4554x4
always modifing something
- Location
- Sandy Utah
This letter was written by Charles Grennel
and his comrades who are veterans of the Global War
on Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two
years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the
first Iraq elections, January of 2005.
It was written to Jill Edwards, a student
at the University of Washington who did not want
to honor Medal of Honor winner Colonel Greg Boyington with
a plaque. Greg Boyington was a graduate of UW, and a USMC
pilot during WW-II.
Miss Edwards objection was because
he had killed people. Ms. Edwards and other students (and
faculty) do not think those who serve in the U.S. armed services
are good role models.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++
To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW) Subject:
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your student
activity regarding the proposed memorial to Col. Greg
Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will
receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from other
military men like me.
You may be too young to appreciate fully
the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen
on whose shoulders you and your fellow students
stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and
your naivete. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep.
There's no dishonor in being a sheep as long as you know and
accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the
United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 said:
"Most of the people in our society are
sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can
only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the
most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are
wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy?
You better believe it. There are evil men in this
world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you
forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs. I'm a sheepdog. I
live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If
you have no capacity for violence then you are a
healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity
for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then
you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what
if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for
your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A
sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
"We know that the sheep live in denial;
that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe
that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that
fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits
throughout their kids schools. But many of them are outraged
at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their
kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely
to be killed or seriously injured by school violence
than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of
violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill
or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose
the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the
sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the
capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that
the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm
the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the
lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world can not work any other way, at
least not in a representative democracy or a republic such
as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He
is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to
go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in
our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The
sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs,
spray paint himself white, and go, Baa.
Until the wolf shows up; then the entire
flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely
sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High
School were big, tough high school students, and under
Ordinary circumstances they would not have had the
time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids;
they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school
was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the
rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically
peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is
how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the
wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11,
2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how
America , more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military
personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior
about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny
critter: He is always sniffing around out on the
perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in
the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a
righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and
wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed,
right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog
think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come,
but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the
attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that
is, most citizens in America said, Thank God I
wasn't on one of those planes. The sheepdogs, the warriors,
said, Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those
planes. Maybe I could have made a difference. You want to
be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally
superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one
real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is
able to survive and thrive in an environment that
destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years
ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes.
These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of
violence: assaults, murders and killing law
enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they
specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk,
passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their
victims like big cats do in Africa , when they select one
out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and
others might be genetically primed to be wolves or
sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which
one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more
Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September
11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of
Cranbury, New Jersey . Todd, as you recall, was the man
on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone
to alert an operator from United Airlines about the
hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger
planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other
passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one
hour, a transformation occurred among the
passengers, athletes, business people and parents from sheep to
sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately
saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
"There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men."... Edmund
Burke.
"Only the dead have seen the end of
war."... Plato
Here is the point I like to emphasize,
especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I
speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are
born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are
wolves. They didn't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human
being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious,
moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then
you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must
understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your
loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog
there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be
one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and
you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk
the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and
moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare
yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when
the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep
dog is not a yes-no dichotomy It is not an
all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a
continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on
the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist
completely on one end or the other. Most of us live
somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took
a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took
a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their
warriors and the warriors started taking their job more
seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep
dog.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
and his comrades who are veterans of the Global War
on Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two
years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the
first Iraq elections, January of 2005.
It was written to Jill Edwards, a student
at the University of Washington who did not want
to honor Medal of Honor winner Colonel Greg Boyington with
a plaque. Greg Boyington was a graduate of UW, and a USMC
pilot during WW-II.
Miss Edwards objection was because
he had killed people. Ms. Edwards and other students (and
faculty) do not think those who serve in the U.S. armed services
are good role models.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++
To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW) Subject:
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your student
activity regarding the proposed memorial to Col. Greg
Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will
receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from other
military men like me.
You may be too young to appreciate fully
the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen
on whose shoulders you and your fellow students
stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and
your naivete. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep.
There's no dishonor in being a sheep as long as you know and
accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the
United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 said:
"Most of the people in our society are
sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can
only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the
most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are
wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy?
You better believe it. There are evil men in this
world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you
forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs. I'm a sheepdog. I
live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If
you have no capacity for violence then you are a
healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity
for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then
you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what
if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for
your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A
sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
"We know that the sheep live in denial;
that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe
that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that
fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits
throughout their kids schools. But many of them are outraged
at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their
kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely
to be killed or seriously injured by school violence
than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of
violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill
or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose
the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the
sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the
capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that
the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm
the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the
lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world can not work any other way, at
least not in a representative democracy or a republic such
as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He
is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to
go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in
our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The
sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs,
spray paint himself white, and go, Baa.
Until the wolf shows up; then the entire
flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely
sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High
School were big, tough high school students, and under
Ordinary circumstances they would not have had the
time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids;
they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school
was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the
rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically
peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is
how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the
wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11,
2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how
America , more than ever before, felt differently about
their law enforcement officers and military
personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior
about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny
critter: He is always sniffing around out on the
perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in
the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a
righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and
wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed,
right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog
think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come,
but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the
attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that
is, most citizens in America said, Thank God I
wasn't on one of those planes. The sheepdogs, the warriors,
said, Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those
planes. Maybe I could have made a difference. You want to
be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally
superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one
real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is
able to survive and thrive in an environment that
destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years
ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes.
These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of
violence: assaults, murders and killing law
enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they
specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk,
passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their
victims like big cats do in Africa , when they select one
out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and
others might be genetically primed to be wolves or
sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which
one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more
Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September
11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of
Cranbury, New Jersey . Todd, as you recall, was the man
on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone
to alert an operator from United Airlines about the
hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger
planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other
passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one
hour, a transformation occurred among the
passengers, athletes, business people and parents from sheep to
sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately
saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
"There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men."... Edmund
Burke.
"Only the dead have seen the end of
war."... Plato
Here is the point I like to emphasize,
especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I
speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are
born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are
wolves. They didn't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human
being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious,
moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then
you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must
understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your
loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog
there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be
one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and
you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk
the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and
moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare
yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when
the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep
dog is not a yes-no dichotomy It is not an
all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a
continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on
the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist
completely on one end or the other. Most of us live
somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took
a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took
a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their
warriors and the warriors started taking their job more
seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep
dog.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
