As Veteran's Day approaches, I'm reminded of the brave men and women who sacrifice home, family, and comfort to serve in our nation's military. War is not glamorous, and I can only imagine the inner strength of those who endure great suffering on behalf of their country.
Last year, I had the privilege of meeting one of our nation's greatest military heroes, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. I had read General Moore's moving books, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young and A General's Spiritual Journey, and I had seen the movie about his life, but nothing could prepare me for the amazing experience of meeting General Moore in person. His kindness, humility, and passion for life and people were incredible. When he visited our office to discuss publishing a book with Simple Truths, he insisted on meeting everyone in the office. At 86 years old, he carried himself with a liveliness and joy rarely seen in people of any age.
I was so honored to be able to publish General Moore's book A Tender Warrior: 5 Leadership Letters to America. I would like to share some of the wisdom contained in that book with you here:
When the blood of any war soaks your clothes, covers your hands, and soldiers die in your arms, every breath forever more becomes an appeal for a greater peace, unity and reconciliation between nations. The place was the far western Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, on the Cambodian Border. The dates were November 14-16, 1965. I was the commander of my air cavalry troopers and accountable for them. We charged the enemy with bayonets fixed to our rifles in face-to-face combat. As we attacked, bullets were flying everywhere, like bees around a nest. Most of the bullets passed us by--many did not! As we charged, bayonets ended lives up close and personal. We looked the enemy in the eye, often only a foot or two away. You see and feel the instant loss of life that you have inflicted. You see and feel the loss of life of your own soldiers. I still see the boots of my dead sticking out unnaturally from under their ponchos, laces tied one last time by their precious fingers. I still carry the wounded to the helicopters as they bleed, die silently, or scream and beg to live one more day . . . and I still hold those who die in my arms, with their questioning eyes, as some called for their mothers. Their eyes go blank and my war-crusted fingers close their eyelids, knowing a terrible truth that will devastate a family back home in America when that terrible telegram arrives within 36 hours. I still hear the ugly noise of war.
General Moore finishes this letter with an appeal to all of us:
"When the heartbeat of one soldier stops forever, the heartbeat of our nation should accelerate. It should drive us to ensure that this life was not sacrificed in vain. It should rouse us to seek better ways to understand and deal with international differences."
Even as we remember and honor our nation's great heroes, let us not forget to strive for peace as a nation and in our own lives. War is a terrible reality in our broken world, but as General Moore reminds us, it is not the only reality. We must hold these two ideas in tension--respecting the great sacrifice of our military heroes and seeking a more peaceful world. Hatred of war can never lead to neglect of our dear veterans. This Veteran's Day, may we all make a point of thanking the veterans in our lives. If you don't know any personally, write a letter to a soldier using one of the following websites:
http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/
http://soldiersangels.org/letter-writing-team.html
http://www.amillionthanks.org/
http://www.letterstosoldiers.org/formletter.html