Three Minutes for Lieutenant Mark Daily
Lieutenant Mark Daily gave you his life; will you give him three minutes? Knowing what he was getting himself into, Mark Daily sat down to write what he knew could be his epitaph. It is composed with the poetic zen that so few writers can manage, the expression of complex ideas in clear prose. It is the eloquence of a man who applied courage to his compassion and principle:
Maybe the reality of politics makes all political action inherently crude and immoral. Or maybe it is these adventures in philosophical masturbation that prevent people from ever taking any kind of effective action against men like Saddam Hussein. One thing is for certain, as disagreeable or as confusing as my decision to enter the fray may be, consider what peace vigils against genocide have accomplished lately. Consider that there are 19 year old soldiers from the Midwest who have never touched a college campus or a protest who have done more to uphold the universal legitimacy of representative government and individual rights by placing themselves between Iraqi voting lines and homicidal religious fanatics. Often times it is less about how clean your actions are and more about how pure your intentions are.
Give Mark Daily back three minutes of your life and you will be a richer person for having done so, as we have all been made poorer from his loss. Daily no doubt understood that the Middle East is barren soil for self-government, and that it may take decades to take root. But it is because of exceptional men like Mark Daily, who cannot rationalize surrender to a death cult, that we are not fighting them in greater numbers, in other places.
On his MySpace page LT Daily wrote: “So if you have anything to say to me at the end of this reading, let it at least include- ‘Good Luck'”
To which we must now add, rest in peace, soldier. Be with God.
The United States is a slightly poorer nation today for having lost a hero like LT Daily.
Every nation needs legitimate heros. And experience shows that true heros never wear capes and tights and speak in booming baritone. They are just intelligent guys and gals who had the option to do something else, but intstead chose to spend their lives serving others. No compulsion or force or coercion. They chose. And that makes them great.
LT Daily could easily have turned his eyes and attention towards a cush job at Microfsoft or Johnson & Johnson, or where ever, he could have bought himself a nice house and a boat and a snow mobile and settled down to raise a family, leaving the immeasurable hardships of freedom’s defense for anonymous others to worry about.
It is a willingness to make difficult choices with full awareness of the dangers involved and knowledge of the easy alternatives that defines a hero. It is a voluntary bearing of others’ burdens that makes some strong while others remain weak.
Rest in peace, brother.
Well said. And it only makes it more infuriatiing to see certain politicians insult men like this as losers. We cheapen the word “hero” because we too seldom hear of men like this.
1/27/2007 -The memorial service in the sanctuary was concluded. Over a thousand of those in attendance had seen and heard what a truly remarkable young man 23 year old Second Lieutenant Mark Daily, U.S. Army, was. Now we had moved to a grassy field outside. The bagpipes and drums were spectacular. The 21 gun salute, three vollies by seven soldiers in dress uniforms, was flawless, as were Taps. The flag that draped the coffin had been folded ceremoniously and was about to be presented to Janet Daily, his beautiful young bride of eighteen months. In the distance coming from the south was a slow moving dot in the sky. As it came closer we could tell it was a Blackhawk helicopter. The low drone of its rotars projected a comforting sound like a beating heart. The chopper passed over ever so slowly; circled around and came back. It continued to circle overhead as the ceremony was drawing to a conclusion. Then, just as the flag was being presented to Janet Daily a calm, cool male voice over a loudspeaker broke the silence. “Lieutenant Daily. Lieutenant Daily. This is Blackhawk One – Mission complete.” The pilot above had relayed the U.S. Army’s last communication to Second Lieutenant Mark Daily, recipient of a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for bravery. The Blackhawk then faded off into the distance as the sound of its rotors grew softer and softer.
Thank you for posting this.
To Lt. Mark Daily
Good luck Son… Drink heartily of the mead in the halls of heros for thou art one.
No one knows of war better nor loathes it more than than those in harms way, knowing that this could be the day but going anyway. Why go? some will say. I go not for me but for thee, my brothers and so others may be free.
Bless him o’heavenly father
Amen