Public, because I hope someone finds this worth linking.
By now many of you have no doubt heard about the Marine manning the Toys for Tots collection point who helped stop a shoplifter and was stabbed by that shoplifter in the process. He did what a Marine should do. He put himself at risk to do the right thing.
Some of his fellow Marines helped catch the bad guy. They did what Marines should do as well. I respect each and every one of them.
Today I got an e-mail about the story, including a paragraph that (falsely) claimed the Marines broke the shoplifter's arms, leg, ribs, and so on. I'm sure that bit was intended as a "Hell yeah! Marines! Don't fuck with Marines!" but I read it as "the Marines involved then acted with appalling dishonor and took out-of-proportion vigilante vengeance on the shoplifter."
That offended me.
In trying to escape his crime, the shoplifter committed a much more serious crime. And the true tale of honor here is that despite suffering an injury-and risking more serious injury that many of us would consider not worth stopping a mere shoplifter-the Marine and his fellows restrained any impulse of vengeance they might have felt. They controlled the situation and put judgment and punishment in the hands of the lawful authorities. It is a Marine's place to do the right thing; it is not a Marine's place to take the law into his own hands.
It is a disservice to them to say they acted as if they were gang members or thugs. They acted exactly like what they are... They are Marines.
Some of his fellow Marines helped catch the bad guy. They did what Marines should do as well. I respect each and every one of them.
Today I got an e-mail about the story, including a paragraph that (falsely) claimed the Marines broke the shoplifter's arms, leg, ribs, and so on. I'm sure that bit was intended as a "Hell yeah! Marines! Don't fuck with Marines!" but I read it as "the Marines involved then acted with appalling dishonor and took out-of-proportion vigilante vengeance on the shoplifter."
That offended me.
In trying to escape his crime, the shoplifter committed a much more serious crime. And the true tale of honor here is that despite suffering an injury-and risking more serious injury that many of us would consider not worth stopping a mere shoplifter-the Marine and his fellows restrained any impulse of vengeance they might have felt. They controlled the situation and put judgment and punishment in the hands of the lawful authorities. It is a Marine's place to do the right thing; it is not a Marine's place to take the law into his own hands.
It is a disservice to them to say they acted as if they were gang members or thugs. They acted exactly like what they are... They are Marines.