Sheep, Sheepdogs, and Wolves

This letter was written by, Charles Grennel and his comrades who are veterans of the Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who
spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraqi elections January of 2005. It was written to Jill Edwards who is
one of the students at the University of Washington who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington because she does not think those who serve in the U.S. Armed services are good role models.

To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)

Subje ct: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed
memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I
suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative
folks like me You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of
generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and
your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth
and your naiveté It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no
dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you
are.

William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997 said: "Most of the people in our society are sheep.
They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another
by accident."

We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is
still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent
people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or
under extreme provocation. They are sheep. Then there are the wolves and
the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are
wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better
believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil
deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a
sheep. There is no safety in denial.

Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock
and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you
are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for
violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined
an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for
violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have
then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human
phobia, and walk out unscathed.

We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can
accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout
their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting
an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our chil dren are thousands
of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence
than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence
is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just
too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though,
is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep.
Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be
punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not
in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the
sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are
wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to
go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports,
in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have
the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide
behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high
school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had
the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just
had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however,
and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to
physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the
little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard
on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt
differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a
sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the
perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the
night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs
yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and
wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along
with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most
citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes."
The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on
one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." You want to
be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the
sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one.
And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that
destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted
of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory
& nbsp;crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement
officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims
by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness.
They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one
out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be
destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves
or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they
want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are
choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was
the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to
alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they
learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as
weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist
hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers -
athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and
together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of
lives on the ground.

There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil
of evil men. - Edmund Burke. Here is the point I like to emphasize,
especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to
each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs
are born that way, and so are wo lves. They didn't have a choice. But you
are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be.
It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you
can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you
pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if
there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf,
you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will
never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog
and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral
decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in
that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy.
It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees,
a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the
other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end
or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost
everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The
sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors,
and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.

Its ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep dog. Indeed, the sheep
dog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and
be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the
sheep moving from "Bhaa" to "thanks". We do not call for gifts or
freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smi le
and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting
the sheep. And when our number is called by "The Almighty", and day
retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in
order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be
grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs who
permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.