Veterans Day Thoughts

I want to first wish all of my fellow veterans a very Happy Veterans Day, whether you are still wearing the uniform or have since taken it off. For those still on active-duty, I hope you enjoy the extra downtime to spend with your families or simply relax by yourself. While things are winding down in Afghanistan, we continue to maintain a fairly high operations tempo across the military branches.

In the almost 15 years since I enlisted, I've seen quite a bit change. I've watched politicians come and go. I've witnessed over a decade of war (the majority of my time in service), and while I have been spared the grief of losing someone I knew personally, we all grieve when yet another flag-draped coffin passes by. I still never forget standing on the flightline at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan watching the plane I had just landed in become the flight home for the flag-draped coffins of 5 brave Marines who had just been killed the morning before. The playing of Taps at that moment caused me to instantly tear up. I don't care how many times I hear it, that haunting song will get me emotional every time because of what it represents.

We live in a nation where people have become extremely polarized when it comes to politics. Sure, those of us who serve have our own political inclinations as well as our own unique set of morals, beliefs, values etc. We realize though that we're an extension of politics. It really doesn't matter who the President is or who is in Congress. To quote a line from the movie The Green Berets, "...[the military] goes where it's told to go, and fights whom it's told to fight". Not that we're robots or we cannot think for ourself. We simply understand that defense of this nation requires the highest levels of loyalty and discipline, and that is not going to change just because politicians do.

At the end of the day, it's about the person standing next to you. Sure, we serve to keep this country safe. That's the very reason for our existence as a military. It goes deeper than that though. At the end of the day, we serve for each other. This doesn't stop just because you take off the uniform either. Veterans are part of the biggest brother and sisterhood this nation has ever known, and it has been this way since it's very founding. Whether you served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or just got back from your first deployment to Afghanistan, we share a commonality that instantly turns strangers into brothers and sisters.


I've built relationships during my service that are more like familial ones than friendly ones. People like my best friend Jason. We had quite a bit in common outside of our service, but that service together was the concrete and steel that formed the foundation. So many other people who have touched my life in ways I can only feebly express. There are so many I've served with that have touched my life, making it difficult to try and name all of them here. When it seems like it's time to turn in the towel, you guys are the reason I keep doing what I'm doing.

     
May our Almighty Father in heaven bless you, my brothers and sisters. May we never forget those of us who paid the ultimate price.

In memory of Ernest Warshaw (U.S. Army, WWI), Thomas T. Warshaw (77th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, WWII) and Kenneth Fitzpatrick (27th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, WWII).

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

They Climbed...We Climb

The title comes from an interview with an unknown firefighter that participated in the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore this past Thursday. It sums up well why those of us who participate climb: to remember our fallen Brothers from the New York City Fire Department and symbolically complete the climb up the stairs of the World Trade Center that they could not.

This is the third such stair climb that I have participated in, but it was every bit as meaningful as the other two. As I have in the past, I once again climbed in honor of Firefighter Thomas Sabella from Ladder 13. As FF Sabella was the uncle of my best friend Jason, I climb to help keep his memory alive. While I never had the honor to meet him, through Jason I definitely have come to know the husband, father, brother and firefighter that he was. I do this to help to keep the memory of all our FDNY Brothers alive. It is just something that I feel I have to do. We get to go home after our climb. They never got that chance.



It is certainly not an easy venture. Particularly for those of us that choose to climb in full protective gear, it get’s hot and tiresome real quick. Even with ventilation fans blowing air into the stairwells it gets really hot as you get near the top. With all of that said, it is child’s play compared to the hell our FDNY Brothers had to endure as they made their ascent. As in past stair climbs, there are certain times where the urge to quit becomes strong. Whenever these urges come though, I remind myself at Thomas Sabella never quit so neither can I. I had to complete that climb for him and his Brothers.

Special for me this year also was being able to climb with brothers and sisters from the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company. We were able to field a whole team of 7 from the company and I was extremely proud to climb with such a great group of people. I’d like to think that we all became a little closer in the stairwell that day.



This was my third climb, but certainly not my last. As long as my body lets me, I will continue to climb for Jason’s uncle at least once a year. I will do my small part to ensure his memory never fades.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.