Veteran's Day

I knew exactly where to look for a speech passed on to me through letter: the pile of important papers that is both overwhelmingly large and yet so precious that I dare not move or organize. I zeroed in on the hand-written and thick envelope and took out its contents: 4 pages of a double-spaced, caps locked speech delivered at the retirement of my intern supervisor. Harl and Judy have four children, two of which are a set of twins. One of those twins is a Lutheran pastor in Southern California; the other is a military intelligence officer and instructor in the Army. The son who is a pastor delivered an incredible sermon at his retirement; the military officer, an incredible speech.

In honor of those whose vocation a soldier is, I pass on these words:

The first point is my world view, this is best illustrated by a story about a trip we took to Sfax, Tunisia, a Pike pilgrimage of sorts to see where our parents met. On this trip my dad went to get a haircut from the same barber he visited regularly while a Peace Corps volunteer. To my amazement, the barber, Twofeek, still remembered my father, 30 years later, and proceeded to give him a very nice haircut. This barber and the relationship my father shared with him was not markedly different from the relationship my dad had with Al the barber, to whom the Pike boys regularly went during our childhood in Sierra Vista. What I learned from this, which was reinforced throughout my Christian upbringing, my childhood travels and most poignantly during my time in Iraq, is that the vast majority of people, regardless of race, creed, gender and most ideologies are decent hard working individuals that just want to provide for their families and find meaning in their life. This was especially important to me in Iraq where I faced my own mortality and about the 3rd week in country through intense prayer and reflection realized that despite politics, the media, and even popular perception, it was worth my life to do everything I could to protect and help the Iraqis, the individuals who just wanted to live, provide for their families and had little true concern beyond their immediate area, for without question, I knew that they were people just like me, or Twofeek the barber or Al the barber and it was my duty and mission to help them. For in the end we are all God's children and as Jesus said and did, the greatest love is to lay down your life for another--which several of my friends have done.


Also, this photo taken today in a Veteran's Day Memorial speaks more than 1,000 words could possibly say.

May peace be found on earth and every good, faithful and dutiful soldier brought home with thanksgiving.