Infantryman’s pride
StrikeFO sent us a link from a blog Knottie’s Niche where a Gold Star Mom republishes from a Facebook post by someone (whose name is lost to the interwebs apparently) explaining why infantrymen are so arrogant. It’s several months old, but I haven’t read it before, so you get it on a Saturday;
The pride of the infantryman comes not from knowing that he’s doing a job that others can’t, but that he’s doing a job that others simply won’t.
[…]
That’s why the infantryman carries himself with pride and arrogance. He’s aware that America has lost respect for him. To many he’s a bloodthirsty animal. To others he’s too uneducated and stupid to get a regular job or go to college. Only he knows the truth.
[…]
It’s a job most Americans don’t understand, don’t envy, and don’t respect. That is why we have pride for the infantry.
I remember after the shooting was pretty much over after the first Gulf War, we were moved up two days drive into Iraq to screen for the Shi’ites who were trying to escape Saddam Hussein’s wrath. We had no tents other than the ones we gathered up from the retreating Iraqis. We were sleeping on the ground among the gerbils and dung beetles, our medics had long ago run out of Kaopectate, the nearest pack of cigarettes was two days drive away.
Somehow we got a weeks old Stars & Stripes and they had a feature story about some “hero” truck driver who stayed on the road moving supplies to the troops (obviously not to us). But he mentioned in the article, that he was glad to be on the road, because the troops he was supplying “were living like animals”.
I looked up from my newspaper reading and surveyed the scene around me with my troops sacked out in the sand, with only a hole with an MRE box for a toilet seat, happily munching on unhydrated pork patties. It’d been weeks since our last opportunity for a freezing cold shower. Yeah, we were pretty much living like animals, but I don’t think they would have had it any other way. I don’t think there would have been any volunteers to be a truck driver in that war.
But you should read the whole piece at Knottie’s Niche.
Category: War Stories
Thanks for posting. That goes back for other wars!
Thanks for posting this. It’s that kind of commentary and personal insight that keeps TAH in my Favorites list.
Thanks for posting this. I went over to the blog and read the whole thing. Well done. I love all my grunts, especially my Infantry company commander son in Afghanistan. Follow me!
I will tell you this: I have never been an ignorant person, though I am dumb frequently, but the 3 most intelligent people I know are and were infantrymen. I feel absolutely inadequate compared to them, frankly. Those 3 men are whom inspire me every day to learn more, see more, and get up 11 times after falling down 10.
Let people believe the “dumb grunt” myth; it will be that much more satisfying when they’re proven wrong.
Preach it, Jonn!
There is only one thing I love more than you grunts…is busting your balls. Shit if you guys could pat yourself on the back a little more. I guess you do lead the way after the engineers clear anything that might get in the way out first. 🙂
I like the piece, as well as the comments. That feeling of brotherhood is why I always wanted to be an infantryman. Tried twice to enlist 11X, both times unable to do so. Not earning those blue cords is one of the biggest regrets of my life. My hats off to all of the infantrymen out there.
God bless those silly stubborn creatures called Infantry, whether Army or Marine. They work hard all day, so you don’t have to.
The name was withheld by request of the deployed soldier who wrote it. His Mother shared it with me and gave me permission to share it on my blog. Knottie…