The Quiet Man

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stewart Mill--
With that said one of the most common traits of wounded warriors is their tendency remain silent regarding thier experiences in war.  My father never talked openly about his experiences the south Pacific during World War II.  Most of what I learned was gleaned through talking to his freinds and relatives, letters, and an article in the Stars and Stripes. 

SMS hired Chris Friedrichsen over four years ago.  On his employment application he listed only that he has served in the military.  My guess was at that time that he was a rear echelon pencil pusher working in a supply depot.  Not so.  I received a call from the Veterans Administration trying to locate Chris regarding an appointment he had with them.  Sometimes the guys use our main number as a contact number as they working in the field all day.  It sparked my interest. 

I had a chance to sit down with Chris recently and after some brow beating got the real scuttle butt.

Chris served with United States Marine Corps, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines.  He was involved in two tours of Iraq, one in 2004 and then another in 2006.  On his second tour he was badly injured by an IED, Improvised Explosive Device during a combat operation in Ramadi Iraq in the Al Anbar Province that borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.  Chris's commendations include:
Purple Heart
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat
Good Conduct Medal
Sea Service Ribbon with 4 stars
Combat Action Ribbon
Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal and Service Medal.

I can tell Chris still is effected by his injury physically.  He can't lift as much as some of the other guys around here.  On really cold days you can tell he is gets stiff.   One thing for sure you will never hear him complain.
He endeavors to persevere and for that, we are proud to have him around here at SMS.