Inspired

So the last night of Mike's conference was a big banquet in which all the Family Physicians from all the different branches of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) get together and end the conference with food, drink and fellowship in typical military style. Family members are included if they happen to come to the conference. So we arrived at the banquet late because Mike forced me by gun point to attend a "military finance" briefing which ran like forty minutes late. We found a table with two seats open. We made our way to the buffet of hotel food kept warm in chafing dishes, a roast beef carving station and no host cocktails. There was a Jimmy Buffet style band clad in Hawaiian shirts blaring out songs like Piano Man and Sweet Home Alabama at a tortuous loud volume. I wanted to stab myself in the eye with my fork just so I would have an excuse to leave the banquet. Then, I realized that even if my eye were squirting blood due to said stabbing, that I was in a room full of doctors, many of who had served on the battlefield and they would probably be overcome with glee to treat my bleeding eye. There was no way out. I ate my roll with frozen butter and drank my two dollar diet coke. I yelled occasional comments in Mike's ear because given the volume of music, it was all I could do to fill the time.

Finally, the Jimmy Buffet Hawaiian shirt guys stopped the singing and retired the stage. All of a sudden, an actual marching band of senior citizens came marching into the room playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" on trumpets, clarinets, drums and a Tuba. I'm not joking. The youngest in their band was maybe 75 years old and they were marching, slowly marching while playing marching band numbers. They made their way to the recently vacated stage. I knew at this point that I was most definitely stuck in hotel banquet hell, where the roast beef is cold and jiggly, I knew no one and a senior citizen marching band is preparing for their next number. OH. MY. HELL.

Just when I thought I would combust into vapor, something wonderful happened. The marching band began playing the Army theme song. "over hill, over dale as we hit the dusty trails and the caissons go rolling along..." As is military tradition, all Army members rose to their feet and began to sing loudly and clap their hands. And when the song ended, as is also military tradition, Anchors Away began and the Navy members rose to their feet and sang at the top of their lungs. I knew when the Navy sat down it would be our turn. Our table got to our feet and began to shout out "Off we go into the wild blue yonder, flying high into the sun...". Some of us stood on our chairs and spun our white cloth napkins over our heads as we clapped our hands enthusiastically. After we were done it was the Coast Guard's turn and as is the ultimate military tradition the Marines were saved for last. As our band of senior citizens began to play "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" with gusto, the Marines in the room stood and whooped it up like the rest of us. Except for this one guy. There was this one guy, some Marine that I don't know, who stood on his chair quietly. He stood at attention. His shoulders were back, arms locked at his side. His head was held high and straight and etched on his face was the fact that he had seen comrades fall in battle. You could just tell. It was written on his face as plainly as Mike's smile is written on his. This man stood on his chair, high above the heads of his fellow Marines and offered a silent tribute to his brothers in arms instead of whooping it up like the rest of us.

It immediately reminded me that we are still at war. We are losing people every day. Lives are being sacrificed. People we love are over there paying the ultimate price. How had I forgotten this so quickly? And as I gazed out on this group of military doctors, I felt so proud just to be in their company and so grateful for their willingness to serve our country. And all of a sudden, I was so glad I was there in that banquet room, marching band and all.