W. Thomas Smith, Jr., "The Tank," National ReviewThere's a scene in the movie, A Few Good Men, where Navy JAG officer Sam Weinberg (played by Kevin Pollak) asks fellow Navy JAG officer Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore) why she likes Marines so much. She responds, "Because they stand on a wall, and say, 'No one's gonna hurt you tonight, not on my watch.'"
The line — stirring in 1992 (particularly to a former Marine like myself) — has become somewhat cliché. Though it speaks to the heart of what we Americans so-often take for granted.
I'll have to admit however I think about it everyday: Even more so when I see — in my travels over the years — the young faces of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in some of the world's most dangerous places. They're sometimes alone. Sometimes in pairs. Sometimes in groups from about platoon-size up to battalion. Always in good spirits, highly motivated (another cliché), and willing to do the seemingly impossible when asked or ordered.
They gripe for sure, like everyone else, but only among themselves. Outsiders just see cheerfulness, enthusiasm, an amazing sense of humor, and a personal professionalism usually only demonstrated by people much older and more experienced than they are. They get filthy dirty when they work, but are squeaky clean when they don't. They are trained to kill, but they all seem to have the soul of a Boy (Girl) Scout.
It can truly be an emotional experience to spend time with these Americans — the smartest, hardest-working, most responsible people, in fact, America produces. I experienced it while observing soldiers during basic training, last week and today, at Fort Jackson, S.C. . . . .
Go read it all. You'll experience the same "almost uncontrollable welling-up of emotion" the author did.