The Warrior
Archetype
“The
Warrior's loyalties...are to something beyond and other than himself
and his own concerns.”
Robert
Moore
The year is 1952, and I
am six years old. Mother, Jerrie and I stand stiffly on the concrete
viewing stand behind a metal barrier, watching the water rapidly rise in the lock at the Chickamauga dam. We can see the gray, steel ship
chugging up the river toward us, big guns bristling, and United
States Navy painted boldly on the prow. The ship slowly slides into
the lock with a line of Seamen in dress uniform standing at attention
on deck. My dad is among them. When the ship gets even with us, he is
no more than a dozen feet away, and I see him smile and wink. I feel
both fear and pride. How handsome he looks. How proud to wear that
uniform. But, he will be gone for a month to an island called Cuba,
and since I know nothing of the world, let alone islands, it seems as
distant as a planet.
In his day job, my father was a surveyor and draftsman for the Tennessee Valley Authority, a job he
took after World War II. I learned much later that one of the things
he did there was not for the utility company, but for the United
States Government. He drew topographical maps of Southeast
Asia—Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma—from aerial surveillance photographs. At
the time, we were at war in Korea. A decade later, we were gearing up
for my generation's war in Vietnam.
At their best, our
veterans embody the Warrior archetype, which is a spiritual and
psychological path. Here are some of the characteristics of the
positive side of the Warrior: They are aggressive in the sense that
they make an all out effort to succeed. They are competitive and
vigorously energetic. They put forth determination, initiative, and
force in the form of harnessed aggression. They need a clear and
definite purpose in life otherwise they feel lost, restless. They are
ever mindful, alert, vigilant, and have keen situational awareness
because they observe, study and plan. They are well aware that life is finite, and do not fear death; in fact, that understanding
brings them clarity. They are competent, adaptable, creative in
finding solutions, resourceful and decisive. They remain calm under
pressure, emotionally disciplined, skillful, accurate and loyal. The
true Warrior only destroys in order to make room for something new.
The Warrior archetype is
not the sole province of military men. In fact, it is found every
single day in ordinary people—men and women, who simply put on
their pants and go out to face the world with strength and courage.
You don't have to be in the military to be a warrior, but people who
choose to be in the military learn how to be warriors for the right
reasons—to serve and defend. Today, I honor our veterans, and
remember my own father's strength and courage. I hope you do, too.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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