Military Intelligence
Marine Gen. John Kelly is a popular speaker.(Photo: Lynne Sladky, AP)
At
a time when the divide between the military and civilian world has
never been greater, the words of Marine Gen. John Kelly have helped
bridge the gap.
He didn't set out to be a spokesman.
A
former enlisted infantryman, Kelly rose to a four-star rank over a
nearly 40-year career leading Marines, including many months in combat.
He
had two sons who followed him into the Marine Corps. One, 1st Lt.
Robert Michael Kelly, 29, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010 while
leading a patrol in Sangin, at the time a hotly contested piece of
terrain in Helmand province.
Since
then, the elder Kelly has resisted media efforts to make the story
about him or his loss. But he has made a number of speeches to Marines,
families and other groups.
His
words have resonated, touching on themes that rarely get a wide airing.
His talks have gone viral, earning him a broad following. "It extends
beyond the Marine community," said Marine Col. Chris Hughes.
Only
days after he learned of his son's death, Kelly kept a commitment to
give a speech to the Semper Fi Society of St. Louis in November 2010.
It
"would become one of the most memorable moments in the lives of
everyone in the room," according to the organization's website.
In
the speech, Kelly addressed a familiar theme: How only 1% of the nation
has shouldered most of the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But
he went on to say voicing support for the troops alone is insufficient,
suggesting that those sentiments can sometimes bleed into
condescension.
"If
anyone thinks you can somehow thank them for their service and not
support the cause for which they fight –- America's survival -- then
these people are lying to themselves and rationalizing away something in
their own lives, but more importantly they are slighting our warriors
and mocking their commitment to this nation," Kelly said.
Added Kelly: "It's not Bush's war. It's not Obama's war. It's our war and we can't run away from it."
Thousands have been killed or injured in the wars, but they are not victims, Kelly said.
"The
chattering class and all those who doubt America's intentions, and
resolve, endeavor to make them and their families out to be victims, but
they are wrong," Kelly wrote in prepared remarks for the speech. "We
who have served and are serving refuse their sympathy."
Kelly
went on to speak not about his own loss, but about two Marines who were
killed while stopping a suicide bomber in Iraq. Instead of running when
it raced toward them, the Marines opened fire, saving 150 of their
American and Iraqi colleagues inside a base.
For
Cindy Kruger, whose son Sgt. Michael Hardegree died in Iraq, Kelly's
ability to make a major speech so soon after learning of his son's death
was an inspiration.
"For most of us it would be years before we could do that," she said.
Those
who know him say the remarks are in keeping with long-held beliefs and
he doesn't relish being thrust into the public spotlight.
"Service
is a privilege," said Marine Brig. Gen. Eric Smith, who has served with
Kelly. "That's what he's talking about. We don't want your sympathy at
all. We're not saying that in a negative way. We're just saying you may
not understand why we're doing what we're doing."
Earlier
this month Kelly spoke at the dedication of a memorial to 5th Marines,
the unit his son was fighting with when he was killed.
Kelly said he struggled with the question of whether any cause was noble enough to justify losing a son.
"I
realized the question was not mine to ask or to answer," he said. "It
didn't matter what I thought. Only what he thought. The answer was his
to give. He gave it by his actions that day, by the entire life that
brought him to the instant he was lost."
"That is the answer to all of my questions," Kelly said. "I need nothing else."
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