Bivouac Bedtime Stories - Walk a Mile in Their Boots

Never judge the soldier until you have marched a mile in a pair of his or her combat boots. Walk a mile in a soldier’s dusty pair of combat boots and understand the real meaning of loyalty and bravery.

The soldier has seen a lot: the realities of war that are nothing like the movies, the buddies who lent support and strength, the small victories as a society rebuilds, and the casualties that are to numerous to adequately process. The most unfortunate thing about the soldier’s experiences is that they are virtually impossible to transcribe accurately to those on the civilian side. But to walk a mile in the dusty combat boots of a soldier is to see some of the best and worst of mankind in its unflinching rawness. It is to challenge yourself in the ultimate limits of physical, mental and emotional stress and endurance when you think you can’t go on.

Despite the hours spent rehearsing and reenacting tactical maneuvers, there is nothing that compares to the unfathomable reality that awaits the soldier. The unknown manifests itself far beyond anything remotely resembling personal experience. Yet the soldier must draw upon every ounce of reserve and other little more than raw nerve in order to survive the predictability of the unpredictable situation. No amount of planning can fully prepare a soldier, but it is the inner resolve that allows the soldier to carry on, especially when things appear most futile.

Life can often throw numerous circumstances at us for which we have received little if any training. Just like the soldier, we don’t usually have the luxury of hiding out somewhere hoping things that we find uncomfortable will simply go away. We have to plant our feet squarely and carefully plot out our tactical maneuvers. Just when we think we have it all figured out, our situation changes without any warning. We are forced to regroup and rethink our strategy. In the end, we push ourselves beyond the limits we never even believed existed, or were possible to overcome. We push on. We soldier on.

The soldier must do the same but under conditions that give new meaning to the well worn clichés “life and death situation” and “team player.” In a typical work situation there are creative ways to shirk off duties and failure to pull one’s weight carries minimal consequences. But the soldier must put forth effective strength one hundred percent of the time and be the ultimate team player; the lives of every other soldier in the unit depend on it. Driven by a sense of duty and honor, pride in their country and belief in the social values system, a soldier will push aside fear in order to carry out what needs to be done. Their unit and their values they are all fighting for depend on it.

Walking a mile in the dusty combat boots of a soldier demonstrates firsthand lessons of loyalty, perseverance, strength and discipline. It is to view the world with a slightly wary eye but also a spirit of optimism; a belief that the better aspects of mankind can overcome the negative.