F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Upon joining the military, many young recruits expect to receive future glory from serving their country as an American warrior. However, the perception quickly fades during boot camp, when the name of the game is teamwork, not personal gain. Teamwork is a hard-to-learn skill, but no one does it better than the American Armed Forces.
The desire for glory can be hard to shake in a world surrounded by commendation and service medals.
During the Vietnam War, Medal of Honor recipient Marvin Glenn Shields fought tirelessly in 1965 after being shot three times, in an effort to defend an Army Special Forces Camp in Dong Xoai.
This Navy Construction Battalion Petty Officer, a Seabee, was willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure others may live without expecting glory in return.
To date, Marvin Shields is the first and only Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. Navy Seabees today learn about the heroic actions of Shields during the Vietnam War. However, in the end, Shields gave his life while protecting his team and never saw the glory given to him.
Today, 1st Lt. Tyler Lindquist, 320th nuclear and missile crew commander, is living in his great uncle’s legacy in the military.
“I learned a lot about my uncle’s career at a young age,” said Lindquist. “With his inspiration, I decided to join the military.”
As a missileer, Lindquist spends his days in the field at a missile facility providing nuclear deterrence for the United States. His role within the Air Force is vital, but there is not a lot of glory underground in a capsule.
“I think it would be nice to receive honor, but I am not my uncle,” said Lindquist. “I cannot live up to what he did in the war.”
As a missileer, Lindquist spends his days in the field at a missile facility providing nuclear deterrence for the United States. His role within the Air Force is vital, but there is not a lot of glory underground in a capsule.
Lindquist like many other Airmen have found peace while working in the Armed Forces without receiving glory.
Master Sgt. Daniel McKnight, 90th Civil Engineering Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal flight NCO in charge, is familiar with needing a lot of guts to perform a job, but not receiving glory for the work performed.
“For the most part, I don’t think many of us care about the recognition anymore,” said McKnight. “We have a satisfying mission that is exciting, and we get to do a lot of cool stuff. We get a lot of valuable opportunities that in itself are rewarding.”
It can be hard for young and old Airmen alike to recognize the importance of working towards the mission and finding value in the given opportunities like McKnight has found within explosive ordinance disposal.
As warriors, we may too often expect our names will end up in the history books, and assume glory will follow as it did for Shields. It is better to come in as a recruit not looking for glory, but to look for peace within the job and within the world.