Have you ever had something fall out of a box that took you back instantly in time? While still unpacking the numerous boxes from my final move from the military life to the civilian one here in Plant City, a small, tattered, worn-out bracelet hit the floor. Within a few seconds, I was standing in the emergency room of the Iba Sina Hospital, commonly known to all as the Baghdad ER.
The memory began with me seeing one of the medics wrapping 5-50 cords together to make a small bracelet. When I asked, the young sergeant what she was doing, she replied, “Making a bracelet. Do you want one?”
“Yes!” came my quick reply.
She then told me that she would meet me at my office and let me pick out the materials. Sgt. Kathleen Vinson came to the office the next morning with an assortment of 5-50 cords. I actually was surprised at the various colors found in this usually drape U.S. Army material.
After I chose two colors, she started the process, and then, after a few turns, looked up and said, “Want to do the rest?”
I smiled and took the cords in my fingers and did what she told me to do. It was an easy craft. In the end, she put the finishing touches on the new bracelet by burning the ends, using a needle to put on the button to hold it together and placed it around my wrist. As I said before, it was a simple craft, but this one held a deeper meaning for me.
This was a Soldier’s Commitment Bracelet. When I chose the colors, I was, in fact, choosing the color of my commitment. I was and still am military. I grew up in a military family, served and am now retired. The light and dark shades of green stand for the green I wore proudly as a soldier. The two colors intertwined represent two families I love and to which I am ever-committed — my spouse and daughters and my brothers and sisters in arms. They are together in my life, and each is wrapped together in an intricate pattern of strength and splendor. The button represents my faith relationship with God. He is what holds my life together just as this button does the bracelet. The needle used and the flame needed are reminders that life will sting and burn. It is through these experiences that I decide to become better or bitter. It is in the times of trials and testing that I am able to catch a glimpse of who I really am. As one author stated, “Pressure does not make character; it simply reveals it.”
I wore this bracelet as a daily reminder that I was to do my very best for each of my families. To serve is not to simply do a job but rather to have a depth of commitment to do the job. That means when the days are long, the needs are great, and the strength (and sometime patience) is low, I would look down at my bracelet and go a little further. Soldiers are expected to go the second mile is our service of duty, honor and country. It is, in reality, their dedication and commitment that beckon them to go the third, fourth and more. These extra miles are what separate the so-called servers in life from the servers of life.
During the days when I did not feel the best in body, mind or spirit, I looked down at my bracelet to remind me of the cost that had already been paid. You see, on my bracelet are small black dots that reminded me of the warriors I served on their final journey home. That is why it is a Soldiers Commitment Bracelet. It is not for me — but for them — that I wear it. I remember seeing a quote on one of the T-wall in Kuwait that said, “All gave some; some gave all.”
There is also another saying that expresses this type of strength in commitment and priceless gift of life. John 15:13 states, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”
We all need visual reminders of the incredible jobs we have in the numerous areas we serve and sacrifice for others. For me, it starts with a bracelet that reminded a mind to push the body because of the love of God for all.
What is the symbol you wear that reminds you of the called life of sacrifice we should live? I have some extra 5-50 cord to get you started.
Chaplain Ret. Maj. Daniel Middlebrooks is president and CEO of Comprehensive Chaplaincy Care and Consulting and pastor of Hopewell Baptist Church. For more information, call (813) 767-2082 or email to chaplainmiddlebrooks@hotmail.com.