Just an Observation.........

Sunday, May 15/16

Heroes by Scala & Kolacny Brothers


Yesterday I took the first small step on my road to emotional recovery and met someone for drinks.

This post isn't about or the exchange that took place over the following 3 hours but it might be fodder for a future entry, still haven't decided about that yet.

No, this post is a general observation about hero's.

Not sure how the talk turned to our prior relationships or the whole best date, worst date stories but it did somehow and that is what got me thinking about hero's.

Over the course of my dating life I've met teachers, nurses, a doctor, and a couple of members of the military. When the lady I was having drinks heard the last one she made a comment about how well the military must pay as there are more than a few who reside in Kanata, which by some standards is considered an upper middle to middle upper income class neighbourhood.

Now knowing what I know about the pay scales of the military she is somewhat right, the pay is not too bad and at some spots someone with equivalent work experience as myself with 20+ years in service might make 140% of what I make, which isn't too bad.

But the catch is that when I get done with an assignment the odds are I'm not going to jump when I hear a door slam thinking it's an IED going off, I'm not going to have flashbacks of someone I've served with being injured, maimed, or God forbid killed. I'm not going to come home and think I'm better off dead than dealing with day to day issues. And I'm not going to end up possibly being homeless and left as discarded by a government that is so short sighted as to fail to provide services for returning veterans.

No, I'm not going to do any of those things nor will I have to face the moral dilemma of having to stand up and place myself in harms way in order to protect all that I hold dear for my country, I won't have to be prepared to leave my home and spend upwards of a year or more away from my family, doing so because I know it's the right thing to do.  I won't stand guard on the proverbial wall while the rest of society sleeps sound knowing me and my comrades are there for them.

Hero's come in many shapes, colours, and sizes. It's a term often loosely bandied about, sometimes for those who don't deserve it and once in a while applied to one's self by someone who is so far from being one that hearing the self proclaimed statement laying claim to it makes me want to throw up and punch them in the face.

Hero's put others safety first without thinking about the cost to themselves.

I've dated a few women who were hero's and they never once considered themselves one.

But they are. Oh they absolutely are!!

So next time you see a nurse, a doctor, a police officer, a teacher, a firefighter, or a member of the military have the courage to say thank you and shake their hand as you do as it is the very least they deserve from each of us.

My name is Marcus and if you can't stand behind the hero's please feel free to stand in front of them.

Update: May 15/16 @ 11:06 AM
I've received a message stating the following "We get it, you miss C but for the love of God please stop posting entries about her!"

I admit in my mind C is one of those hero's mentioned above but this post isn't about her or any attempt to get on her good side so she'll talk me again.

The post is about who I think is a hero and how much we owe them, emphasis on them and not one particular person. I'm at the stage where I can admit that ship has sailed and I'm moving on but that doesn't mean I can't and don't appreciate the sacrifices made by people.