I saw an old friend on television tonight. Jacqulyn’s parents called to tell us that Captain Roger Hill was on the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News. I caught the last minute or so of the segment and plan to read the transcript if it’s available tomorrow. Roger’s story isn’t about fishing. This is one of those cases where things more important than fishing have intruded upon my life.

Roger and I were friends in high school. He and I both participated in the Big Brother/Big Sister Program, and we shared the same three “little brothers.” Roger was a year older than me, and the idea was for him to mentor me so I could take over when he graduated. He was also a great basketball player, but most of all, he was an all-around good guy and a good friend. Jacqulyn and I graduated with Roger’s sister Mona. We lost touch with both of them shortly after high school. I knew Roger was attending West Point and by all accounts was doing well.

I hadn’t heard from Roger in better than seven years, as nearly as I can remember, until someone sent me a link to a story in the Washington Post. I can’t really describe how I felt. It’s difficult to reconcile all those years, that soft-spoken, shy guy I used to know and the battle-hardened man who was placed in the impossible situation described in the article. Someone like Roger should never have to face situations like that.

But he did, and he’s not alone. There are thousands of our young men and women stationed in the Middle East right now. They did not choose to be there, but they chose to serve wherever their nation sent them. They chose to give up the things you and I take for granted, like being able to go fishing after a tough day at work or sitting down for supper with loved ones or not getting blown up when we drive down the road. And they do it for us. They don’t do it for fun or for kicks. It’s not a game, and they don’t come out unscathed, assuming they come out at all.

I won’t pretend to understand what it’s like being over there in a situation like Roger’s, and I certainly won’t presume to dictate to you what is right and wrong in all the complicated situations our soldiers often find themselves in. What I can say is that I know Roger is a good man, and I’d trust him to do what is right as well as I would just about anyone I’ve ever known. We praise the Jack Bauer character on 24 every Monday night when he does far worse. I cannot condemn Roger’s actions any more than I can Jack’s. There are those who will, but before doing so, they should consider how easy it is to judge from the comfort of the living room sofa. There are impossible situations where every decision is a bad one, but that doesn’t excuse you from making a decision in the end. You must choose, and I believe that’s what Roger did. From all accounts, it probably saved the lives of some of his men. Yet he stands to be condemned for it. I honestly feel sick whenever I think about it.

I encourage you to read the article I linked to above. Roger’s wife wrote a piece about the situation available here. What I’d appreciate you doing is to read about the situation, decide for yourself what is right, and if you believe as I do that Roger should be granted an Honorable discharge, please write to the Secretary of the Army Pete Geren so saying. I’m uncertain of how exactly to do that, but I hope the O’Reilly transcript will tell once they post it tomorrow. The Secretary’s page didn’t contain contact information that I could find, but there is a general Army contact page. Use that if you can’t find anything else. I’ve held back a little in writing this piece, but if I was the one in charge, I’d pin a medal on Roger’s chest. I believe he made the right decision. I don’t believe he took pleasure in it, but I believe it was what needed doing.

Thank you,
Nathan

Tags: Afghanistan, Captain Roger Hill

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. The author is Nathan Kennedy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.