Yesterday I promised to write more about valor and courage. I want to look closely at those aspects of valor that shed light on why some acts conducted in battle give the military reason to award one member of the service a Gold Medal.
First, let me make it clear that without courage (valor), fear would be in charge during any battle. During the uncertainty of battle, courage is the best thing that any participant in that battle can possess. Courage does not mean absence of fear. Courage gives those in battle the ability to act, even though they have fear.
In battle, a fighting man or woman might face a challenge that he or she has never faced before. He or she might feel uncertain about his or her ability to meet that challenge. By calling-up some courage, he or she can meet that challenge, even if it requires completion of a next-to impossible task.
Fear does not have to abolish one’s ability to make a decision. A person who has fear can still decide to do what seems right. He or she can act courageously, even though he or she is afraid.
Tomorrow and Thursday I am going to write about a couple Marines who had courage, and who won a Gold Medal. I will share with the readers of this blog a few details about their courageous acts.
