Tiny cog... on the cusp of something great

15 April 2008

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with like officers to organize. When you have 40 nations, each with their own histories, their own laws, their own prejudices and attitudes towards warfare, it can be a daunting task to come up with a framework for conducting military operations. Then add to that the fact that we are trying to do this whole thing with honor and integrity, with a basic respect for humanity and the value of human life, and it can be overwhelming. So here were 4 officers like me from 3 different nations, trying to come up with a plan for how to make sure that all of the nations that are involved can, in essence, look themselves in the proverbial mirror. As I sat there and realized just how incredible and important a task that was, I became acutely aware of the fact that I am just one small part of something much larger than myself. I am but a tiny cog in a massive machine. I must be on the cusp of something great. How fortunate and blessed I am to have this opportunity.

I find myself getting into a steady routine. I get up, run/work out, shower, eat breakfast, go to meetings, check e-mail, read my book (currently reading Kite Runner), work out some more, go to lunch, read some more, play Playstation Portable (a must-have for any deployed serviceman), work out yet again, shower again, eat dinner, check e-mail again, watch a DVD (currently watching Lost season 2, perhaps the most addictive tv show ever), play some more Playstation, read some more, go to bed. Sounds pretty monotonous, but it could be worse. When we go out to conduct combat missions “outside the wire”, there won’t be any creature comforts other than a book. No iPod, no Playstation, no gym. We have to sleep in one-man tents made of mesh to keep mosquitoes out. Malaria is a very real threat. In fact, we have to take anti-malaria medicine every week. It has some strange side effects, including abnormal dreams. What is abnormal for a Marine? Puppy dogs and butterflies maybe? I’ll take abnormal dreams over malaria any day. Nevertheless, the prospect of real combat looms near, like a storm rolling in on the horizon. As the lawyer, I doubt I will see any real combat, which suits me just fine. I’m not here for personal glory. I just want to do my job and go home. But, if it does happen, I wonder how I will react? What if I see a fellow Marine hurt or killed? What if it’s someone I know? I can’t answer these questions. All I can do is trust God.


Love, M