This is as powerful
as it gets. You can
complain about the
war, you can hate
Bush, you can
supposedly "support
the troops", or you
can just go to your
kids baseball games
and not give a #%*@.
But, at some point
reality is going to
slap you upside the
head. Take your time
and read this; IT IS
REALITY! Sheep,
Wolves, and
Sheepdogs
Charles Grennel and
his comrades,
veterans of the
Global War On Terror
wrote this letter.
Grennel is an Army
Reservist who spent
two years in
Iraq
and was a principal
in putting together
the first
Iraq
elections in January
2005.
They wrote it to
Jill Edwards,
student at the
University of
Washington, who did not want to honor
Medal of Honor
winner USMC Colonel
Greg Boyington. Ms.
Edwards, other
students, and
faculty do not think
those who serve in
the
U. S.
armed services are
good role models.
To: Jill Edwards,
Student,
University
of
Washington
Subject: Sheep,
Wolves and
Sheepdogs
I read of your
student activity
regarding the
proposed memorial to
Colonel Greg
Boyington, USMC and
a Medal of Honor
winner. I suspect
you will receive
many angry e-mail
from conservative
people like me. You
may be too young
to appreciate fully
the sacrifices of
generations of
servicemen and
service women on
whose shoulders you
and your fellow
students stand.
I forgive you for
the untutored ways
of youth and your
naivete. It may be
that you are simply
a sheep. There's no
dishonor in being a
sheep, as long as
you know and accept
what you are.
William J. Bennett,
in a lecture to the
United States
Naval
Academy on November 24, 1997 said, "Most
of the people in our
society are sheep.
They are kind,
gentle, productive
creatures that can
only hurt one
another by accident.
We may well be in
the most violent
times in history,
but violence is
still remarkably
rare. This is
because most
citizens are kind,
decent people, not
capable of hurting
each other except by
accident or under
extreme provocation.
They are sheep.
Then there are the
wolves that feed on
the sheep without
mercy. Do you
believe there are
wolves out there
that will feed on
the flock without
mercy? You better
believe it. There
are evil men in this
world and they are
capable of evil
deeds. The moment
you forget that or
pretend it is not
so, you become a
sheep.
There is no safety
in denial.
Then there are
sheepdogs and I'm a
sheepdog.
I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity
for violence then
you are a healthy
productive citizen,
a sheep.
If you have a
capacity for
violence and no
empathy for your
fellow citizens,
then you have
defined an
aggressive
psychopath, a wolf.
But what if you have
a capacity for
violence, and a deep
love for your fellow
citizens? What do
you have then? A
sheepdog, a warrior,
someone who is
walking the
uncharted path.
Someone who can walk
into the heart of
darkness, into the
universal human
phobia, and walk
out unscathed.
We know that the
sheep live in
denial, which is
what makes them
sheep. They do not
want to believe that
there is evil in the
world. They can
accept the fact that
fires can happen,
which is why they
want fire
extinguishers, fire
sprinklers, fire
alarms and fire
exits throughout
their kid's schools.
But many of them are
outraged at the idea
of putting an armed
police officer in
their kid's school.
Our children are
thousands of times
more likely to be
killed or seriously
injured by school
violence than fire,
but the sheep's only
response to the
possibility of
violence is denial.
The idea of someone
coming to kill or
harm their child is
just too hard. So
they choose the path
of denial.
The sheep generally
do not like the
sheepdog. He looks a
lot like the wolf.
He has fangs and the
capacity for
violence. The
difference, though,
is that the sheepdog
must not, cannot and
will not ever harm
the sheep.
Any sheepdog that
intentionally harms
the lowliest little
lamb will be
punished and
removed.
The world cannot
work any other way,
at least not in a
representative
democracy or a
republic such as
ours.
Still, the sheepdog
disturbs the sheep.
He is a constant
reminder that there
are wolves in the
land.
They would prefer
that he didn't tell
them where to go, or
give them traffic
tickets, or stand
ready in our
airports, in
camouflage fatigues,
holding an M-16.
The sheep would much
rather have the
sheepdog cash in his
fangs, spray paint
himself white, and
go baa until the
wolf shows up. Then
the entire flock
tries desperately to
hide behind one
lonely sheepdog.
The students, the
victims, at
Columbine
High School were big, tough high school
students, and under
ordinary
circumstances would
not have had the
time of day for a
police officer. They
were not bad kids;
they just had
nothing to say to a
cop.
When the school was
under attack,
however, and SWAT
teams were clearing
the rooms and
hallways, the
officers had to
physically peel
those clinging,
sobbing kids off of
them.
This is how the
little lambs feel
about their sheepdog
when the wolf is at
the door. Look at
what happened after
September 11, 2001
when the wolf
pounded hard on the
door.
Remember how
America, more than ever before, felt
differently about
their law
enforcement officers
and military
personnel?
Understand that
there is nothing
morally superior
about being a
sheepdog; it is just
what you choose to
be.
Also understand that
a sheepdog is a
funny critter. He is
always sniffing
around out on the
perimeter, checking
the breeze, barking
at things that go
bump in the night
and yearning for a
righteous battle.
That is, the young
sheepdogs yearn for
a righteous battle.
The old sheepdogs
are a little older
and wiser, but they
move to the sound of
the guns when
needed, right along
with the young ones.
Here is how the
sheep and the
sheepdog think
differently.
The sheep pretend
the wolf will never
come, but the
sheepdog lives for
that day.
After the attacks on
September 11, 2001,
most of the sheep,
that is, most
citizens in
America said "Thank God I wasn't on
one of those
planes."
The sheepdogs, the
warriors, said "Dear
God, I wish I could
have been on one of
those planes. Maybe
I could have made a
difference."
You want to be able
to make a
difference. There is
nothing morally
superior about the
sheepdog, the
warrior, but he does
have one real
advantage. Only one.
And that is that he
is able to survive
and thrive in an
environment that
would destroy 98
percent of the
population.
Research was
conducted a few
years ago with
individuals
convicted of violent
crimes. These cons
were in prison for
serious, predatory
crimes of violence
assaults, murders
and killing law
enforcement
officers.
The vast majority
said they
specifically
targeted victims by
body language:
Slumped walk,
passive behavior and
lack of awareness.
They chose their
victims like big
cats do in
Africa,
when they select one
out of the herd that
is least able to
protect itself.
Some people may be
destined to be sheep
and others might be
genetically primed
to be wolves or
sheepdogs.
But I believe that
most people can
choose which one
they want to be, and
I'm proud to say
that more and more
Americans are
choosing to become
sheepdogs.
Seven months after
the attack on
September 11, 2001,
Todd Beamer was
honored in his
hometown of
Cranbury,
New Jersey.
Todd, as you recall,
was the man on
Flight 93 over
Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to
alert an operator
from United Airlines
about the hijacking.
When they learned of
the other three
passenger planes
that had been used
as weapons, Todd and
the other passengers
confronted the
terrorist hijackers.
In one hour, a
transformation
occurred among the
passengers -
athletes, business
people and parents -
from sheep to
sheepdogs and
together they fought
the wolves,
ultimately saving an
unknown number of
lives on the ground.
Edmund Burke said
"There is no safety
for honest men
except by believing
all possible evil of
evil men."
Here is the point I
want to emphasize;
especially to the
thousands of police
officers and
soldiers I speak to
each year.
In nature the sheep,
real sheep, are born
as sheep.
Sheepdogs are born
that way, and so are
wolves. They don't
have a choice.
But you are not a
critter. As a human
being, you can be
whatever you want to
be. It is a
conscious, moral
decision.
If you want to be a
sheep, then you can
be a sheep and that
is okay, but you
must understand the
price you pay. When
the wolf comes, you
and your loved ones
are going to die if
there is not a
sheepdog there to
protect you.
If you want to be a
wolf, you can be
one, but the
sheepdogs are going
to hunt you down and
you will never have
rest, safety, trust
or love.
But if you want to
be a sheepdog and
walk the warrior's
path, then you must
make a conscious and
moral decision every
day to dedicate,
equip and prepare
yourself to thrive
in that toxic,
corrosive moment
when the wolf comes
knocking at the
door.
This business of
being a sheep or a
sheepdog is not a
yes-no dichotomy.
It is not an
all-or-nothing,
either-or choice.
It is a matter of
degrees, a
continuum.
On one end is an
abject,
head-in-the-sand-sheep
and on the other end
is the ultimate
warrior.
Few people exist
completely on one
end or the other.
Most of us live
somewhere in
between.
Since 9-11 almost
everyone in
America took a step up that
continuum, away from
denial.
The sheep took a few
steps toward
accepting and
appreciating their
warriors, and the
warriors started
taking their job
more seriously.
Its OK to be a
sheep, but do not
kick the sheepdog.
Indeed, the sheepdog
may just run a
little harder,
strive to protect a
little better and be
fully prepared to
pay an ultimate
price in battle and
spirit with the
sheep moving from
"baa" to "thanks".
We do not call for
gifts or freedoms
beyond our lot. We
just need a small
pat on the head, a
smile and a thank
you to fill the
emotional tank that
is drained
protecting the
sheep.
And, when our number
is called by The
Almighty and day
retreats into night,
a small prayer
before the heavens
just may be in order
to say thanks for
letting you continue
to be a sheep.
And be grateful for
the millions of
American sheepdogs
who permit you the
freedom to express
even bad ideas.