Old soldiers live forever in our hearts

A famous Naval officer once said, when he retired, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” That could be true but in my case, old soldiers never die, they live forever in the hearts with whom they served.

The year was 1957, and the place was Germany. The unit I served in was the Second Armored Calvary. We had taken our basic training at Fort Meade, Maryland and our First Sergeant was Sgt. Graham, a Black man from Mississippi.

For those of you who do not know, the First Sergeant is the top sergeant of a company and the one responsible for the enlisted soldiers and directly supervises and trains every non-commissioned officer in the company. The First Sergeant is also the right hand man to the unit commander who is normally a First Lieutenant. He provides support to the commander, echoes his orders and insures they are carried out without question. In the Army a soldier, his squad and possibly his entire company could die if the soldier fails to immediately execute the commander’s orders.

In a time of crisis, a soldier cannot think about their orders; they must execute, and to do that, they must have confidence that the orders they are given are legitimate, accurate and keep the success of the mission and their lives in mind. Soldiers respond to honor and integrity, and they must feel their leaders provide that. The most important person in establishing and maintaining that trust is the First Sergeant. The First Sergeant is the face of the commander to the troops echoing his commands and the boot when needed to kick the butt of those who don’t respond instantly. As the First Sergeant goes, so goes the unit.

First Sergeant Graham was the essence of a soldier. He was a hard-core but kind-hearted man who always looked the part. He was intensely loyal and no one questioned his Commander. He was a trainer to his NCOs and accepted nothing less than total commitment to the unit and his troops. He was knowledgeable, feared and most of all, respected. He would have given his life without question for his Commander, his unit and all in his command. He was the perfect soldier and was an icon.

We served together for only two years in that company during basic training and in Germany but formed a bond that lasted forever. After leaving the military in 1959, we lost touch, which is something we tend to do when we move on to other things. We try to put the past behind us while looking forward to the future. I never saw First Sergeant Graham again but thought of him on occasion.

Sgt. Graham always stood erect like no other with his uniform perfectly prepared, his boots shined so bright the reflection could blind you. His eyes were always fixed forward watching us to make sure we were safe. We never had to shoot live bullets in combat, but if we had, the soldiers in our unit would have followed Sgt. Graham wherever he led us.

Most people have the opinion that soldiers join the Army, serve, and then leave. For me, this was true, but real soldiers like Sgt. Graham never leave, they always serve. Yes, old soldiers never die; they live forever in the hearts with whom they served.

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