300 was the most incredible movie. All those men wearing so little clothing with all those beautiful muscles. . . Amazing. However, I just finished reading the book "Gates of Fire" and let me tell you, if you haven't read this and you are an Army wife, you need to. "Fighting is like fucking. You like to fuck, boy?" Brilliant.
For those of you who didn't pay attention in history class, missed the movie 300, or are just clueless, Thermopylae actually happened. 300 Spartans with about 3000 allies fought against Xerxes, the king of Persia and his army of 100,000. Using the terrain of Greece, the Spartans held off the Persian army for three days and allowed the rest of Greece the time they needed to muster the army that eventually defeated Xerxes. The 300 died to a man, including their king who went to war knowing the words of the oracle foretelling that only by his own death could Sparta be spared.
The Spartans were in the midst of a holy month and couldn't send the entire army, so Leonidas the king chose 299 men to fight with him. How were these men chosen? They had to have graduated from the agoge, be a citizen, and have a son. So out of an army of 8000 citizens, how many had sons? Certainly more than 300. So how exactly did Leonidas choose the men that went with him? What made them special? Their prowess on the field? The awards they had won? Their position in the army? Their courage? No.
The reason that Leonidas chose the men he did had nothing to do with the virtues of the men themselves. He chose the men he did for the courage of their wives . These were Army wives who could be counted on to fight down their own sadness and to stand up with pride. Women who could face any challenge, including death, and meet it with grace and honour. If you didn't have a wife like that, you didn't go to Thermopylae.
We remember the names of men who fought at Thermopylae more than 2500 years ago, but the names of men in the battles that followed are largely forgotten. The women in these soldiers' lives guaranteed their place in history and the honour they have even today. They are the epitome of what a military wife can and should be. Read this book! The Rakkasans have a standing in the Army like the Spartans had 2500 years ago and a similar reputation of being ass kicking, hard core, fuck up your world soldiers who take shit from no one. If we Rakkasan wives look to the Spartan women as our models and emulate them, there will not be anything that we can't handle with poise and grace. "With each step you take, bear courage in mind." Now let's kick this deployment's ass, ladies!
2 comments:
wow!! i did not know that. that is way cool!! i am a very proud army wife. but reading this made me prouder. i love my husband and will do anything for him. the job we do here at home is hard and it can be challenging and draining. not all woman are cut out for this. and i am glad to be part of this family of army wives. i hope that when joeb thinks of me he is just as proud of me as i am of him.
i have been asked how i can handle him being deployed, what i tell them is i have faith and i have to be strong for my kids for my husband and myself. some days are harder then others. i also let them know that it helps having support and talking with other wives that are going through the same thing i am.
Incredible women. These are some really tough shoes to fill. . . But we Rakkasan ladies can do anything because we kick as much ass as our husbands!
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