If you can name all four Beatles or the three Andrews Sisters or the hill on which Fats Domino found his thrill, then chances are you or someone you know served in the Armed Forces of this country at a time when it was truly risky business.

Not that it’s ever been easy. That’s just not the nature of the job. But the ebb and flow of time means you that could have shown up when the most important job was in Germany hanging out with Elvis, but had it been fifteen years earlier, you could have been wading ashore in Normandy ready to walk to Germany. Or you could have been in at a time when the biggest deal was getting from Twenty-Nine Palms to Greenland and getting used to the climate change. Or you could have been in Asia in the mid-seventies. You never know.

And that’s the point- -You never know.

Certainly those aboard the USS Cole didn’t know. Serious business, The Persian Gulf, no one’s denying it. And it appears that nobody saw this business coming.

We’ve all seen the news footage and watched the Memorial Service. But I have one more thing to share with you. It’s an email that came from a friend, who had forwarded it to me from another friend. This is exactly as I received it:

Subject: USS Cole

I just got an email from a good friend of mine who flies SH-60B’s off the USS Hawes. I thought you might like to read it.

It wasn’t until a few days ago though, that we started doing something that I feel may be the first thing I’ve seen in my short Naval career that has truly made a difference. Right now we’re supporting the USS COLE and her crew in Aden. When the attack occurred we were a day away. Just by luck we happened to be on our way out of the Gulf and headed towards the Suez and could get here in a relatively short amount of time. I know what you all have seen on CNN, because we have seen it too. I just want you all to know that it doesn’t even scratch the surface. I’m not going to get intoit for obvious reasons. But I will tell you right now there are 250+ sailors just a few miles away living in hell on Earth. I’m sitting in a nice airconditioned stateroom. They’re sleeping out on the decks at night. You can’t even imagine the conditions they’re living in, and yet they are still fighting 24 hours a day to save their ship and free the bodies of those still trapped and send them home. As bad as it is, they’re doing an incredible job. The very fact that these people are still functioning is beyond my comprehension. Whatever you imagine as the worst, multiply it by ten and you might get there. Today I was asked to photo rig the ship and surrounding area. It looked much worse than I had imagined, unbelievable really, with debris and disarray everywhere, the ship listing, the hole in her side. I wish I had the power to relay to you all what I have seen, but words won’t do it. I do want to tell you the first thing that jumped out at me- -The Stars and Stripes flying. I can’t tell you how that made me feel- -Even in this God-forsaken hell-hole our flag was more beautiful than words can describe. Then I started to notice the mass of activity going on below, scores of people working non-stop in 90 plus degree weather to save this ship. They’re doing it with almost no electrical power and they’re sleeping (when they can sleep) outside on the decks because they can’t stand the smell or the heat or the darkness inside. They only want to eat what we bring them because they’re scared of eating something brought by local vendors. Even with all that, the USS COLE and her crew is sending a message guys, and it’s that even acts of cowardice and hate can do nothing to the spirit and pride of the United States. I have never been so proud of what I do, or of the men and women that I serve with as I was today. There are sixteen confirmed dead sailors who put it on the line for all of us, and some of them are still trapped here. Please take a minute to pray for the families and say a word of thanks for their sacrifice- -one made so we can live the lives we do. All of you that served with me, thank you. All of you that have loved ones that serve, thank you. Please feel free to pass this on to those you think will appreciate it.

Signed V/R LT Landry.

That’s the email exactly as I received it. It did have a personal note to me from my friend who sent it to me, but otherwise that’s it.

Yasir Arafat was quoted in the papers today, and I heard the actual sound bite on the radio, telling Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to go to hell. That’ll move things right along. George W Bush has said he will pull all troops out of the Balkans and tell the rest of NATO to have a nice day. Okay. So you don’t want to be the world’s policeman? Name someone else who can handle the job. You think we don’t need one? Think again.