I am stealing from myself in this posting, which I believe is okay because the message just never seems to ring loud enough for me. Some years back I met a Marine and his wife while showing homes. What follows is my recount of meeting them. It’s an account I hope some of you will follow with your own stories about perhaps your own EOD encounters.
I took a young couple out looking for homes today. First time we had met, and our initial introduction had been through my web site and a couple of emails.In the course of our meeting I engaged in my usual convivial chatter, finding out in small snippets where they were from, what they were dreaming, and of course, what they “did for a living.” Now an old philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, once wrote “if you label me, you negate me”, and being not quite that old, but old enough to remember and revere the 60’s, I always ask “what do you do” hoping it creates something that really takes me to the core of that person, not just to the superficial meaning of his or her life as labeled by a job.
So today I asked “what do you both do?” She said, “I’m ex-military, and he’s still on active duty.”
“What branch?”, I asked.
“I was in the Air Force”, she said, “and he’s in the Marines.”
We’re here in Oceanside, California, home of Camp Pendleton, and some of the finest young men and women in the whole world. I myself served as a Marine many years ago, but continue to find that meeting and interacting with young service people always makes me glad I live in the San Diego area where so many opportunities arise to do so.
“What do you do in the Marines?”, I asked.
“EOD’s,”, he said.
I’m looking at him, and he’s a young guy who clearly loves his gal, his country, and is not a big talker like me. So I ask him, “EOD’s….what are they?”
“Explosive Ordinance Devices,” he says. “You know, when they set the roadside bombs, me and my unit find them and neutralize them. We make it safe for the rest of the guys.”
“Been to Iraq yet?”, I asked. “Three tours,” he says, and again he’s taking his girl’s hand and concentrating on her.
He’s not even looking straight at me, and I think I sense he’s reluctant to make it sound like anything he does is important. After all, I have my Realtor’s badge on, my head filled with facts about the market and all the homes I’m going to show them. It’s clear he’s looking at me as though I am important.
Well, for today, and to once again remind all of us, Real Estate is NOT AN EOD!! It’s a job, and it’s a job some of us do well, love, and that can make a difference, but one that nonetheless “labels” us. I want to say that the next time someone meets me and engages in small talk, including asking “what do you do”, I’ll say something really honest, really revealing, and perhaps really dangerous. I’ll say, “I met a Marine who did EOD removal…..do you know what that is?”…..and then talk about this young man and young woman until the subject changes to why what THEY do make what WE do possible.
Brian Brady says:
“the ones you can hug today aren’t the ones we’re honoring this weekend.”
How true. What a nice reminder, Don.
May 20, 2009 — 7:03 pm
Teri Lussier says:
>home of Camp Pendleton, and some of the finest young men and women in the whole world. I myself served as a Marine many years ago, but continue to find that meeting and interacting with young service people always makes me glad I live in the San Diego area where so many opportunities arise to do so.
We have that in common, Don. My office is in Fairborn Ohio, home of Wright-Patterson AFB. My drive takes me past the flight line and today a huge C-25A? or Starlifter or some giant cargo plane was doing touch and go’s, and a F-14 or F-16 was practicing as well. And it was breathtaking, as it always is. I see this more days than I don’t see it and it always leaves me speechless. It’s such an honor to live in a place where I get to know and love the incredible people who serve this country.
May 20, 2009 — 7:49 pm
Scott Cowan says:
Don- I too live in an area with a large military presence. There will be a number of Memorial Day events this weekend. Thank you for sharing such a touching reminder about what this weekend should be about.
May 20, 2009 — 8:18 pm
bs says:
Our soldiers are awesome, brave, courageous, selfless, honorable, and should be honored!
>”what THEY do make what WE do possible.”
Might be the wrong time to spark this debate, but do you really believe that Don?
I believe that we would be able to do what we do, maybe even more prosperously, if they didn’t do what they do. I’m of the opinion we are less safe when we are occupying other countries, policing the world, warmongering, executing regime changes, and spreading our 21st century version of democracy. By doing what they do, by the direction of our President, we birth terrorists, create enemies, bankrupt our country, and make the elite more and more rich/powerful, and make the poor/middle class more and more poor/powerless.
Because they do what they do, I’m taxed more, my privacy is not private, and my liberties granted to me by the United States Constitution are continually eroding.
So I’m with you Don…
>”Hug a Marine, sailor, soldier, Coast Guard or flyer today. The ones you can hug today aren’t the ones we’re honoring this weekend. Those honorees we celebrate this weekend can no longer be hugged.”
All of our soldiers/vets should be honored equally, no matter when they served, they are great Americans.
Those who preside over our foreign policy, well…
May 20, 2009 — 9:38 pm
Joe Loomer says:
I met many amazing people during my 21 years on Active Duty. One of the most amazing was a man I didn’t even know very well – Kent Marker.
He is a soft spoken Navy Master Chief, and he retired after 31 years a couple of weeks ago. In the keynote speech, a good friend of his spoke mainly in humorous anecdotes about this man, his wife, his family, and the many places he’d been to and the funny situations he’d gotten himself into with his shipmates.
Near the end of the speech, the friend told of a sacred duty he was very grateful that he had never had to perform – the duty of accompanying the remains of a fellow Sailor home, and delivering them into hands of their loved ones. I too, never had to perform that sacred duty – something I’m grateful for and don’t know if I’d have had the character to perform well.
Kent did it three times during his career. Each sacred mission one he volunteered for. I’ve met many good leaders in my day, but Kent – who volunteered to do this ghastly task THREE times – is head and shoulders above all of them. I cannot imagine the degree of honor, courage, and commitment it must take to grasp that task and escort a dead Sailor’s casket home to his parents. Three times.
You met your EOD Marine, Don, I know Kent Marker…
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
May 21, 2009 — 4:03 am
Don Reedy says:
bs> Understand. It has always been the role of the soldier to do the bidding of the politico, and rare when that politico reasoned well about that bidding.
joe> Thank for your service. Kent Marker is a good name, doing a good deed, in the service of another good man. So in Kent’s name, I’ll remember one of the known and unknown this weekend.
May 21, 2009 — 5:34 am
John Rowles says:
We are in Newport RI, a Navy town, home to the Navy War College.
Kate and I have often rented the 3 bdrm house that is attached to our house to Naval officers attending classes here.
On 9-11, I went up to the front house to find the three guys who were renting our house at the time home, in the middle of the day, watching CNN like everyone else.
Only unlike me, these guys were watching those events unfold fully aware that they were going to have the chance to do something about it.
They weren’t happy about it, exactly. They were not grim, either. They were ready and eager to get to work taking the fight to such a cowardly enemy.
Now, it looks like our new political leaders are going to take that fight back to where it belongs, to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the attitude among the Navy guys I talk to now is, “Better late than never”.
They did their jobs, their duty, in Iraq in pursuit of Bush Co.’s democracy fantasy. It cost us 8 years, put all that wear and tear on our men and machines, but none of that matters to these guys now that they are going to get the chance to hit them where it counts.
Makes you wonder what would have happened if we had skipped the Iraq detour, but that does not diminish the service of the men and women who participated in it, many of whom are now getting ready for round 2 (or 3 or 4), this time in Afghanistan.
Having seen the determination, the professionalism, of the officers we are sending to execute this strategy, I take all the hand wringing about the history of Afghanistan, about the Soviets and the British being unable to “win” there (whatever that means), with a grain of salt.
History, apparently, doesn’t know what it is up against.
May 21, 2009 — 6:17 am
Eric Blackwell says:
Thanks Don.
We owe all of them a huge debt of gratitude.
And yes. Without them, we would not have the freedoms that we enjoy. Them does not limit itself to those who serve(d) in Iraq, but it sure includes them.
It does not limit itself to those who politically agreed with the mission.
The honor of memorial day is for all of those who put duty, honor, and country ahead of self.
My hat is off to them all.
Eric
May 21, 2009 — 6:59 am
Joe Loomer says:
@John,
I find it somewhat dissapointing that you would use this excellent post to get on your soap box and praise our new leader who barely managed 50% of the vote – especially when you consider this community activist defeated a Naval Officer and POW. I pray our new national leadership has the stones (and stomach) to carry this out. We’ve already been in Afghanistan longer than we’ve been in Iraq, how about them apples?
The blood spilled by our men and women in uniform is what will pay the price for our freedoms. Always has, always will.
I for one will be saluting our fallen heroes this coming holiday, paying tribute to their sacrifice, and praying for the safety of my Shipmates overseas.
“All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
May 21, 2009 — 7:32 am
Ark Rhowmine says:
Dan,
Thank you for for the post. We do need to remember those who gave for our freedom.
“May God Bless America.”
Son of a Korean War POW Vet.
May 21, 2009 — 7:51 am
John Rowles says:
Soapbox? How? I purposefully did not make any kind of a qualitative judgment about Obama or his win.
It is a fact that the US military is now shifting its might from Iraq back to Afghanistan, a reversal of what Bush did before the job was done in Afghanistan in the first place. That is just a fact.
What I find so inspiring is that, despite the colossal political mistake of the Iraq war and all the damage it has done to our armed forces, they are as ready, willing and eager as they ever were to go into an environment that is even more difficult than Iraq to get the job done.
May 21, 2009 — 10:44 am
Geno Petro says:
Thank you for the reminder, Don Reedy.
May 21, 2009 — 10:44 am
Brad Coy says:
It’s about a 4 mile hike from my house down and through the Presidio National Cemetery. This is generally a quiet small party parade I take with someone I care about in remembrance of past family and friends. Enjoyed the post, Don. Thanks.
May 21, 2009 — 5:21 pm
Don Reedy says:
Men, thanks for taking a few minutes to share. Brad, I used to hang around Presidio in a past life, and like Rosecrans National Cemetery here in San Diego, and others around the country, these memorials to the fallen move me to passion and honor.
Again, to all of you who wrote, and for all you’ll come in contact with this weekend, may you be blessed by sharing just a small amount of time contemplating the concept of sacrifice. I need a reminder myself, so this yearly journey is a catharsis for me as well.
May 21, 2009 — 8:10 pm
Ryan Hartman says:
cool post don…
Brad…that’s an awesome shot!
May 21, 2009 — 8:12 pm
bs says:
@Don > “Understand. It has always been the role of the soldier to do the bidding of the politico, and rare when that politico reasoned well about that bidding.”
I understand. I love our soldiers, my grandpa served in WWII and my uncle in Vietnam. All of our soldiers/vets should be honored for their service to our country and I certainly do honor them.
@Eric > “And yes. Without them, we would not have the freedoms that we enjoy”
We just don’t agree and I’ll save the debate for another time though; it was the wrong time for me to bring it up.
May 21, 2009 — 8:17 pm