Semper Fi

Tonight I went to the catholic church down the street from my home in Fort Collins where the war in Iraq became suddenly and indelibly real to me. The occasion was a vigil and service for Marine Sergeant Nicholas R. Walsh. Sgt. Walsh, a Force Recon squad leader, was killed by a sniper in Falujah, Iraq last Saturday. He was 27 years old and left behind a wife and two small children.

I didn't know Nick Walsh or his family; but I wanted to pay my respects to him. It seemed the least I could do. In an era where so much is being shouldered by so few, I felt humbled to be able to simply sit in a back pew and say a few silent prayers.

And I was not alone. It was an interesting mix of people who filled St. Joseph's tonight, and it really said a lot about the nature of our great country and the true gift of Sgt. Walsh's sacrifice. There were ramrod-straight Marines in their dress blues, and retired Marines and Vietnam vets who came to show their solidarity with one of their own. There were civilians of all shapes and sizes; men with long hair and pony tails, teenagers with pierced noses and spiked hair. It was a cross section of the American milieu, with all the diversity of social, political and cultural strains that make America such an interesting -- and important -- place. It struck me as I sat there listening to the beautiful, haunting hymns that this is America -- the freedom to be yourself, to dress and think as you please, to be who and what you want to be. The mourners tonight were themselves a fitting tribute to Nick Walsh, the United States Marine Corps and everything they are fighting for in Iraq.

For most Americans, the war in Iraq is a theoretical exercise. Snippets of news, pictures of death. An endless political debate. As it has been for me. Until now. Tonight I looked Sgt. Nicholas R. Walsh in the eyes from his open casket and saw the real cost of war and the real price of freedom. Not a day will go by from here on that I won't remember that image and give thanks that we live among such giants. Our celebrity-obsessed culture may celebrate the famous and infamous, but I saw a true American hero tonight. He will be but a footnote in history -- but I, for one, shall never forget him.

Semper Fi, Sgt. Nicholas R. Walsh, USMC. R.I.P.