I've never subscribed to that ancient admonition that real men don't cry.  I've witnessed men much harder and tougher than me shed tears under the stresses, frustrations, and personal losses of ground combat.  But when those men relaxed their emotional defenses and allowed tears to flow, it was within the relative privacy of their fire teams or squads, among those who had shared their stresses and damned well knew the men crying were no weaklings.  I can imagine the tears of frustration shed by those soldiers and sailors who wash out of elite programs like Ranger and SEAL training, especially those dismissed in the latter stages, after they've endured so much – not exactly the kind of people you'd be inclined to dismiss as crybabies except at your own peril. But what I've never witnessed is a commanding officer going before a parade field of massed troops and wiping away tears as he discusses new regulations he is about to implement and...(Read Full Post)