"The Taliban were often well trained, arguably often better trained to fight in Afghanistan than many American troops. So what makes us different from the Taliban? What distinguishes a warrior from a thug? Certainly it's not the quality of our weapons or the length of our training." So, what makes someone a warrior and not a thug? Ultimately, we're distinguished by our missions in life and values."
Eric Greitens wrote that in his journal while on tour as a commander of Navy Seal outfit in Afghanistan in 2003. For those that don't know Greitens, he's a bit of an enigma. He's a Dukie, and a Greenpeace, I think, a social worker, humanitarian aid kind of guy that traveled the world after college - but was also a boxer, and then decided in his late 20's to do some officer's training school, and become a Seal. He wrote a book called the Heart and the Fist, that pretty much documents his own struggle mentally of dealing with trying to help people, and the undeniable fact, that in our world, there are times when violence is the only solution to a problem. He also runs an organization called "The Mission Continues" that helps wounded veterans to assimilate back into civilian life and get what they need most - and that's not thanks for their service, it's the feeling of knowing they are still needed.
There is no difference in the cold hard reality of being a Seal sniper, or a grunt on the ground head to head with an enemy soldier and pulling the trigger, or a thug on the sidewalk in anyone of our cities and communities. They all carry deadly weapons, and are capable of hurting and killing other human beings in cold blood. We have the daily reminder at UCONN, in the memorial to Jasper Howard, of what a thug is.
I don't like seeing the word used improperly any more than anyone else, and that's why I'm writing this.
