Just Regular Guys

Journal 2006 07 18
Just Regular Guys

“…the Musquetoes and Small flyes are verry troublesome. my face and eyes are Swelled by the poison of those insects which bite verry Severe indeed.” Sgt. Ordway

“There was another plesant day, and I went down with three of the men to the lower end of the portage to examine the periogue and deposit there, and found all safe. We took some tobacco out of the deposit, covered up all again, until the party should arrive with the canoes, and returned to camp”. Sgt. Gass

“…we passed immence herds of buffaloe on our way in short for about 12 miles it appeared as one herd only the whole plains and vally of this creek being covered with them; saw a number of wolves of both speceis, also Antelopes and some horses.”
“I keep a strict lookout every night, I take my tour of watch with the men.” Captain Lewis

“…after brackfast I proceeded on as usial, passd. over points of ridges So as to cut off bends of the [NB: river] crossed a Small Muddy brook on which I found great quantities of the Purple, yellow & black currents ripe. they were of an excellent flavour. I think the purple Superior to any I have ever tasted.”Captain Clark

Reading the accounts from these young soldiers today I am most aware of their very human observations and records. Ordway records the reality of the torment of the mosquitoes. Gass records their desire for tobacco. Lewis records his awe at twelve miles of buffalo. He also records that he took his turn on watch during the night out of their fear of an Indian encounter where they could be overwhelmed. Clark takes time to give his opinion of his favorite flavor of currant. He found the purple one to be “superior.”

When my dad was asked to say a couple of words about his brother who had given his life in battle for the island of Okinawa during WWII we hoped he would give us lots of details about how great and wonderful his eighteen year old big brother was. What we got was a shrug of the shoulders, turned out palms and the simple statement, “He was just a regular guy.” All good soldiers will tell you they were not heroes. By their own account they are “just regular guys.”

These young men were soldiers. They were tough. As tough as any in the land. We should never forget they were very human. And young. Mel Gibson tells the story of Colonel Hal Moore and his first ever Air Cavalry battle in the early stages of American involvement in Vietnam. The title of the book and movie is a reminder of the idea rattling through my brain today, “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young.” If you’ve read the book or watched the director’s cut of the movie the overriding theme was that the author and film maker “had to get it right” when telling the story of the battle, the young men who fought it and their families.

And we need to do and be the same. Let’s tell the stories and “get it right.” Record the facts, speak from the heart and then talk about the ones you love and those who love you. If we can do that we will “get it right” and being “just a regular guy” will be enough.

Proceed on.