I have a tremendous amount of respect for people in that line of duty. It's always been very interesting to me, and I have read multiple memoirs and biographies of Navy SEALs or other men serving in the special forces. But I have to say, there is something about reading these stories second hand that separates us from these people. When we read a story about someone, we put them on a pedestal, on a different plane from the rest of us. We hear what they tell us, but complete the picture in our minds without even realizing it. They create their story based off snapshots of their lives, and inevitably it is a biased rendition because there just isn't time to tell everything. We feel like we know them, but really we don't at all. We don't know the intimate details of their lives, we don't know what it really felt like to see the things they've seen and do the things they've done. In some ways it getting a glimpse almost feels worse because of the sense of entitlement we as readers feel, like we are authorities on their lives in some way.
Recently I have been rereading one such memoir called the Heart and the Fist (excellent, by the way), that was highly impactful to Derek's decision to become a Navy SEAL. The difference is that this time as I read it, I see Derek in his actions and I hear Derek's voice in my head as I read it instead of the man who wrote the book. I know him. He is human. He is one of the best people I know, but he is human. It feels much closer to home.
I'm really grateful for the opportunity we have to gain some amount of insight into the lives of some truly amazing people. We need to learn from their stories and apply what they have learned doing things we will (hopefully) never do to our own lives better. I admire my cousin Derek for his hard work, mental strength, and his commitment to being an upstanding individual in spite of extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Maybe it puts my life in better perspective. Maybe I can try a little harder.
(PS--He made it :) )
Kudos to your cousin -- I don't know any navy seals personally but I know that it takes a whole lot of strength and dedication. I enjoyed reading your post and I think I might have to read that book now. I agree with your statement that we are separated from the people who write memoirs -- although we can gain understanding by reading these kind of books, I don't think we can ever fully understand what they went through and how it impacted their life. But we can certainly be grateful that they are willing to put their lives on the line for the rest of us!
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