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From the Gazeebo...  

"Honor," devalued and disposable..

"Honor is simply the morality of superior men." - H. L. Mencken

Once again I've had the occasion to confront what I call "false honor," or "disposable, throw-away honor." The who or why is not important - what is important is the lesson that such an encounter teaches.

"Honor" is not a word, but a state of being and a manner of action - it's a part of one's character. To see and acknowledge honor in others is often to do for them what the they, the honorable, would not by the very definition of what they are do for themselves.

Ok, that's a little convoluted. What I mean to say is that simply putting the word "honor" into gear and engaging it in the daily use of your vocabulary does not make you an honorable person, nor does it necessarily convey honor on those at whom the word is thrown. If fact, those who use the word "honor" as a throw-away word are doing the opposite of what the word is intended to convey.

"Honor" and respect are earned. We show honor to those who have given us a reason to honor them. And it is entirely possible for a person who is not otherwise an "honorable" person to perform with honor, or to do an honorable thing. Each of us is only human, and our ability to perform honorably comes from a part of our characters.

Not every person who goes about his day-to-day activities throwing the word "honor" around like candy from a parade float has a real concept of what "honor" really is. "Honor" in action-not-words is nothing more than doing the right thing without regard to the consequences. It's really that simple. Doing the right thing "when no one is looking," as has been said. Doing the right thing at the cost of one's own comfort, one's own fortune, one's own reputation, and even one's own life.

Consider those two extremes: "Honor" no more valuable than penny candy thrown into a crowd, or "honor" as personal and costly as life itself.

In our volunteer activities as WWRiders, we need to put the value back into a devalued word, "Honor." We do no favor for the military men and women we love by watering that word down.

And we, as people who see honor in action nearly every day of our lives because of the high quality of people who are our charges - our Warriors - we who see real honor and real nobility and real courage, are for that all the more outraged when faced with false honor, "honor" coming from the lips of dishonorable men, as if simply using the word somehow creates the deed. Disposable honor in a disposable, throw-away culture.

Uttering the word "honor" in every other sentence is easy for those of "inferior morality." But it's also easy for otherwise good people to fall into the trap of using the word lightly, of watering it down. As Warriors' Watch Riders, on the other hand, we don't fall into that bad habit. We are so surrounded by TRUE honor that we don't need to.

Real honor is easy to spot, easy to quantify. It's "simple."

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." - Winston Churchill

WREATHS ACROSS PA

Last week I included in The Ride a plea to help the WWR collect the money necessary to pay for the Christmas Wreaths (which we get at cost from Zieger & Sons Wholesale Florists) that we will place on the stones of veterans and at the memorial to the fallen Revolutionary soldiers at Washington's Crossing (and at the memorial to the Pennsylvania residents who died on September 11 in the attacks on our country in New York City)

At the time we were getting anxious because we were not even close to our goal of over $1500 for the wreaths, plus over $150 for the bows.

YOU RESPONDED, in force, and we are very grateful - humbled, in fact, by your response. Those who responded asked to be kept anonymous. One mark of fine character is doing the right thing when no one is looking," which is the same as anonymously doing a good turn. "Thank you" is not enough, but it's all we have. Thank you.

Forest Hills Cemetery, Veterans Field, Pa.

Tombstones of the Unknowns, 1777, Washington's Crossing

Until next time: MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS THIS, STILL THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH, AND ALL OF THOSE WHO DO, HAVE, OR WILL DEFEND HER, AT HOME AND ABROAD.

- Wayne Lutz

*This newsletter is named "The Weekly Ride" or "The Ride", for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by America's enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside:

"It's not about what happened in the past. It's not about what might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake."

Click here for a Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: "The Ride"