On Killing

Now that I'm two thirds of the way through it, I believe the book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt Col Dave Grossman should be read by anyone considering military service or a career in law enforcement before deciding to pursue it.  I have found it to be highly informative and expect what I have learned from it to be greatly beneficial to me in the future.

Final Thought

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  -Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

Recommended Reading

For anyone who would like an insight into the War on Terror from the firsthand accounts of those who have fought in it, I recommend the following two books:

• House to House by David Bellavia
• Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

I have also recently read A Thousand Splendid Suns in which Khaled Hosseini uses the fictional account of two women to illustrate how Afghanistan has evolved over the last thirty-five years.

Why I Serve

At various times I have been asked about why I decided to serve in the military, but I don't think I've ever given the exact same answer twice.  It's not that I'm trying to be duplicitous or anything like that.  It has more to do with the fact that I'm not sure I completely understand all of my own motivations.  Even so, I will here attempt to compile the most complete answer I have yet given.

I serve because I believe that each and every human life is one of God's most sacred creations.  Unfortunately, there are those who do not value human life as universally sacred.  There are even some who meditate day and night about how they can destroy the greatest amount of life possible within certain segments of the human population, and they resolve to put those plans into action even if they lose their own lives in the process.  I recognize that it is impossible to singlehandedly prevent each and every murderous act, so I choose to serve where I will get an opportunity to confront the greatest number of the worst offenders.

I serve because I believe that terrorists must be captured whenever possible and killed only when necessary.  Unfortunately, the decision to kill or not to kill often must be made within a split second.  Our nation expects and deserves for those who serve in its name to select the correct choice each and every time they are required to make that decision, and the decision ought to be made by those who will not hesitate even though they recognize the tragedy inherent even in the necessary use of lethal force and the greater tragedy present in the occasional collateral loss of life.

I serve in the military because the very nature of the service will at times place me within a crucible which will show me through my own decision making how strongly I hold to the beliefs and principles I profess.  I will discover in any inconsistencies, either the need to increase my faithfulness and self discipline or the need to refine my understanding of how certain principles apply to specific situations.

I serve because I am in a season of my life, far enough removed from my parents household and before I start a family of my own, in which the sacrifices I bear in time away from home and risk of harm will have the least adverse effect on others.

I serve because it is what God called me to do, and if I knew nothing else, that alone would be enough.

Ideal Feet

At various times this year I have attempted to bring my running workouts back toward former training levels in order to prepare for the coming year.  Unfortunately, I always found myself getting shin splints after two weeks or less of increasing either the frequency or intensity of my running.  I guess ten years of use put a lot of wear and tear on my orthotics.  Since it was obviously time to upgrade, I dropped by the Ideal Feet store in Plano on Saturday to see what they had to offer.

When the sales representative took my "before" footprints, I was able to see exactly how my unaided feet were carrying my weight as I walked.  I discovered that the learned correction for my overpronation had introduced new problems.  I was rolling my feet too far to the outside edges (increasing the tendency to roll my ankles) and bearing too much weight on the balls of my feet (causing the shin splints).  After some careful foot measurements, the sales rep brought out a set of orthotics and took the "after" footprint impressions and showed me the improvements.  The real proof, though, was when I put them in my shoes and started walking around.  In the past I have read about and seen diagrams indicating the precise mechanics for how human feet are supposed to roll as we walk or run.  When I tried out the ideal feet orthotics I discovered for the first time what those correct mechanics actually feel like.  The ideal feet orthotics are as much of an improvement over my custom cast orthotics as the old orthotics were over my unaided feet.  In addition, the new orthotics fit in all my shoes and boots, not just my running shoes.  I, therefore, gladly shelled out more money than I originally intended to spend (about $400 for two sets of orthotics and some neutral insoles). 

I haven't run in the new orthotics yet, but after just walking around in them over the last few days I can feel my knees and hips adjusting to the new and improved bone and muscle alignment.  Based on a few drills I have done, I expect the ideal feet orthotics to make it easier to correct some of the posture issues I've had in my fencing, too.  This is one extremely satisfied customer. 

TIP:  If you go with a friend or family member, get one sales representative to help both of you at the same time and make your purchase together for an additional discount.