Something to make me Awestruck · 5:34am Sep 12th, 2012
I want you to imagine something:
You are walking out onto a large terrazzo surrounding a square grass field. It is very dark, and lightly raining. You can see many of the students are walking out there with you.
You know to stand along the edge of the grass, which is where you are headed. As you walk, you notice something odd: there seems to have been white poles with a ball on top planted onto the edge of the grass, about half a meter between them. Walking closer, the 'poles' clear up, and you can finally tell what they are. They are the white gloves of 4000 cadets lining the edge of the terrazzo, in full service dress, at parade rest. 4000 cadets, standing stock still, making a wall around this grass square.
You find a place in the line, and see all the cadets finishing off the enclosure. The only sound is the occasional footstep, from some cadet getting in line a bit late.
Finally, Taps begins to play. In a fluid motion, all 4000 cadets snap to attention, and raise a salute. Even with no command being given, it happens all at once. The trumpet blows on, the lights of the emergency vehicles parked behind flashing along the surrounding buildings. The pure emotion, unseen on our faces, manifests itself in the air. It is impossible to describe, but the energy you could feel from this event seems to grasp you, and your classmates. Taps ends, the last note fading into the rain. The lights cease, and the wing drops their salute. The cadets all walk back to the dorms from whence they came. The only sound is footsteps.
***
This was a Taps Vigil at the USAFA, in honor of September 11th, 2001.
4000 cadets, in full service dress, formed a wall around the grassy field in the center of the terrazzo.
It is times like this where I remember why I am here. I remember why I'm taking this mountain of bullshit as a freshman, rather than living a normal life at some other college.
I'm doing this for the people who like to live free.
I'm doing this for the country where people can live free.
I'm doing this because something like September 11th should never happen again.
I'm doing this because I am willing to take a stand for all others in this nation.
I would like to leave you with a quote which, at present, is a driving factor as to why I am still here:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which they are willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-John Stuart Mill
Signed,
C4C Jcel
I'll be joining you there soon my friend. Patriotism if few and far between these days.
Forgive the photo but,
fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/024/e/2/rainbow_dash_salutes_american_soldjers_by_allyannamatalie-d4nj6jp.png
That sounds like an amazing experience, and something that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Unfortunately I had to go through many of these over at USMA for fallen classmates, instructors, and graduates. Even your description doesn't give it justice, and you can only truly know having been to one.