I had to attend a meeting this week about a possible something.
Two things struck me during the brief:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

Note the sentences in bold. I take this seriously. Reading the words sometimes leaves a lump in throat. Tens of thousands of people will never be the same after September 11, 2001.

The other thing… the arrogance of the officer speaking. It was amazing. Granted he might be one bad ass in combat and I respect that. But, at one part I wanted to just say… We believe you Sir, just be humble.