Just imagine you are an Army Sergeant. On Veterans Day, you decide to go visit a couple of friends whose address is Section 60, Arlington National Cemetery. Naturally, there are areas packed with tourists, the Tomb of the Unknowns where the Third Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard keep their silent vigil and the Eternal Flame, the burial site of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America. Section 60 is not filled with tourists.

Section 60 is where the recently deceased are buried and only a few family members are visiting, remembering their beloved veterans. Now, imagine you look and see a man standing alone. A man who is one of the most revered military men of our time, retired U.S. Marine Corps General and current Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

That is what happened when United States Army Sergeant David Brown went to visit two of his friends on Veterans Day. He told the Independent Journal Review:

“Far away from cameras and fanfare,” Brown saw a “lone man” who he later realized was retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, who is secretary of defense. At the time, he was surprised to see him at Section 60, but upon reflection, he told IJR, “I can’t imagine anywhere else he’d be on Veterans Day.”

An older man, who donned a hat and sweatshirt with Marine Corps logos and slogans, approached Mattis, shook his hand, and called it an “honor” to meet the general. While the father was moved to see him, he clarified to Mattis, “I know that’s just the kind of man you are.”

Brown explained to IJR that the man had been visiting the grave of his son, who was a Marine and told Mattis his son considered him “his hero.”

The general smiled and said something similar to, “Well, I think your son is one of mine.”

Many people are aware of General Mattis’s nicknames, “Chaos” and “Mad Dog”. Many people are aware of the epic Mattis quotes such as:

“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”

and

“Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.”

A lesser known Mattis nickname is “Warrior Monk”. James Mattis has never married and has made a lifelong study of war and warfighters. One of his lesser known quotes is:

“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”

It would seem that Secretary of Defense James Mattis does not allow himself to live in a dream world and reminds himself of the brutal facts with visits to places like Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. If you have not read Kim Quade’s superb post on Chelsea Manning from earlier today, read it here. What a juxtaposition! In the same day, you have that hero of the left, the disgraced traitor who was dishonorably discharged from the military bleating about a “nationalist fairy tale” and a quiet story about James Mattis listening to the stories of the families of the fallen and well aware that he doesn’t live in a “dream world” and must live with the “brutal facts”.

Retired Marine General James Mattis and traitorous dude in a dress Chelsea Manning provide the sentient beings of this country with a moment of moral clarity on this Veterans Day weekend.