My intentions are simple: 

1) Lead by example in every action and interaction.

2) Introduce (without imposing) my personal beliefs with regard to morality and freedom in the local and global community.  Remembering the paradox: Those who crusade for freedom often do it the greatest disservice - Irshad Manji

3) Live a moral life that exemplifies the following principals:

1. Integrity: Do what is legally and morally right
2. Loyalty: Bear truth faith and allegiance to the United States of America, its Constitution, my fellow soldiers and the citizens we serve
3. Personal Courage: Face physical and moral fear, danger and adversity
4. Selfless Service: Put the welfare of the nation and the people of the United States of America before my own
5. Respect: Treat people as they should be treated
6. Duty: Fulfill my obligations
7. Honor: Live up to all the principles listed

4) Live and follow the Soldier’s Creed:

I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team.  I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

          I will always place the mission first.

          I will never accept defeat.

          I will never quit.

          I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.

I will always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional. 

I stand ready to deploy engage and destroy the enemies of the United States in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.

5) Live and follow the Soldier’s Code:

1. I am an American Soldier – a protector of the greatest nation on earth – sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
2. I will treat others with dignity and respect and I will expect others to do the same.
3. I will honor my Country, the Army, my unit and my fellow soldiers by living the Army Values.
4. No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything for pleasure, profit or personal safety which will disgrace my uniform, my unit or my country.
5. Lastly, I am proud of my Country and its flag.  I want to look back and say I am proud to have served my Country as a soldier.

6) Act with compassion rather than Re-Act with anger in order to perpetuate positive energy and counter negative.

9) Stand up and be counted among those who championed morality in a seemingly amoral world.

My motives are less simple:

Years ago I read a translation of Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno (first published in 1959) by John Ciardi.  I won’t say it shaped my life because my parents already had a fairly good head start on that.  I can say however, that it impacted my life quite dramatically.  Even though I am an Atheist, I was raised Catholic. 

A great many of my opinions about morality were shaped by that upbringing.  Dante’s Inferno reinforced those opinions.  To this day, when faced with a choice between Action and In-Action, I am haunted by one passage in particular.  Ciardi’s translation of the narrative is unforgettable; it has stayed with me since my first reading.  It takes place towards the beginning of the book before Dante and Virgil (his guide) begin their decent into Hell. Virgil escorts Dante through the vestibule outside Hell proper.  There they pass the Opportunists and the Nameless.  Those doomed to dwell right outside Hell for all eternity and never enter. 

They took no sides therefore they are given no place…

            …These are the nearly soulless

whose lives concluded neither blame nor praise.

            They are mixed here with that despicable corps

                        of angels who were neither for God or Satan,

                        but only for themselves.  The High Creator

            scourged them from Heaven for it’s perfect beauty

and Hell will not receive them since the wicked

might feel some glory over them…

            …They have no hope of death…

            And in their blind and unattaining state

                        their miserable lives have sunk so low

                        that they must envy every other fate.

            No word of them survives their living season.

                        Mercy and Justice deny them even a name.

                        Let us not speak of them: look and pass on…

I understand and appreciate the presents of the Opportunists in the passage:  that despicable corps of angels who were neither for God or Satan, but only for themselves.    Having taken no sides in the conflict between Heaven and Hell, they had no right to enter either.  They are left with no place in the afterlife.  I get that.  It’s the Nameless that disturb me.  They are mixed here (with the Opportunists)…lives concluded neither blame nor praise…  They made no impact during their lives, neither negative nor positive.  No word of them survives their living season. Mercy and Justice deny them even a name.  They are people barely even worth mentioning.  Let us not speak of them: look and pass on… 

Even without the religious connotation, this passage has always had a powerful effect on me.  The implication being; to lead such a meaningless existence that you are not worth notice while you’re alive, you’ll be worth even less notice after you’re dead and gone.  To be forgotten, over-looked or ignored is a fate worse than Death.  In an epic poem that describes in detail the horrors and eternal consequences of impenitent sin in the Christian Hell (my parents believed that Hell was simply an eternity in the absence of Gods love) it is this passage alone that has left the most enduring impression. 

I still feel its presents with me to this day however; I’ve matured since my first reading of The Inferno and I’ve gained perspective.  I understand in my sober adulthood, the world is larger than me and I’ve realized there is a greater tragedy than to be personally forgotten.  Greater than leading such a meaningless life that: no word of [me] survives [my] living season.  That tragedy would be to forget my loving parents who taught me right from wrong in the first place.  It is their legacy, not mine, that must be perpetuated.  I have focused my energy toward honoring my Mother and Father by choosing to pursue the positive.  I do so in the tradition of their Christian values even though I have no God to love or fear.  My conscience and my parent’s memory are all I have to guide me.

On Freedom – I can understand the theory of wanting to free people; I just don’t think we should go hellfire damnation around the world freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own National Security. – Gerald R. Ford

The present day military (and by extension, the American people) owe Former President Ford a huge debt of gratitude.  During his single term in office, he was instrumental in the elimination of the Draft and converting the United States Military into an all Volunteer Force.  Consequently, today’s Military is a stronger, prouder military because every single Service Member is participating of his/her own free will.  For that reason, I personally have a great deal of respect for the man despite the fact that he’s the only American President not put in office (or the office of the Vice-Presidency for that matter) directly by the voters.

Every Service Member (regardless of their chosen branch of service) takes the same Oath when they Enlist.  That Oath us to: …obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the Officers appointed over [us] according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice…

As long as I wear the uniform of my country’s Armed Forced, I strive to do so honorably.  I will fulfill the obligation of my Oat and follow all Legal Orders issued by the officers over me and my Commander and Chief (whoever he may be) regardless of whether or not I personally agree with them – as is my duty.  When I am called to deploy (for whatever reason) I will do so and stay true to our Warrior Ethos:

     I will always place the mission first.

     I will never accept defeat.

     I will never quit.

     I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Our Oath and Warrior Ethos must take precedent over personal political views.  When my fellow American Service Members are put in harms way, it is my Duty and my Honor to stand by their side and do whatever it takes to support their mission so they return to their families and loved ones Alive and Whole.

That being said, Freedom of Expression is the right of every citizen and is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.  As a soldier, I voluntarily surrendered that right (while in uniform) for the sake of Unity, Discipline, out of Respect for (and the preservation of) the Chain of Command and to Sustain Mission Readiness.  However, while out of uniform (as a private citizen of a country I love) I believe the Military’s first obligation is to ensure the Rights and Security of Citizens in this country.  Unlike many politicians, I don’t believe it is the roll of the United States Military to police the world.  I say this in the spirit of Frederick Douglass who asserted, A true patriot is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.

As unpopular as this opinion might be during the era of the “Global War on Terrorism,” I don’t believe the world should be viewed as a giant board game on which Politicians are free to deploy Sailors, soldiers, Airmen and Marines like game pieces with the intention of forcing the proliferation of democracy.

Unless our National Security is directly threatened, our focus should be on our primary mission and the first part of our Oath of Enlistment: …to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against enemies foreign and domestic [and] bear truth faith and allegiance to the same…

I proudly wear my uniform for one reason and one reason only; to preserve the United States Constitution of the United States of America for the future generations.  I do so with heartfelt thanks to Former President Gerald R. Ford and in total agreement of his position on freedom.  The Oath we took means so much more to me and our men in uniform because (thanks to him) it was taken voluntarily.

My views are even more convoluted:

On Religion – Atheists for years have attacked religion using the First Amendment as their weapon of choice.  I’ve sworn an oath to …uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States…so let me make something perfectly clear:  The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise there of….  All that means is, the Government will not Support or Advocate one religion over another and will not ban the practice or observance of any religion.  Despite what Atheists would have you believe, the phrase Separation of Church and State, appears nowhere in the United States Constitution.  I know because I’ve read it. 

While I personally prefer a Secular Government, I have no issue with prayer in schools or using the word God in Oaths of Office or the Pledge of Allegiance.  Consequently, I also have no problem with individuals using their Constitutional Right to exclude the phase under God (as I do) during the Pledge of Allegiance or an Oath of Office if they choose.  As long as all religions are represented equally (as the U.S. Constitution intended) I have no issue with religiously inspired art or other programs on City, State or Federal property.

I’m not blind and I’m not an idiot.  Obviously, I know there are negative aspects of religious influence.  Examples of the negative energy are everywhere.  I’m not just referring to the Islamic Jihad and the Global War on Terrorism.  Both ancient and modern History are full of other examples: from the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades, to the Tate/LaBianca murders, sexual slavery, mass suicides in Guyana and in the Heaven’s Gate cult, the disaster at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas and honour killings.  All perpetuated by the likes of Tomas de Toruemada, Charles Manson, and Osama bin Laden, Warren Jeffs, Jim Jones and David Koresh for no other reason then to further their own twisted agendas.  However, despite all of this, I still earnestly support organized religion. 

I was very young when I began to see the world in less faith based terms and more fact based or concrete terms.  Despite my parents best effort at a Catholic upbringing I was (and still am) simply unable to wrap my head around the concept of an omniscient being that not only always existed and always will but also created everything.  As a side note: IF I am wrong and there really is a deity that created everything (as George Carlin once observed) I think s/he has a HUGE quality control problem.  But, I digress…. 

The only difference between the faithful and me is; I simply don’t believe in God.  That’s really the only thing that makes me an Atheist; the fact that I’m a non-believer.  I do however, love religion. 

By and large I believe that for the truly faithful religion is a good and righteous thing that should be perpetuated no matter what God you worship. I’ve seen first hand the good that can come from it on an individual level.  I’ve seen its positive power help people turn their lives completely around whether in the name of their newly found God or by simply renewing a previously existing faith.  How can there not be value in that? 

As far back as I can remember my family attended the same church.  Mom and Dad were very active members of their Parrish.  Dad was a Lector, Usher and a member of the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus.  Mom continued active participation for another ten years after he died as a Eucharistic Minister, teaching Catechism, singing in the choir (with both my brothers) participating in the Summer Drama Programs and was involved in the Youth Group and Confirmation Program. 

In the last years of my mother’s life (at a time when her physical body was weakened by COPD, Emphysema, collapsing vertebrae in her spine and repeated battles with cancer) she was too weak and ill to get herself to church on Sundays.  So, even though I no longer believed in God, I took her and sat with her while she worshipped.   Organized Religion united a community of people and through the power of prayer (facilitated by participation in the weekly rituals of the mass) generated positive energy that she felt quite perceptibly.  People who had known Mom and Dad for 20 years openly embraced her and offered words of comfort and prayer before and after mass.  I remember the Monsignor in particular eagerly coming to greet her and ask about her health.   His genuine kindness, humor and encouragement in Mom’s darkest moments helped her spirits immensely.  He will always have a special place in my heart.  It’s no exaggeration to say that despite her physical and emotional discomfort, she sat a little more at ease in the car ride home after mass.  It is because of this that I still consider many of Mom and Dad’s friends from their church part of my family.  Though I now live over 300 miles from the church I grew up in, I’m still in contact with the people Mom and Dad worshiped with.  I also believe that her faith in her God and her belief in the afterlife made it easier for her to let go in the end.  She did not fear her inevitable death because she truly believed that she would not only be reunited with my father and brother but, she would dwell with them for eternity in the realm of her God’s love.