. Joseph, MN
Imagine this - a convoy encounters a coordinated attack of IED's and small arms fire. The lead M114 is disabled and the occupants injured. A truck driver (88M) jumps out of his truck, jumps on the unmanned .50 caliber of the disabled vehicle and starts returning fire. He is submitted for the Bronze Star Medal, but it is downgraded to an Army Commendation Medal because in the opinion of the command, "he was just doing his job."
Picture this - A navy ship comes under attack. A young Navy steward runs topside and finds one of the weapons unmanned. He jumps on it, pulls the trigger, and it works just fine. Latter he is awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism.
As you have probably already surmised the first story is fictional, but not too fictional. The second story is a true and based upon the factual events of Naval Steward Dory Miller's actions on December 7, 1941.
It seems in today's current war environment we are less willing to acknowledge acts of bravery. When a Soldier or Marine gets into a fire fight there is a tendency to say "well, he was just doing his job - he was just doing what we taught him to do."
No one can fault this phrase or logic. It is true that the Soldier or Marine who returned fire or rallied his men in a fire-fight was following through on his training, but are we forgetting to realize that he did so under the most extraordinary circumstances? Keeping ones wits while taking fire, reacting to indirect fire, or providing first-aid to an injured buddy is an act of bravery. It is more than "just doing a job".
My wife has a job. She gets up Monday through Friday at 6AM. She watches the news, has breakfast, gets dressed and then drives twenty minutes to her office. Along the way she has to stop for an occasional red light or school bus. Nowhere in her travels does she have to keep one eye peeled for suspicious looking objects along the side of the road. She doesn't have to make a split second decision of "friend or foe" when she sees someone along the roadside. And she doesn't give a second thought to driving through built up urban areas. Moreover, while she's driving she isn't wearing sixty pounds of protective gear with a weapon at the ready and all while enduring triple digit temperatures. No, she is driving to "a job".
Consider this - if what we are doing is really "a job", then why aren't more people willing to do it? Why are we just barely meeting our recruiting goals? Why is less than 1% of the American public serving in our Armed Forces today? Is it perhaps because we are doing more than "just a job?"
I write not to spread shame or doubt on our actions in Iraq. I am proud to have served my country while bringing the prospect of peace, hope and prosperity to the Iraqi people. No, I write not to disprove of what we are doing. I write only to say give credit where credit is deserved. What we are doing, and even more so, what the patrols and Convey Escort Teams are doing everyday is more - much more than "just a job".
CPT John G. Donovan ... St. Joseph, MN
MN Army National Guard ... 1990 - Present
Operation Iraqi Freedom
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE NOTE: This submission was chosen for the FREEDOM AWARD in the Essay Category of the Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative.