Posted on 04/07/2007 2:11:33 PM PDT by wagglebee
On 9/11, the passengers aboard United Flight 93 had an option – they could rely on the good intentions of their captors or they could fight back. When presented with this Hobson’s choice, they responded with the words “Let’s roll.” Their ensuing actions were the very definition of heroism.
A few weeks ago, 15 British seamen and marines, soldiers of the Royal Navy, found themselves in a similar quandary. Belligerent Iranians had surrounded them and threatened them with both words and actions. Just as the passengers on Flight 93 had a choice, so too did the British seamen who ultimately spent a couple of weeks as hostages of the Iranian regime. Why did these soldiers, the products of military training and representatives of Her Majesty’s flag, make the decision to surrender themselves? Because, according to their Captain at a Friday press conference, “Fighting back was simply not an option.”
What a strange and dismal trip it has been for the Western world, going from “Let’s Roll” to “Fighting Back Was Not An Option” in scarcely more than five years. One can only hope that when the history of our era is written, the former will turn out to be the immortal quote, not the latter.
IT MAY SEEM EASY AND UNSEEMLY FOR A KEYBOARD WARRIOR like me to criticize the conduct of the British troops. Perhaps it is too easy; I have never been in a situation comparable to the one these men (and woman) were in. I can’t say with any confidence how I would respond.
But I can say with some confidence how I would hope to respond; I hope my response would be nothing like that of the British seamen. And I’d like to think my life experience has helped me arrive at this worldview. A half-decade of serious illness has forced me to accustom myself to looking death squarely in the eye on an ongoing basis. At some point, you come to a realization that death is inevitable. And you also come to appreciate that there are things worse than death. Just as there are things worth living for, there are things worth dying for. One’s own honor and especially the honor of one’s country must be among those things if you don the uniform of your country’s military.
In spite of the foregoing, I understand and acknowledge that my résumé for discussing such matters is slight. But MSNBC military analyst Jack Jacobs’ is not.
Jacobs won the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Vietnam. According to his Medal of Honor citation, Jacobs received the Medal “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”
With his company under intense enemy fire and the command group having suffered heavy casualties, “Capt. Jacobs assumed command of the allied company, ordered a withdrawal from the exposed position and established a defensive perimeter. Despite profuse bleeding from head wounds which impaired his vision, Capt. Jacobs, with complete disregard for his safety, returned under intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to the safety of a wooded area where he administered lifesaving first aid. He then returned through heavy automatic weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company commander. Capt. Jacobs made repeated trips across the fire-swept open rice paddies evacuating wounded and their weapons. On 3 separate occasions, Capt. Jacobs contacted and drove off Viet Cong squads who were searching for allied wounded and weapons, single-handedly killing 3 and wounding several others. His gallant actions and extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 1 U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers.”
I had the pleasure of meeting Captain Jacobs for a few minutes about a year ago. He’s a small man, and you don’t look at him and instantly think “war hero.” It’s precisely for this reason that his valor is so poignant. For a nation to be great and its military to be great, it needs ordinary men to do extraordinary things. It also needs ordinary men who are willing to make extraordinary sacrifices.
Jack Jacobs watched the English press conference where the soldiers’ Captain declared that “fighting back was simply not an option.” Like me, Jacobs was horrified. Because of his military experience, Jacobs was personally outraged as well.
Asked by an MSNBC hostess for his feelings about the released soldiers and their press conference, Jacobs inveighed on-air, “That was the most disgusting, disreputable, dishonorable performance I can remember in more than 40 years of my relationship with the military service. I think every man every woman, who wears the uniform or has ever worn the uniform of his country, no matter what country it is, ought to be disgusted by this…Words can’t express my disgust.”
To some, the returning British soldiers may be heroes. If we have so defined heroism down, woe be unto us all.
Whatever happened to “Let’s Rock”? It went out with the “Roll”.
Let’s roll has been changed to “Let’s roll over”
Or lets collectively bend over and grab our ankles.
What ever happened to “Let’s Roll” ??
It became “Let’s Roll Over”
BOHICA
I guess it is part of the new “softer side” mentality of the leaders in our country—why use bombs when flowers, promises and handshakes work better??
“Wrong IS right”!!
No, false analogy. The Flight 93 folks knew they wwere going to die, anyway, and had nothing to lose. The 15 seamen/soldiers knew they probably would survive if they went with the flow. Totally different circumsstances.
Oh- but WAIT!
They got goody bags - you know - something to bring home to mom. Kinda like a t-shirt from a rich uncle.
I can’t imagine anything in a goody bag that would make me want to take it from the hand of a criminal like Akmadinajad.
I remember Guiliani giving back a check for $10 Million to an Arab thug after 9-11.
But apparently the British Navy can be bought with a goody bag.
No, I’m not making fun of Britain - I’m crying for it.
To try to negate the heroic sacrifice they made with your condescending attitude/words is a disservice....a huge disservice!.
They had hope.....they hoped they could save many lives and prevent the terrorists from killing lots of people...
..and they hoped to wrest the plane from the terrorists.
And .. I totally agree. United 93 knew they were already dead .. their families had told them what the plan was .. so you’re right .. they had nothing to lose.
Their goal was to keep the airplane from hitting it’s intended target - THE CAPITOL BUILDING.
Too bad the democrats in congress don’t appreciate the sacrifices these people made for THEM!!
The photo you have posted has cut off the one young man who looked disgusted with the whole bunch. He seemed like the only one who understood what was really happening.
Hey all, I am not particularly enamoured of the actions of the Brits who were captured (particularly after they were captured) but to be fair, it is not an analogous situation.
The passengers on Flight 93 knew they were going to be murdered, they had to act or die. Surrender was NOT an option unless certain death was acceptable.
The Brits were vastly outnumbered and could have fought back, but it would have been suicide. Surrender WAS an option.
Just being fair-there IS a difference.
The major issue I have is not that they surrendered...what good reason was there at that time to throw away their lives? It isn’t like they were holding a hill, trying to fight off the enemy long enough to swing the course of a battle.
The issue I have is their behavior after they were captured, and to a much greater degree, when they were released! Smiling, shaking hands with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and saying in audible, cheery voices “Thank You”?????????
Sorry, I may be an Armchair quarterback, but I know that others in much worse circumstances did not conduct themselves in that fashion.
Of course no one of the American Left would die for their country. They won’t even die for universal health care or gay marriage or whatever they are bleating on about nowadays. There is nothing they would die for, except maybe to kill George W Bush or something.
No, not different circumstances, different mentalities. The man being talked about here, Capt. Jacobs didn’t know if he was going to live or die, he could have surrendered but he didn’t, neither did the men with him. You don’t fight or surrender based upon whether you might live or die but whether it is the best thing for your country. If you are in service of your country you are paid to die for it if necessary. I paid my dues in ‘64 where were you?
I read that they were taken by a couple of small boats that they could have easily fought off. Do you have a link to the details surrounding this?
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