This is why we must stay the course

Hugh Hewitt read this entire post by Michael Yon. This guy is right up there with Michael Kelly, but right there at the fight as well. He is a gifted writer, and he understands this war in an elemental way that stirs the soul, and recalls Shakespeare's words for Henry V before the battle of Agincourt:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Americans haven't all lost the warrior creed. It lives in men like LTC Kurilla and the members of Deuce Four.

Where do we get such men? Where will they come from if the likes of John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Cindy Sheehan prevail in this country?

This is how the Iraqis will learn, if ever, what freedom and independence mean. I come again to the distinction between those two words. We are not there simply to deliver freedom. Our task is much greater. We are trying to bring Independence to these people. Our diplomats can't give it to them; it must be taught. It is our valiant warriors like LTC Kurilla who teach them.

Update: After rereading this, I realize how melodramatic it seems. I'm sure that the men Yon writes about would be more modest. This was not a battle on the scale of Agincourt, but I can't change my feelings about the heroism it shows or the importance of Iraqis understanding that independence is earned, not given. But even more, I feel an urgency for Americans to understand it, as well. As Glenn Reynolds put it, "Thank goodness for the blogosphere, as you won't see this kind of reporting anywhere else."

What you will see is rendered bizarre by Yon's coverage: Code Pink demonstrating outside Walter Reed hospital and Cindy Sheehan being feted as a heroine. They want Bush out and our troops back home, but something about the thought of pulling out at this point strikes me as an insult to the sacrifices of men like LTC Kurilla and his men. I'm watching Laura Costas of Code Pink mixing it up with Sean Hannity and Marc Morano. It's tawdry. To realize that our troops watch this and think this is how the folks at home are treating their mission, makes me ashamed for us all, and thankful for our warriors. May we never let them down.

Update: Captain Ed calls attention to the fact that the young terrorist taken captive had been captured before and released by a judge. I assume it was an Iraqi judge, but I'm not sure. The Iraqis, at least their judges, may be slow learners. May they figure it out before we leave. But, even if the Iraqis fail in this endeavor, the U.S. has not failed; Colonel Kurilla has not. He taught the Iraqis by example and face to face, ignoring the risk. He understood the mission. Failure and shame do not attach unless we cut and run, as demanded by the useful idiots of Camp Casey and Code Pink.