American Knight: Congratulations Captain Thunder

Captain Thunder6

Lieutenant Thunder6 was promoted to Captain in a wonderful, and history-laden, ceremony. It’s worth reading the whole thing — Thunder6 writes beautifully, and his words take you to the scene. But here’s his promotion ceremony, in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night:

…As he finished pinning the rank the LTC half whispered “take a knee”. Once I had dropped to one knee he pulled out his tomahawk and gently placed it on my left shoulder. Then he told everyone assembled “he kneeled a lieutenant, now he rises a Captain” and helped me to my feet.

There was no pageantry in that wretched field. Truth be told there were few witnesses – all eyes were scanning for contact. But I wouldn’t have traded the rugged midnight ceremony for any amount of pomp and circumstance. For an instant that wretched field was nobler then any parade ground – war be damned.

The Majesty. The Gallantry. The Chivalry. The Tradition. . . . there is something about the warrior ethos, so mysteriously masculine, that deserves preservation.

Tradition holds that women were not knighted on the battlefield as Thunder6 was. A Gentlemen would never permit a blade to touch a lady. (With few exceptions.) It was his mission to stand between her and the edged weapon.

Were it so today.