A showing of colors

Viewpoints

November 12, 2009

Arnold Pitchford, Guest Columnist

Anonymous The Weatherford Democrat Thu Nov 12, 2009, 03:38 PM CST

As we give recognition to the veterans of all wars who helped make our nation safe, the tragedy that occurred Nov. 5, in Fort Hood, Texas, brings to attention the strength of character our young men and women in the military possess.

An old friend of mine lived in the beautiful state of Alabama made reference to the male chameleon, native to the Mobile area, when she said, “He is showing his colors” when its throat became a brilliant red during the mating season.

That expression has been used for many different occasions such as the posting of the flags during sporting events and when rising to the forefront when circumstances demand it.

It reminds me of a call to rise above the ordinary made by a sergeant Murphy during my basic training period during World War II. He had been tested under fire and his shrapnel-scarred face showed it, yet he survived the battles he fought in the Pacific and came home to train the young recruits like me, that we too would develop survival skills.

I remember well when we were in a 25-mile hike carrying 60-pound full field packs, and as was the custom, each squad was equipped with a Browning automatic rifle. Because it was much heavier than our M-16 issued rifles, it was passed back to the marching soldier behind on designated intervals.

When a strong, raw-boned soldier from Iowa told the struggling, weaker fellow soldier from New York City that he was just getting used to carrying the extra weight and he would like to carry it for him, Sergeant Murphy witnessed the incident and remarked, “Iowa, you are showing your true colors.”

Murphy pushed us beyond ordinary endurance, explaining that when the rigors of combat faced us, we should have the skills and physical strength to fight the battles. He ended those comments with his famous, “Strength of character will sustain you when the fighting becomes intense. You will show your true colors admirably.”

We hated his guts during the early stages of our training and, without exception, each of us honored and respected him when our training was complete and would have followed him into any battle we might face.

That is just one of many personal experiences that could be recalled by many of the veterans who survived their periods of service to our country. The untold experiences of those who gave their lives or died subsequent to their service time would give a deeper meaning to “the showing of their colors.”

Maybe the recent tragedy triggered my thoughts on the showing of colors when I listened to the media describe how the wounded rose to assist others whose wounds were more serious.

Great friendships come out of wars. I am grateful for the military experience that cast four young men together in World War II and created a “buddy” bond that still remains to this day. We came from Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, and me from Texas. Only my Nebraska buddy and I remain and we cherish our friendship.

God bless America.

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The Komen Foundation recently cut ties (before announcing they would reinstate them) with Planned Parenthood and stopped funding breast cancer screenings — was that a good thing?

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