Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Patrick McCloskey. A Green
Beret. They don't make ‘em much more of a warrior than that.
I never met the man. However, he was married to the daughter of one of my first cousins.
Shawn was on his third deployment to Afghanistan. His wife, my second cousin, Jessica, was home in the states taking
care of their two children, Katie and Collin.
That
should be enough to break our hearts but it goes deeper. Much deeper.
He was on a mounted patrol in Ghur Ghuri, which is lord only knows where in Afghanistan,
when his vehicle was hit a roadside bomb. He died instantly and two other brave men died with him. Shawn was 33
years old. Only 33 short years on this planet.
I've
helped friends pray for the safe return of their sons and daughters from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. During those
times, I was worried sick to open an e-mail from those friends, afraid that bad news was being delivered. Fortunately,
those brave souls made it home safely. I wish to God that Shawn had, too.
I have always been a strong supporter of our troops and for a strong defense of our country.
Do our men need to be over there? I'm sorry, but I don't have all the necessary information to answer that question
(with the exception of a gaping hole in Manhattan, a monument at the Pentagon, and a memorial in Pennsylvania).
This much I do know. If something is serious enough to commit
the lives of our nation's finest to execute dangerous missions, they need clearly defined missions, the wherewithal to
successfully complete those missions, and we to do everything humanly possible to bring them back safely and in one piece.
As far as that mission goes, our "brilliant" politicians on both sides of the aisle have failed miserably.
Unfortunately, until they have to bury one of their own, I seriously doubt that they'll "man-up" and do what
it takes to be able to honestly and truthfully say, "Mission Accomplished". Not in May, 2003 and certainly
not as of this writing.
Since these
conflicts began, I've heard that the U.S. was fighting a "humane war". That is almost laughable unless
"humane" means how OUR soldiers are armed and supported. Sure, we absolutely must avoid civilian casualties
and "collateral damage". It's the right and humane thing to do. But, as for the enemy, our soldiers
should be given every means necessary to provide our enemies a one way, first class ticket to Hell. Unless this is going
to be the unwavering objective for being there, then we should pull out immediately. We shouldn't sacrifice lives
if there's not going to be measurable results and a solid definition of "victory".
There's a saying in the south that goes something like this: If you're
not going to pee then get off the pot!" That saying could be applied to these wars. We should either commit to
winning and winning decisively or pack up and head back home.
I love my country. I revere the men and women who serve it and paid the ultimate price for "the
trust that they placed in our nation." I pray to God in Heaven that their blood, and lives, does not wind up being spilled
in vain.
With all of that said, I know
that I can't control the outcome of our war policy. What I CAN control is how I honor, in thought, word and action, those
men and women. If I see a person in uniform, I WILL NOT pass up an opportunity to thank them for their service to our
country. That's not a vote for how the war was and is being waged. It's a show of gratitude and respect
to those who are waging it.. Again, I'm not smart enough to know if this is a justified war or not. But I
do know honor and bravery when I see it and I see it in our soldiers who have, or are, serving.
To Sgt. 1st Class McCloskey and your fellow fallen soldiers in arms,
we thank you and your families for your sacrifice. We will never forget. Never.
