I wonder if I will meet my death in old age, a small gathering of stalwarts at my funeral. Will it be a tragic accident along the way, leaving questions of why and the randomness of the world? Will it highlight the reality of how fragile life truly is?
Will I die in uniform, performing the duties I love so dearly? Will the death be unavoidable or the result of my mistakes? Will the world follow the trend of whitewashing the mistakes that created the ultimate sacrifice? Will it help perpetuate those mistakes? Will my life be glorified?
Will they whisper the phrase I so despise, “Do not speak ill of the dead,” or will they abide by my words, “Death does not absolve us of our life?”
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This first appeared in The Havok Journal on August 16, 2024.
Jake Smith is a law enforcement officer and former Army Ranger with four deployments to Afghanistan.
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