OtisM BLS Tulsa FOB Jayde KGB's blog: "Political shit."

A friend of mine's son is going off to war. He joins the many who have been sent, and will serve proudly as they all do, but the feeling of watching him go is a feeling I know too well. My son left for his 2nd tour back in September of 2007. I never in my wildest imaginings could have been convinced that it would be this difficult to live on this side of that line when I was on the side his son now joins.

I was in "The First Gulf War" ( as though they have not been perpetually at war with someone or another for millenia ) .. have the southwest asia service medal with expeditionary accessories to prove it. I was there from start to finish. I - as I'm sure is true of my son as well - was damned anxious to go, happy to serve and proud to be among the defenders of our freedom. The military, like our administration, has always been and will always be a machine. It's almost alive in its ability to bend and shape to the will of the government that drives it but it's not. This fact has never been more evident than it is in the way that the military in general handles its personnel. Compassion, honor, bravery, and strength seem to get lost in the shuffle of administering the monster but in all cases and in all battles in every war that has ever been waged there is a common thread that seems forged of titanium steel.

Call them soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, operatives, agents, mercenaries, or grunts .. they bond together to form an invincible spirit that collectively kicks ass. The warrior spirit is in them all and they are all a part of the whole. They look after each other even before they look after their missions until and unless it becomes a choice between the two because without the warrior there will BE no mission. The bravest of the brave echo this sentiment in the practice of never leaving a man behind.

Brothers in arms are reluctant to part company even after death in the completion of their mission. The camaraderie established is more than just casual banter it is a fact of life. I hope that my friend will take comfort in this fact. The spirits fighting alongside his son are the warriors of old. He is in good company. They will bolster his spirit in times of need and are solely and exclusively qualified to show him that place of power in his soul that will bring him through the lightest and darkest of times.

There used to be a mural on the wall of the Noncommissioned officer barracks at the United States Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Devens Massachusetts. It was an ornate pedestal, with the image of a rose - the ancient symbol of secrecy - and a sword for bravery - and a ribbon around the front of the pedestal that read "illegitimi noncarbeurendum" . The whole thing was intended as a message to those brave souls who passed through those same hallowed halls through which have passed the soldiers who are said to be among the top 10% of the intellectual capacity of the armed forces.

That message is more than the "Don't let the bastards wear you down" that the "illegitimi noncarbeurendum" message is supposed to mean. That message is this. In times of hardship the time honored secret to survival against all odds in battle is to remember that a warrior is at once always and never alone. They are never alone, in that the warrior spirit will always be with them as brothers. They are always alone because they serve outside our borders far from home. This particular time honored trust knows no boundaries within any of man's laws.