Duty, honor, country
"They” are asking state veterans to write a short essay on the questions: “How did your service affect you most deeply, especially in terms of your feelings about America, patriotism, the flag – in short, duty, honor, country.” In this case, “They,” are the editors of “Rural Montana,” a fine monthly magazine published by the Montana Rural Electric Cooperative’s Association.
It has been 65 years since I went in the service and I’ve not really sat down and deeply thought about my three years in these exact terms; however it is something I’ll try.
Officially, we were still at war but the shooting had stopped when this 17-year-old was shipped to Fort Dix, N.J., for combat infantry training, then to Germany. I long ago forgave myself for foolish disappointment about missing the “action” and shortly after arriving overseas I endured another self-conceived guilt trip while standing honor guard when the first 5,000 caskets were stacked on the docks of Le Havre, France. We had begun sending home America’s dead, the ones who paid the highest price.
On my second evening in Germany, I stared in disbelief as a line of women came straggling out from the town of Marburg and up a hill to our replacement depot in an old castle above the Lahn River. There were an estimated 5 million women whose husbands or future mates had been killed fighting Hitler’s wars. Our female visitors, still labeled “the enemy,” were destitute, facing starvation, selling the only thing they had left … themselves.
The once powerful nation of Germany was a decimated bankrupt land of bombed-out factories, cities and villages of rubble and bewildered homeless wanderers.
Excepting the tens of thousands of children, feeling sorry for the defeated people was difficult to deal with at first; but a majority of our troops were soon able to turn their bitterness and scorn to understanding toward the helpless survivors. It was startling revelation for a naïve young man, fresh from remote hills of Montana to learn … most people in the world are the same, wanting liberty, peace, security.
My service also taught me how basically good my fellow Americans can be, under very strange and difficult circumstances. Being human we made mistakes but from the generals on down, we adapted and did an amazing job of making things better. I learned why and how this county is strong enough to face the worst armed attacks and foreign threats then help former enemies become better world neighbors. The U.S.A. is the quickest of all nations to help the beleaguered and the down trodden, wherever they are … in war or peace. Ongoing, positive belief in America is the heart of patriotism.
The flag to me is the symbol of wondrous things we know about this best of all nations, and the sacrifices so may have made to keep it that way for 235 years. I stood attentions beneath “Old Glory” with tears in my eyes … that day in Le Havre, and on other days like when we buried my kid brother, killed fighting in North Korea. I feel pity and shame for those who don’t understand “the flag IS America.”
My service in the military taught me honorable duty boils down to doing your job. Everyone can’t be in the military, but it is the same outside. Each citizen should perform our country’s work however we can, while often remodeling ourselves, “It takes all of us TO KEEP AMERICA FREE.”
G. George Ostrom is a national-award winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.