Chivalry is NOT DEAD! At least not yet… PART II

Posted by Matt on February 26th, 2009 filed in Manners, Parenting, Respect, relationships

Last time, I talked about Chivalry not being dead and how men should allow the knight inside them to come out.  If you missed it, you can read it here.  I would like to deal with the second classified form of chivalry: Duties to fellow countrymen.  Though last time, we touched on how men should really take care of the women in their life and all in general, this duty speaks more to your country as a whole.  In this case, duties to the United States of America and your fellow Americans.

Dad was a true blue man of chivalry.  He joined the United States Navy and worked on a Destroyer.  It was right about the time of the Vietnam war.  Though he did not go to the front lines of the war, he nevertheless served our country.  I cannot express how much gratitude I have for our men and women in the Armed Forces.  We as a nation owe them a debt of gratitude and appreciation.  Each man and women in uniform has demonstrated a true chivalric quality.  When was the last time that you thank a soldier you passed by at the store or mall or airport?  You should stop them, shake their hand, and say thank you for all their sacrifices.  With the Iraq war, the media has let us know of plenty of stories of their sacrifices and their family struggles.

I remember a day when Dad had come home at his normal time (5:30 pm) and when he saw how tired Mom was, he grabbed me and said, “Let’s run and grab dinner.  Rita, sit down, get a drink, and relax.  Matt and I got dinner covered.”  He gave her a huge kiss and off we went.  We loaded up in his big green Ford truck (it was ugly but it was an awesome truck- I wish I had a big to show you) heading to Ken’s Pizza on Admiral and Harvard.  It was one of the favorites of our household.

We walked in and sat down down after ordering the pizza.  We had about a 15 minutes wait.  Dad and I were talking about each other’s day, the struggles, the victories, etc.  Then a Marine walked in the door heading toward the order station.  Dad’s face instantly changed.  He looked at me and said, “Come on, Son, let’s go thank that hero for his service to us and our country.”  At first I honestly was embarrassed.  I did not want to disturb this big muscular man.  As soon as Dad tapped this Marine’s shoulder, he turned around and was visibly unsure of Dad.  But Dad quickly said, “Sir, my son and I just wanted to personally thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedom.  I do not want to disturb you or anything, but I would really like to buy your dinner for you and your family.”  “Thank you, Sir, but you really do not have to do that ” the marine replied.

“I know that I do not HAVE TO. But you did not HAVE TO serve our country either.  Give me the honor of blessing you with a dinner on me and my son.”  The Marine and his family ordered their dinner and Dad took care of the bill. I was so proud of what my Dad did.  Even more, I am so glad of the lesson he passed to me that day.  Show our heros the gratitude they deserve.

Let me quickly state that duties to fellow countrymen does not end with ones in our Armed Forces.  Policemen, Firemen, emergency responders, Red Cross, and many more serve us in their distinct ways.  What are you doing?  Something to thank about.  Have you allowed chivalry to die in your own life?  Have you passed chivalry to your kids?  Have you served your family properly?  Your own family should be top priority of course.

Let’s have an awakening of chivalry again America.  What do you say?