Battle buddies

While my unit was training for Iraq in 2005, each of the soldiers in my squad was responsible for memorizing the name of a soldier who had been killed in Iraq. Name, age, hometown, and when they were killed. This was their 'battle buddy in the sky'.

When you screw up in the Army, you do pushups. In my squad, when you did pushups you did one extra one for your battle buddy. It was a way of keeping the men focused on the fact that we were in training for combat, where screwing up could get you or your buddy killed. It was also a small way of keeping faith with the men who had been there before you, and had given the ultimate sacrifice.

Had I awoken from a coma last nite just in time to see the Presidential debate, I would have needed only to see one minute and twenty six seconds to know who I would vote for-



Sen McCain remembers in detail the man whose bracelet he is wearing, and why he is wearing it. Sen Obama couldn't even remember the soldier's name without reading it off the bracelet.

By the way, my pushup battle buddy was SFC Paul Smith.



H/T to Michelle Malkin for the video.