Paragraph. Sentence. Not even a word to summarize one’s life in its final hideous moment. Cannon fodder prepares to feed the machine. They kneel. Some pray, some use drugs, they all prepare themselves for the inevitable bloodletting from which few of them will return. The scene may as well have been imported from one of the great battles of the First World War as men by the thousands prepared to go “over the top.” Now, as then, they have been reduced to dependable components of a grotesque machine whose value is measured by their ability to advance a few meters before dying. And like those who have died before them, they will not even receive a paragraph, a sentence in honor of their sacrifice. They will advance, they will exist in an brief ecstasy of violence, and will remain where they fall until the mice and the carrion have done with them. Deus pascit corvos.

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs Triumph Sailing, a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through adventure and fellowship on the water. Triumph Sailing just completed its big yearly event, an offshore race in the Gulf of Mexico with an all veteran crew. You can support the mission and next year's sailing season at Tri-Sail.Org.