Of The Troops and (Always) For The Troops

Why we gather to remember.

     I now know why soldiers who have answered the call to duty yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories or look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep. Comrades gather because they long to be with their friends and buddies who once acted their best, soldiers who suffered and sacrificed, who were stripped raw, at times right down to their humanity.

     I did not pick these comrades in arms. They were delivered by fate. But I know them in a way I know no others. I have never given anyone such trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than my life. They would have carried my reputation, the memory of me.

     It was part of the bargain we all made, the reason we were so willing to serve together in times of peace and conflict.

     I cannot say where we are headed. Ours are not perfect friendships; those are the province of legend and myth. A few of my comrade’s drift far from me now, sending back only occasional word. I know that one day even these could fall to silence. Some of them will stay close, a couple, perhaps, always at hand.

     As long as I have memory, I will think of them all, every day. I am sure that when I leave this world, my last thought will be of my family and my comrades...such good soldiers.

Edited from "These Good Men" by Michael Norman, G Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Division, 1967-1969.