#tillvalholl

[americanmachine]

Kiss the people you love. Tell them that you love them. Be thankful for what you have. Be thankful for the opportunities available to you. They can all disappear in an instant. Today, there is a roof over my head. My belly is not grumbling. I am reasonably comfortable. No one is shooting at me. It is a good day. Everything else is gravy. It is important to remember that ALL of these conditions exist because of the GIANTS of men like those that died on this day, years ago, and before them. Today though, it is about them. 03OCT93. Today, I remember them. All of them. Task Force Ranger & The Battle of Mogadishu. Donovan Briley. Daniel Busch. James Manuel Cavaco. William D. Cleveland Jr. Thomas J. Field. Earl Fillmore. Raymond Alex Frank. Cornell Houston. Gary Ivan Gordon. J. Casey Joyce. Richard Kowalewski. Timothy Martin. Dominick Pilla. Matthew Rierson. Lorenzo Ruiz. Randall D. Shughart. Jamie Smith. Clifton P. Wolcott. #DeedsNotWords #tillValholl https://www.instagram.com/p/CjP4sqKu4Og/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[americanmachine]

Every year the same picture. It really doesn’t seem like that long ago. It honestly feels like yesterday. I was already separated, in the midst of recovering from a severe injury, but was still in touch with a small number of others. It was an empty hollow shocking feeling all at once, when I heard. It was already over with and there was nothing anyone could do. That sucked. It was confusing. It was almost worse. The not being able to do anything. Kiss the people you love. Tell them that you love them. Be thankful for what you have. Be thankful for the opportunities available to you. They can all disappear in an instant. Today, there is a roof over my head. My belly is not grumbling. I am reasonably comfortable. No one is shooting at me. It is a good day. Everything else is gravy. It is important to remember that ALL of these conditions exist because of the GIANTS of men like those that died on this day, years ago, and before them. Today though, it is about them. 03AUG93. Today, I remember them. All of them. Task Force Ranger & The Battle of Mogadishu. #tillValholl https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4lcQTJxuY/?igshid=onwgqt1aks6h