Tonight at the aid station a soldier comes in with his finger cut up. It was not "he's gonna lose it" bad, but you could tell that it hurt. He was busting out a window so that he could do his sniper job, and he cut himself. The doctor was poking and prodding and bending and generally making him very uncomfortable, and I could tell it hurt, but every time the doc asked if it hurt or could he feel that, it was always a measured, calm "Yes, sir," or "Roger, that hurts, sir." His sergeant major was standing there giving him some good natured ribbing, and still that same "Yes, sergeant major," even though he was kind of quivering with pain. The doc asked if he was left handed, and he replied that shot right handed so his trigger finger was okay. (Afterwards, he mentioned that he used to shoot left handed growing up hunting, but he switched to right handed because it was easier to operate the bolt on his sniper rifle, and besides, it made him a better shooter since he had "developed bad habits" shooting left handed.) The whole time I'm watching, and I just keep wondering where in the world do we get these kids (he was twenty, more proof I'm old) who will do this job for a third of what I make (he was an E-3, but still was a team leader) and can be respectful and calm when someone is digging in this finger?
Afterwards, I asked where he was from. "Oklahoma, sir." "Where in Oklahoma?" "Do you know where Tulsa is,sir?" "Yeah, I grew up there." "I'm from Claremore, sir." So that is the answer to where does America get clear eyed kids who will do "work most Americans won't do" for less than minimum wage. Andrew from Claremore was just one more of those guys out here doing his job and making us proud. He's going to the big hospital to get his tendon sewn back together tonight, but even here I forget that there are a ton of Andrews out there doing the right thing (he didn't shoot the guy he was setting up for today because he wasn't 100% sure he was a bad guy) when they could very easily do anything else. Keep them in your prayers tonight.
