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August 20, 2004
Choosing to serve
He served in the Marine Corps. He served in the FBI. Now, he is a student at Stanford Law School. And, he's requested a leave of absence from his studies in order to once again wear body armor and eat MREs.
Mike Zummer explains his reasons:
Before Stanford, I was an FBI agent. Before that, I was in the Marine Corps. Leaving the FBI and the Marine Corps were the two most difficult days of my life. I was leaving organizations that I loved with all of my heart. I was leaving the service of my country which I love more than anything in the world. However, I left both because I felt there was something else for me to do. I left the Marine Corps to join the FBI. I left the FBI, because I felt that I could do more as a prosecutor with a degree from a school with a reputation as great as Stanford's.While leaving Stanford was not an easy decision, staying did not make any sense to me. I did not volunteer because of any sort of death-wish. I did not volunteer because I'm homicidal. I volunteered because Marines are in a fight. When Marines are fighting, it is a fellow Marine's duty to help them. That is our ethos. I couldn't stay protected while my Marines were doing their duty. Our country will survive with one less lawyer, but we need as many Marines as we can get. Especially now. Semper Fidelis.
Fellow law student, Elliot Flagle, adds,
". . . before Mike ships off, I think it is important to point something out. It is the common tripe of the left that the priveleged, or elite, do not serve in wars. That they get the poor, uneducated masses to be misled into fighting for causes that supposedly do not benefit them. Another line is that our "volunteer army" which is supposedly of such high caliber, is in reality stupid kids pressured outside of a shopping center by professional soldier-recruiters, who in a different time would easily be confused for used-car salesman - as documented by Michael Moore.To those say such things, I personally can only point them in the direction of my friend Mike. Who is capable. Who is elite. Who is brilliant. And who chose to serve not because of any pressure from the outside, but because of an internal pressure of a duty he felt he owed to his country. Now that is just one example. But if we all look around, I'm sure we'll find others.
The truth is that our soldiers are not a bunch of misfits. It takes somebody with guts and a sense of both duty and honor to sign up. And there are no better examples of that than those who walk away from amazing opportunities to give something back not just to their country - but to their friends, families, and loved ones, who are the citizens of the country they serve."
Honor, courage, and commitment. You couldn't find a better example of the Corps values in action than Mike Zummer.
Posted by Deb at August 20, 2004 03:50 AM
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Comments
Where can I find someone to email?
Posted by: Jenn at November 9, 2004 03:49 AM