Every soldier I attended to that was wounded or held their hand before death had one thing in common, the need for their mother. I think the connection is never broken; love never leaves the heart of almost every man. I wonder, at this moment before death is a real connection between the two. In the middle of a firefight, so loud and with so much chaos, helping the wounded and dying is almost impossible. Most people don’t realize we have no idea what the end of the firefight will look like or whether we will survive or die. The end comes suddenly either way.

I had people ask me when I was running for the US Senate race in 2018 what kind of officer I was and did I plan battles. My response was always at 18 years old; of course, I wasn’t an officer, but at 18, I led men into a firefight that followed those plans to some degree. I asked who did they think had the most challenging, most dangerous job the planners or the men that led men into battle. The heartache of losing men that followed your directives that are wounded and killed in battle is life lasting. .

I had a man not long ago that said his son was too important to fight and die for his country. So many folks nowadays believe somehow they are more important than the country, not realizing without the country, they would most likely be nothing. Death comes to us all.I would rather die as a man protecting my country then live as a captive in some far away forgotten land. A soldier picks no war to fight; that is, for civilians to decide.

The soldiers never fight for glory or awards, they fight to save each other.