Of sheep and sheepdogs
Of Sheep and Sheepdogs
If you haven't seen this, I think it defines our country today...
personally I hope there are enough of us sheepdogs around to keep our great country safe.
Supposedly, this letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections in January 2005.
They wrote it to Jill Edwards, student at the University of
Washington, who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington.
Ms. Edwards, other students and faculty do not think those who
serve in the U.S. armed services are good role models.
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To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington
Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your student activity regarding the
proposed memorial to Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC, and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive many angry emails from conservative people like me.
You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of
generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you andyour fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naivete. It may be that you are simply a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep, as long as you know and accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval
Academy November 24, 1997, said "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves who feed on the sheep without mercy.
Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock
without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world
and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that, or
pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs, and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect
the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence,
then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a
capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you
have defined [yourself as] an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if
you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow
citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unsheltered path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them
sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world They
can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms, and fire exits throughout
their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of
putting an armed police officer in their kids' school. Our children are
thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by
school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the
possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or
harm their child is just too hard. So they choose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot
like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The
difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot, and will not
ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic, such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give
them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in
camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go Baa. Until the wolf shows up Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big,
tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog, when the
wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001,
when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always
sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at
things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle.
That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old
sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of
the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The
sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that
is, most citizens in America, said "Thank God I wasn't on one of those
planes" The sheepdogs, the warriors, said "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that would destroy 98 percent of the population.
Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals
convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious,
predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders, and killing law
enforcement officers. The vast majority said they specifically targeted
victims by body language:
Slumped walk, passive behavior, and lack of awareness. They
chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out
of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep, and others might be
genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most
people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people, and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs - and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
Edmund Burke said "There is no safety for honest men except by
believing all possible evil of evil men." Here is the point I want to
emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature, the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They don't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever
you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a
sheep, then you can be a sheep - and that is okay, but you must
understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die, if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.
If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are
going to hunt you down, and you will never have rest, safety, trust, or
love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip, and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes/no
dichotomy.
It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of
degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep, and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist
completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in
between.
Since 9/11, almost everyone in America took a step up that
continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.
Its OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the
sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little
better, and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and
spirit with the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks."
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just
need a small pat on the head, a smile, and a thank you, to fill the
emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And, when our
number is called by The Almighty, and day retreats into night, a small
prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
Charles Grennel
I truly loved rebuilding helicopters. 
I'll try to dig up a few pictures of my work on the F-16. It is a cool industry to be in.
I once took one of Mobil Oils Bell 206 and totally rebuilt it. It should have been scrapped.