The Ordinariness of a Sheepdog

There is an inherent contradiction in the title of this blog. Ordinary ordinarily does not go with Sheepdog. But, it does when you divorce yourself from what it is that a Sheepdog does to warrant his name and return to his basic humanity. He/she is a father, mother, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister or solitary sole just like all the rest of us. That’s what struck me as 70 some U.S. Marines stepped off of two buses at Camp Pendleton yesterday. Seven Military Transition Teams (MTT) from Operation Iraqi Freedom returned home after a one year deployment in the violent Al Anbar Province.

There was, as expected, the joyful reunion of family and friends. But, there was more than that. There was a reunion with a wounded colleague; a U.S. Navy Corpsman , “Doc.” Doc has been stateside for quite a few months undergoing the long process of healing and therapy as a result of being on the receiving end of a mortar attack. The bond between this Navy man and his Marines is strong and obvious. It is a bond welded by the flames of combat.

U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy Corpsman, ordinary and extraordinary.

Previous Postings:
Sheepdog Blood Leaves Queasy Stomachs
Thank You Sheep Dogs for our 230th. Birthday—Fourth of July 2006
Are Sheepdogs Born Or Raised?
The Indecent Sheep Bleat
A Sheepdog is Returning
Why Do They Fight?