Saturday, February 25, 2012

Act of Valor - The bigger picture


Well, I’ve done it. I’ve joined the ranks of the many who will be going to see the highly anticipated movie, Act of Valor. The movie not only contains real U.S. Navy SEALs but also (according to reports) depicts actual missions that these men carried out. As with many things which have happened in the past year, this film will most certainly bring the Navy SEALs into the spotlight of not just America, but the world as a whole. This brings me to the purpose of this post, which is two-fold.

First, our Navy SEALs are but one part of our Special Operations Forces who train for every possible situation to ensure the success of their missions. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that despite these things working in their favor, anything can go wrong. These men go into situations with as much information as possible, but no mission has a script. The outcome is always unwritten and yet to be determined. Since World War II we have lost over 270 UDT and/or SEALs. That doesn’t even count the tens of thousands of lives lost in other conflicts, including the global war on terror from all our branches of military. Our United States Military is much like a giant machine which has thousands of moving parts. Those parts need to work together cohesively in order to arrive at successful outcomes. They are all important and play an integral part in defending our country. Each and every one of our men and women serving are heroes in their own right. However, since this movie highlights our Navy SEALs, I ask you all to consider that each one of these men were more than just warriors trained by our United States Navy. They were a group who lived by a creed, an ethos which ran deeper than mere words. A group that quite simply put others before themselves more times than we will ever know. In 2011 we’ve learned more about details regarding special operations. Details which in my opinion, we simply do not need to know. While it may be exciting to hear, it’s probably best for the security of our armed forces and our nation that we know very little. Quite frankly at the end of the day, the safety of the men and women of the armed forces trumps any of our desire to know how things went down.

Secondly, as more people see the movie, there will undoubtedly be a sense of awe invoked by watching these warriors in action, knowing that these are the lengths they go to, to not just defend their country, but the world. With that being said, there may undoubtedly be some characters who decide to come out of the wood work claiming that they also are SEALs. Stolen Valor has become an epidemic in the past years and even more so with the events of the past year. Social networking sites are notorious for housing many of these individuals who have decided to claim ownership of a Trident.

My personal messages regarding this are, if someone tells you they are an active SEAL, chances are they are not. To any individual who may be considering claiming that they are SEAL and in turn deciding that glory is more important than integrity, I ask you to consider the following. Graduating BUDs and receiving a Trident does not come easy. It is a symbol worn with pride by those who earn it. They answer a call to duty that some can never understand. A call that probably can’t even be put into words. They do so because it is who they are and what they believe in. With each day they put others before themselves. Part of the SEAL Ethos is that they “serve with honor, on and off the battlefield”. Please don’t disrespect the honor they uphold by trying to take advantage of the ones who do so much for all us. So much more than we can ever possibly know.

And lastly, amidst the admiration for the Navy SEALs, please remember that many have lost their lives trying to protect their brothers, this country and the world.

For those wishing to donate in honor of our SEALs here are some charities: 


9 comments:

David George said...

I liked this post, and I agree with it. I am surprised that we haven't already had lots of nasty sniping comments from marxists denigrating the efforts of these brave and dedicated people; but I expect there will be some.
I am not a Navy Seal or anything vaguely equivalent. I regard their attitude as this: they see something that need. s doing, and they go and do it, or at least try to. That's admirable; it's what I try to do politically.
I hope you enjoy the film.

Harlie Williams said...

Beautiful post Nicole. I'm in awe of anyone in our armed forces. I respect them, honor them and support them. Our armed forces put their lives on the line every day and their families are not to be forgotten too. I could not imagine having my husband on a mission not knowing if he is coming home or not. So let's not forget them, too.

Marika

Laura Taylor said...

As always, Nicole, you've captured the importance of the missions undertaken by all special operators, and you've put on notice the faux hero who claims to be a warrior, but is not. Your willingness to honor those who willingly go into harm's way affirms your remarkable character and your patriotism. As the daughter of a warrior and as the widow of a warrior, I thank you. LT

Fedora said...

Thanks for this post, Nicole--we owe a debt of gratitude to those who serve, and their families alongside them. We are blessed each day by their work on our behalf!

Psi Brr said...

OUSTANDING piece Nicole. I expect nothing less from you. Well done.

Kim Wolfert said...

Bravo Zulu!

Shane said...

AS a Vet of a lesser conflict. I applaud your comment ,I just saw the movie tonight . It truly tells the story of what soldiers do every day. Maybe it's not quite the same as the SEALS but they all give just because they believe in what they do , and that just enough to get us through. Thank you for the admiration for the boys that do it just because and the families that understand thats their job.

M. S. Spencer said...

I believe you know whereof you speak, don't you Nicole?Bravo! We honor our fallen heroes, but I am proud of them also that they chose freely to defend us--their deaths are not in vain & they would not have us belittle their choice. I agree about need to know--it puts our special forces in danger for a little political grandstanding. Inexcusable. As for stolen valor, how pathetic is that person who does it--not worth wasting time on. Meredith

scott said...

nicely done ...

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