THE DAY AFTER MEMORIAL DAY
By Andy Weddington
Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. - Carl Von Clausewitz
A great uncle, a soldier, rests in Flanders fields.
Death not by gun but disease; sacrifice the same.
Sunday, before easel in an old cemetery where some warriors rest, I painted - patriots honoring patriots with small flags.
Amid composing, simplifying and hurrying, Edward Malone and other family warriors and this thing called 'warrior ethos' circled in thought.
What is warrior ethos?
The dictionary's words for each word insufficient. Nor is combining all those words sufficient.
Military themed books and old soldiers attempt to describe; some better than others.
But the greater the intangible the greater the inadequacy of words.
I paint simple.
And write simple.
Heart.
The warrior ethos goes to heart.
Anyone can have (the) heart.
But heart is not enough.
The lion.
The warrior.
Heart must be complemented with weapons; killer instinct and muscle and speed and stamina and fangs and claws to make the kill.
More important.
American ethos.
What does that mean?
Love of country. Respect for our flag - the symbol of freedom. Pledge of Allegiance. Oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. The commitment to sacrifice, including life, for fellow man. And respect for those who so do.
The paintings reflect.
An older distinguished looking woman, I saw placing flags, spotted me and wandered over politely asking if she could see.
"Ah, you included the people."
"Yes, ma'am. The living and the dead."
"That's true. Your paintings capture this moment."
We spoke for a couple minutes.
Later I learned she is a physician and took care of an old (102) Sailor we know.
First, American ethos - for all.
Then warriors.
I was deeply disturbed this weekend by a post on social media.
An angry young mother held up a book and read aloud, editing foul language, that was being taught to her daughter (not yet 8, as I recall) about human sexuality. The text was inappropriate - unnecessarily graphic. Pornography. Mom ought be pissed.
Instead, teach children the American ethos.
In Texas a man went into a school and killed a man killing the helpless.
Courage. American ethos. Warrior.
Uniformed police on scene cowered.
There's not alibi.
But they're not the only uniformed cowering.
American ethos is not a uniform.
The warrior ethos is not a uniform.
American ethos ...
It is something taught, reinforced, shaped by example, and put into practice - in the home, community, school, church, scouting, athletics, et al. It's for everyone.
And we're not doing near good enough job.
Warrior ethos ...
It is something taught, reinforced, shaped by example, and put into practice - in the home, community, school, church, scouting, athletics, training fields, battlefields, et al. It's not for everyone; size of heart moot if not the complements.
There was not poppies nor row on row of crosses before easel the other day but I pictured them; one marking young Eddie (a small framed black and white photo - full figure in uniform - one a wall in Nanny and Pop Pop's home haunts).
The birds sang; loud - for the peace and quiet.
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2 comments:
We are blessed to have such men serve us all. “Pro patria mori dulce et decorum est.”
"It takes a village to raise a child" has been replaced with tall fencing, gated communities, single parents/absentee fathers, and falling attendance at church. Little wonder we find the most recent generations so sorely lacking in an ethos of any kind, much less a Warrior ethos. We are reaping reap what we have sowed...
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