Smitty – An Officer and a Gentleman

Regular readers of this blog are probably familiar with Smitty, who blogs with Stacy over at The Other McCain. I met him in person at CPAC in February, and my first impression was that he’s a true gentleman. He’s since been quite kind to this blog, and I trust my first impression was spot-on. He’s also an officer in the Navy reserves and will be deployed to Afghanistan  shortly.

As a staff REMF, it’s unlikely that I’ll be in harm’s way. This is really one year in an isolated locale, supporting the a few doughty Americans.  Should some sort of combat situation come upon me, there in the capital, things shall have gone really awry. Unlikely. Also, as a 40-something ship driver from the Navy, there is no interest in reliving my non-existent Rambo days. Let’s be crystal clear on that. Besides PowerPoint, I’ll be doing staff officer sorts of things.

But don’t thank me; thank Americans, from the Founding Fathers forward to the Tea Parties, to my electrician brother-in-law who just runs around fixing things all day. The exceptional American dedication to individualism, the ideals of the Constitution, and the courageous soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in whose bigger footsteps I follow make it all worth it. I’ve benefitted so much from the American people, educationally and otherwise. Thus, it’s with a sense of gratitude to you that I depart on this set of orders, finishing out my Navy Reserve career in active duty style.

Please read the whole thing, he’s got a few words of inspiration for those of us here at home. I’ll be sure to remember Smitty’s sacrifice, and his words, on those days when I just feel like throwing in the towel. While he’s over there in harm’s way, the least I can do is my small part to preserve liberty on the domestic front.

Smitty – you’re in my prayers. Stay safe my friend.

I’m proud to lend my support to Project Valour IT.

Tags: Afghanistan, deployed, honor, leaving, Smitty