The Burning Man (for candidates)

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The Burning Man

At will and sometimes against his will, Sam Brown can return in his mind to that hour in the Kandahar desert when he knelt at the edge of a blast crater and raised his flaming arms to the Afghanistan sky. He'd already run through the macabre slapstick routine of a man on fire, trying to put himself out by rolling on the ground. He'd resorted to pelting his face with fistfuls of sand. That failing, he'd run in helpless circles. Finally he'd dropped to his knees, lifted his arms, and screamed Jesus, save me.

Read More http://www.gq.com/news-politics/new...brown-jay-kirk-gq-february-2012#ixzz1nV4e6CCE

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This is reality. You need to read this. This is the truth of this business. A sexy uniform and the pats on the back and everyone telling you you're the best and brightest won't make you invincible. Be prepared to serve, because this is a great way of life. Consider the possibilities, though.

Sam was a plebe in my company when I was a firstie. It's hard to tell from the photos, but he's about 6'3" if I recall right. Turns out that scared plebe grew into a warrior. That is good, for he'll be battling every day of his life.

Sir,
Thank you for posting this. It is extremely insightful. It always saddens me to see the sacrifices our service members endure. That is reality, as you said.

To branch off a bit, seeing stories like this make me question why many future soldiers desire to go into the Army hoping for heavy combat action. Personally speaking, many of the fields that do interest me are combat arms, but if I had the choice, I would hope that we never have to fight a major conflict anytime soon.

I mean, I'm no hippie/conscientious objector/whatever, but I'm certainly not hoping to be like John Wayne in The Green Berets either.

That was very insightful. The best part about that kind of stuff is it doesn't scare me, it only inspires me to work harder to become that warrior. What a better gift to give to protect your country and your loved ones than your life (if necessary).

CadetMoore said:

That was very insightful. The best part about that kind of stuff is it doesn't scare me, it only inspires me to work harder to become that warrior. What a better gift to give to protect your country and your loved ones than your life (if necessary).

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Not really the point, but certainly one way of looking at it.

In my experience, you feel a lot less sure of your own invincibility after the first few times someone tries to kill you.

scoutpilot said:

In my experience, you feel a lot less sure of your own invincibility after the first few times someone tries to kill you.

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Or the first few times you see someone almost succeed at hurting someone you know or care about.