Letters to a Courageous Coward Part 2

February 21, 2018

Dear Glorious One,

I don't understand this. What you call 'glory'. What is it? What does it do? What is it worth and why is it worth so much? What IS it?

This is what I know about wars; in wars you fight, you kill, you die or earn scars. That's about it. Just death, scars, casualties, and a big 'Sorry' from politicians.

So what's the glory in dying. For your country, eh? Did you know that most soldiers in war don't make it home to their families or even given a resting place.

Then what's glory? Lots of people die each day, week, month, year. Do they get glory too? What if they die on accident, like a car accident, do they get glory?

Will I get glory even though I never fought? This sounds a lot like the Crusades. My tutor told me about it. Under God you stand yet you kill under him as well. Why?

The Knights of the Crusades killed because of God. Or was it because of pride? Was it because of glory? Did they please their bloodthirsty God or bloodthirsty selves?

Millions of innocents killed because of a god they didn't believe in. Seems like murder to me. Seems like injustice, seems like glory.

It seems like Child's play. You wanna be a toy soldier, one of the hundreds yet stand out. Toy soldiers are so easy to break, and even easier to knock down. Where's glory?

I still don't think I'm understanding this concept. You want glory but glory means death if not yours then someone else's. So what's the glory in death? It's not right to shoot someone and feel good about it, you'll be labeled a monster, yet if you kill someone in the color green under a red, white, and blue flag you are a hero.

What's glory? Think about this while you long for it so much that you start to think that glory can make you something. Can make you someone.

Sincerely,

Gloryless.

March 28, 2018

Dear Anarchy,

You wouldn't understand. Glory is something only for soldiers, it's what pushes us to fight toward the ending. The glory is always on the horizon rushing us forward at gun point.

Glory is not killing. It's not murder. It's the winning that counts. We're responsible for them, the murderers on the enemy field.

We fight for the defenseless, young and old. We fight for those who can't fight back against injustice. We fight for glory. The righteousness that comes with shooting an enemy comes second to none.

How can you argue that we are similar to the Crusades? In the great Ancient Rome the army was most important and the people second.

Those men took great sacrifice in order to protect the ones that could not protect themselves. Woman, children, the elderly, babes. All would have been slaughtered if not for the army.

So is it wrong to be proud and want to be a part of that? A part of an unbeatable force that protects the weak? Your argument is childish. Of course, there will be bloodshed. That is just war and is a perfect reason why we are needed to handle what the weak can't.

You know nothing of true suffering and sacrifice. So next time you write about murder learn about sacrifice, righteousness, and honor. Then you'd understand.

My first week here has been tough. There's nonstop training until the wee hours and three hours of sleep. The food is terrible here and barely tastes edible. It's probably not.

There's an endless cycle of exercise and after that is done we exercise some more. We run miles for warms ups and get yelled at for even breathing the wrong way. Many have already given up and went home. But I'll make it. I have to.

Im behind in my troop but I know we'll catch up soon. We still have nine months before the big battle and have little ones in between. We won't even get to Iran until another two months.

Punishments here are cruel. Eighty push ups for a toe out of line and you have to do it in front of everyone. I should know. It's happened twice.

But I'll keep going even if it kills me. At this rate it will.

Sincerely,

Rooky