Where Have All the Young Men Gone?

I shouldn't be writing. I have a class starting in less than half an hour, but this can't wait.

This morning, during my commute, I heard the story of Army Sgt 1st Class Jared Monti who today will receive the Medal of Honor, posthumously. Monti is the second soldier fighting in Afghanistan to receive our nation's highest military honor. I don't know this man. I never heard of him before this morning's 10 minute radio broadcast and yet, I can barely form the words to describe the pain and anger I feel over his death. The anger I feel that a man who was described by his comrades as easy to talk to and protective of his soldiers. From the description shared by Staff Sgt. John Hawes it is clear that Monti tolerated little nonsense when it came to the safety of his soldiers. Monti insisted that he be the one to retrieve a lost comrade during his final fight against Taliban forces.

Hearing this story reminded me of the folk song: "Where Have All the Flowers Gone". American folk singer Pete Seeger wrote this song in 1961 and based his version on an earlier Russian folk song written between WWI and WWII. The sentiment expressed in this song--the loss of an entire generation of young men to graveyards and war--clearly crosses cultural and language boundaries and even generational ones. I was not alive to witness the loss of a generation to the jungles of Vietnam nor was I alive to witness the loss of a generation to the forests of Europe, jungles of the South Pacific, and the deserts of Africa. Yet, I am alive to witness the loss of my generation to the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is what angers me more than anything. Sgt. Monti was a unique individual a man who wanted to serve his country. A man who understood the value and importance of what he was doing and who, in the end, reconciled himself to his life and his choices. Ultimately, I am in awe of him and others like him. I am saddened by the fact that he will not be around to encourage others to cultivate the same sense of honor and valor.

Here is a link to the original article from NPR: "A Medal of Honor for Sgt. Monti, Who Went to Save His Man"