Warrior’s Weekend
This edition of Dolphin talk is timed to be in concert with what we have established as “Warrior’s Weekend”. That is a wonderful way for any community to recognize and thank those often unsung heroes. These warriors have contributed to the wellbeing of our today.
Most of us know that a warrior is one who has been a soldier and contributed in a war. I might prefer the little less specific definition. That definition is a person who has shown great vigor, courage or aggressiveness in his endeavors. Anyone who has gone through boot camp or battle understands vigor and courage. To have been involved in defending our country shows courage.
As one reflects on this time of celebration of those wonderful warriors it does us well to remember that the term warrior comes from medieval England back in the 13th century. So it is not only the United States that has warriors. That caused me to wander through history and see what others have said about warriorship. My first encounter in this was with the Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh. Now, he was a war opponent of the newly formed United States and allied with the British to be sure. However, to be honest he was here first and to him it was defense of his homeland.
His quote was a simple one: He said “Let us form one body, one heart, and defend to the last warrior our country, our homes, our liberty, and the graves of our fathers.” It doesn’t take much imagination for any of us to be able to say amen to that thought for ourselves. We often have similar instincts.
The next quote comes not from a real war but from the battlefield of sports. Sports are often a metaphor for war or battle. Who has not heard an announcer talk of the teams weapons and other elements of war. Like wars most sport events are zero sum events, someone wins and someone loses. Pat Riley the basketball coach had this to say about warriors. “Each Warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on important acts he touches. This is not the voice of ego but of the human spirit, rising up and declaring that it has something to contribute to the solution of the hardest problems, no matter how vexing!” Now isn’t that a description of the warriors you have known. Aren’t they proud of what they contributed? For sure, they deserve a pat on the back and a big thank you for that contribution.
The best is saved for last. It comes from Ronald Reagan. He described why our warriors are the best. He said, “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have.”
Not only in a conventional war but in this war we have with terrorists that still rings true. I say to all warriors have a wonderful weekend and to some who couldn’t come, I sure wish you were here.
