For those with affiliations, I mean no disrespect. I have spent my life looking for brotherhood. I have looked for it in street gangs, crews, cliques, and military. This side of the cross I have looked for it in the church, and ministry.
I have been let down every time by every organization. I accept the human element, it is our flaw, our greatest weakness, and our greatest strength.
There is an old saying, "no man is an island". The truth is we were created for community; we need each other. But, I have learned that brotherhood is more than a name, more than a patch and it runs much deeper than ink. It's more than what we ride.
In my culture there is a saying, "don't bro me if you don't know me"; and one more, "I am my brothers keeper".
I have those that call me brother; I hope they know the depth and width of that' title. The honor and debt; the oath that it entails
There are a few I call brother.
I have brothers that were born to me; we are blood.
I have brothers that are sworn to me; we are vets.
I have brothers that have ridden the same roads as I have, though it was at different times and places. I try to never use the term lightly, though I have committed that infraction, and I hope or strive that it is never easily said.
It's more than a patch; it's more than ink. It's more than what we ride or preach. It has to be mutual; it is a courtship of blood, sweat, and tears in the deepest sense.
It's easy to die for someone you love; but it's harder to live for them. To live for them is to accept their flaws, their human element.
To call me brother is to ask for my accountability; to accept my brotherhood is to hold me accountable.
Brotherhood is to stand back to back, and kill them all; and it's to be the uncle to the family of a brother that has gone on. It is to stand in the gap.
It is the oath of a knight to guard him and his family when he is wounded until he can stand. To slap him when he is being an idiot and love him when he is down. It's an oath that can not be broken; in truth it cannot be understood to those that are not. It's dysfunctional and aggravating; it can be stretched, pulled tight, and tied in a knot, falsified and screwed up, but a true brotherhood, like a strand of three chords cannot be broken.
Brothers can sit in silence for hours and just know being there is everything though no word is said.
The worst pit of hell is to see a brotherhood die.
Brotherhood is one phone call and knowing your family is safe even though your states, countries away. It's knowing your brother has given his only weapon to your wife and knowing he sleeps on your threshold until you are home. It's tossing your last mag and pulling your bayonet because for you his back is more than your own, and if only one goes home it will be him.
We cover each other's shortcomings; our six, our 9 and 3. The phrase, "I got your six" is a blood oath, though no cut is drawn.
It's drilling that discipline till it hurts and then drilling more.
It's having the same perspective regardless of past.
Brotherhood is to be of the same body.
It is clarity of vision and action; mission and purpose.
In so many ways it can't be described, it is just known informally until it is made formal.
Brotherhood by definition is exclusive but not discriminatory.
So many use the term brother and yet so few understand its width and depth.
My line is drawn at my brothers back and his at mine and there we stand.
After thinking this over for a few days I have come to my self-definition of this thing called "brotherhood" ....
Brotherhood - it started for me about day p-2 in boot camp... When I wasn't so good at spit shining my boots, my battle buddy "bunk mate" helped me to square myself away for my first personal inspection the next day...
While still in boot camp on the drill team, I stayed after to help my squad member learn the drill routine that we had to perform for pass and review only two days later and missed chow that night and evening muster... Hence "PT TILL I SWEAT RECRUIT"...
Fast forward, when I got to my first duty station and my father had a terrible accident at work, and I had my fireteam leader cover my duty status for a week so I could get home...
While in a war zone, (a stupid analogy), I was out of Copenhagen snuff, my teammate hands me his last can from home... war zone... There are way too many small examples to even begin to define... Simply put, the guy next to me will not stay in this f'ing country!!!
In the middle of engaging, my team brother yells out, "out of ammo," and I throw my last full clip to him...
Looking back, those so simple things in life taught me sooo much about about what it meant to be a brother!
Understanding my thoughts are scattered, I will fast forward to current events...
Recently, family things have arisen, as a member of a club, NO ONE from said club CONTACTED me to offer help.... Another individual from another organization made a point to inquire to ensure all was secure! THAT IS BROTHERHOOD! It does not matter your affiliation, when a vet looks at vet in the eye and says, "I got you," it means more than any civilian will ever comprehend! You know that brother has got your back through any and ALL means necessary!
Another instance, another true vet brother called to check on me and my family when things were not so well and great...
The most simple thing in life is knowing that you have those few guys you can count on, no matter the time of day, no matter the circumstance, no matter what it takes to cover down for "That Brother"!!
So many say BROTHER, yet so FEW understand the true meaning!
No comments:
Post a Comment