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May 26, 2006

The Last Full Measure

I can think of little more painful than losing a soldier under my command. While the loss of friends and relatives is more immediate and personal, there is a difference in losing someone close to you and losing someone you are responsible for. I have been fortunate in my career, helped in large part by my amazing ability to avoid combat zones in thirteen years of active service, but I have endured the pain of losing a soldier once in my career. I'll never be certain if there might have been something else I could have done to prevent his death; I suspect I will be asking that question as long as I live.

Still, for me it was relatively easy. I sent him out on a mission, then was informed several hours later that there had been an accident and that we had lost a soldier. I never had to see the body, so I suppose I was never really faced with the full realization of what had happened. I cannot imagine what it is like to deal in such grim reality on a daily basis as military doctors do. McQ at QandO has posted an essay written by Col. Brett Wyrick, a USAF doctor serving at Balad in Afghanistan. Col. Wyrick's essay discusses the death of soldier in his care, doubtless neither the first he's seen nor the last he will see during his service. How men and women like Col. Wyrick can deal with that kind of thing on a daily basis is beyond me, but I am grateful beyond measure that they do. Reading his descriptions of his work and the aftermath of a bad day is painful, yet inspirational. It is a valuable reminder that heroism comes in many forms, although I'm sure Col. Wyrick would not consider himself any more a hero than any of the other men and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq would if you asked them. As you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend (and I certainly hope you do; we are not fighting a war so people can wear hairshirts), take a moment to review Col. Wyrick's words and remember those who have given the last full measure of devotion in the service of their country. Regardless of what one may think of the war, the men and women over there are fighting for us, their countrymen. They have earned our gratitude.