[Grovenet] Sheep, Wolves & Sheepdogs

[David Morelli]

On Aug 15, 2007, at 2:16 PM, Dale Wiley wrote:

> Sheep, Wolves, & Sheepdogs
>       SHEEP, WOLVES AND SHEEPDOGS
>
>
>
>       The letter below is a current post on our American Airlines  
> pilots
> Challenge & Response website.
>
>       This letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades  
> who are veterans of the Global War On Terror.  Grennel is an Army  
> Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in  
> putting together the first Iraq elections, January of 2005. It was  
> written to Jill Edwards, a student at the University of Washington  
> who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg  
> Boyington. Ms. Edwards and other students (and faculty) do not  
> think those who serve in the U.S. armed services are good role  
> models. To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)

Was Colonel Greg "Pappy" Boyington a proper role model?

He was a hard drinking alcoholic who had difficulty holding on to  
jobs and relationships after he left the military in the 1940's.
He was a hard working student whose mother worked to pay for college,  
while he worked odd jobs, summer jobs and ROTC to stay in school and  
earn an engineering degree.
He volunteered for the "Flying Tigers" and later assembled a USMC  
fighter squadron in the South Pacific from unassigned pilots and  
assorted equipment, and led them to become a recognized and  
functioning military troop, the "Black Sheep" squadron.
He held the World War II record for most enemy planes shot down by a  
USMC pilot.
He was held as a prisoner of war for 20 months without contact with  
the outside world.

Is an alcoholic with personal problems a suitable role model?  No.
Is someone who was good at killing other people a suitable role  
model? No.

So, is he a suitable role model?
As someone who volunteered to serve his country, giving up his  
freedom, his health, and putting himself in harms way to keep others  
safe, yes.  As someone who learned the necessary skills to function  
as an effective defender of our liberties, yes.  As someone who acted  
to protect the Constitution rather than just talking about the flag,  
yes.  As someone who risked his life in war rather than profiteering   
from war, yes.

Whether he intended or not, Colonel Greg Boyington was a citizen  
soldier.

And there are a lot of similar role models out there.  Unfortunately  
we have lost too many of them in the last few years.

Charles Grennel's letter is a good description of one model for  
civilizations, sheep protected by guard dogs against the wolves.

Other models also exist.  Donkeys bear no similarities to wolves, yet  
they can make good protectors of sheep.  When the donkeys and sheep  
share the same food, pens and pastures the opportunity for bonding  
occurs.  And donkeys are willing and able to stomp the life out of  
coyotes and sheep's main predator, domestic dogs.

That may be a small point.  In developed areas wolves and coyotes are  
not the main threat to sheep.  The same animals that serve to protect  
one flock of sheep, can become predators of other flocks when they  
are allowed to roam unchecked.  I suppose there is a parable in there  
somewhere.

Llamas have a similar reputation for protecting flocks, and have been  
commended for standing up to bear and mountain lions as well.  In the  
case of both donkeys and llamas the guards are readily  
distinguishable from the predators and do not cross over to become  
predators.  They also don't rely upon fang or claw for their defense,  
they don't acquire the fighting habits of their adversary.  In that  
vein, the citizen soldier may be a donkey or llama rather than a  
guard dog.

Another model would include sheep like Jacob's Sheep where both male  
and female have horns and the intelligence to use them, rather than  
the simpler flock animals described in Grennel's story.  Sort of a  
universal citizen soldier model.

David