Greetings From The Distaff Side

In a fit of madness (could it be he's secretly a Sensitive, New Age Guy?) Greyhawk inexplicably included me in the list of guest-bloggers. I've been posting as Cassandra over at I Love Jet Noise for about 7 months now. My Dad was a career destroyer man in the Navy, so we moved almost every year growing up. Taught to aspire to greater things in life, I married a Marine when I grew up. *rimshot* As you can see, my experience of military life is as a Navy daughter and Marine wife of 25 years.

Politically I lean Republican but have voted Democrat on occasion: frankly character and integrity mean more to me than ideology as I find both parties are becoming more centrist with time. I write about anything concerning Marines, the election, Kerry, media bias, the economy, the WOT, education, and political correctness/First Amendment issues, not necessarily in that order.

Which brings me to my first post. I've been quite critical of the media at Jet Noise. They seem determined to report only one side of the news. So when I find a reporter who is actually friendly to the military, it seems like a miracle.

Our wounded military vets have no better friend than Boston Herald reporter Jules Crittenden. Mr. Crittenden was an embedded reporter with US forces. Now back in the States, he follows the stories of these oft-forgotten heroes. In July he wrote about Marine Lance Cpl. James Crosby, who was wounded after only one month in Iraq. The 19 year-old is now in a wheelchair, but is facing rehab and the battle to walk again with grit and determination:

"My father was a Marine. All my life, I said, I want to do it,'' he said. Now Crosby said he is beginning to fully understand what it is to be a Marine.

"They made me into a person who demands success,'' he said. "I'm still a Marine. I'm obligated to do the best that I can.''

The other day Mr. Crittenden sent me another story, this time about a career soldier, Sgt. James Lathan Jr.,and his family:

Lathan, an Omaha native, was a chopper mechanic at Baghdad International Airport. It was the Fourth of July, and he had only 13 days left to go in Iraq.

"I was just coming back from chow, going to watch a movie in the rec tent,'' Lathan said last week. "As I was getting to the tent door, that's when the mortar came down, or rocket, or whatever it was.'' He was hit in the neck.

"I wasn't able to breathe. I couldn't scream for help. The soldier next to me was screaming for help. I was trying to scream. I couldn't move,'' Lathan said. He figures someone got to him quickly, because he's alive today.

We're used to thinking of courage on the battlefield: the active kind you see when adrenaline is pumping and bullets are flying. But what of the quiet courage it takes to face a wheelchair? Or months of pain, disfigurement, or physical therapy? What of the grace, faith, and amazing strength of our military wives and mothers, who must deal with all the hardships of deployment: bills, the absence of a husband and father, loneliness, depression...and face all these things with a smile because their loved ones look to them for support? Reporter Jules Crittenden was awed by what he saw in the Lathans, so he does what he can to help spread the word:

We only have a couple of guys here, as the badly wounded usually stay at Walter Reed or Bethesda. So we try to get them some publicity, so people know what it is about and vets can check in with them. Sgt. Lathan's wife is solid as a rock and handling this well, as is Lathan himself. As heartbreaking as these situations are, it is also heartening to see the strength people display in extreme situations.

And the Lathans, who might well feel sorry for themselves these days, show not a trace of self-pity:

"You go on with life, get in the chair and learn how it works, or you stay in the bed,'' James Lathan said. It does no good to pity yourself. I've got my wife and all the people around me. I know there's a lot of other people, they may have all their limbs, but they still are not satisfied with their life. To me, it's keeping your outlook positive.''

Amy Lathan said, "He's the same person he was. Physically, it's more challenging. But he's strong enough to get through anything. He's a fighter. He's as blunt as he always was.''

Amazing.

- Cassandra