My grandfather, Charles Borromeo Weeks 1, was a war hero. Not only did he help carry a few wounded men to safety under German artillery fire in the Argonne Forest, but he sustained permanent scarring on both his legs from mustard gas poisoning. WW1 was fought in the trenches, a living hell on earth where rats thrived, mud covered every inch of space, and mustard gas hovered ready to burn any open skin. My dad told me of a conversation he had with my grandfather as a teen when he asked him, "Don't you feel that your scars were an awfully high price to pay for a war that was fought so far away?" He said my grandfather got quiet for a second, turned to my dad and said, "Son, it was my duty. Our freedom is not cheap. nor are we deserving. I serve because I can." A few years later my dad entered the military as an MP in the Army. He said the same thing to me, "Serving was an honor and a duty." Both of these men would not consider themselves heroes. Nor would they allow others to place them on some saintly pedestal were they were considered to be a cut above other human beings. Have you noticed, that is how we treat soldiers these days; as someone better, special? Yes, we need to be grateful for the men and women who protect us, we need to care for their needs when they are home...but serving out of duty is being replaced by serving out of getting something in return. For my dad and grandfather, and many other men and women who were grateful to serve, the military was their chance to give back to a country they loved. Duty defined for them was an "obligation, a debt to be paid, a chance to give back." Soldiers are simply regular people in uniform who take duty serious. However, duty no longer seems to be enough, more and more people go in to get something out. This is not just true in military service, but in all of life. As an employee, do I owe my boss or does my boss owe me? Sure I work for a paycheck, but I also should get all the time off I want, the best benefit package available, ample coffee breaks and consistent compliments. Asking simply for a hard days work from an employee seems almost mean. Children no longer will do dishes because they part of the family - - they demand 20 bucks. I know of a dad that would give his son $10 dollars for every touchdown he scored. What happened to playing for love of the game and duty to my teammates? Some of you reading this may be thinking that I am callous toward those in the military, I am not praising them enough? On the contrary, I admire men and women who serve out of duty more than anything. However, I believe flattery and pious praises toward others does more harm than good. Let me give you an example of what I am trying to say by using my own line of work... I am a pastor at a church. One of my "duties" is to visit the sick and dying. When I go to see a person at the hospital on the death bed, more times than not, the family will thank me and express great appreciation for my visit. There are also other people who express extreme appreciation for what I do...and often it is those who don't want to go to the hospital and visit their friends and family dying. They don't like the smell of the hospital and they feel awkward around death. So they will look at me and say, "It must be so hard visiting people who are dying, you are such a good pastor, I could never do what you do." In other words, they don't want to do what I do. I don't go because I am a great man, I go because I want to serve Jesus and the people he loves. It is my duty. By flattering me, people will use praise as a way to distance themselves from duty. And believe you me, pastors love to be flattered. So do soldiers. So do employees, so do kids. Pat me on the back enough times and I will do your work for you. (Like Tom Sawyer persuading his friends to whitewash the fence through flattery). But flattery cheapens the beauty of duty. And it ignores the fact that all of us are called in some measure to serve. Are you grateful for your country, or does the government owe you? Do you pay taxes, support and pray for your leaders, thank the men and women in uniform - - or do you flatter? I thank God for my dad and grandfather, they are two of my heroes; but they would never let flattery stick because they really believed the freedoms they had were amazing. They really believed they lived in the greatest country of the world, they really believed they weren't owed a thing. Sadly, we are losing the meaning, virtue and beauty of serving out of duty these days.
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