By Michael Rudolph

GUAM - South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham (R) recently returned from his trip to Afghanistan as a reservist. And during his stay he had a moving encounter with the now-deceased U.S. Army Sergeant Jose S.N. Crisostomo, originally from Inarajan. While on duty "Colonel Graham" was fortunate enough to spend time with Sergeant Crisostomo prior to his final mission.

According to GreenvilleOnline.com, Graham's stirring experience with Crisostomo has led him to "ask President Barack Obama to send more troops and resources tied to requirements that the Afghan government...clean up 'rampant' corruption." There is no doubt that Cristomo's warm personality touched Graham with a sense of sincere sentimentality. Clearly, ratcheting up the amount of resources to Afghanistan will speed up the push for Afghans to better govern themselves and thereby help protect treasures like Crisostomo.

Crisostomo's disarming personality also affected Afghans, who "packed the memorial service for the man who was known for leading morning physical training by carrying an American flag as he ran around the track and always called the Afghans 'brother' and 'sister,'" Graham told Greenville Online. For any other soldier this kind of attendance may have come as a surprise, but not for Crisostomo. This remarkable individual possessed an innate gift that allowed him to connect with people across cultural lines under the most proscribing conditions.

Whatever fueled Crisostomo's contagious ability to bring people together was not quelled by four tours in Vietnam, nor even by the improvised explosive device that took Crisostomo from us on August 18, 2009, because his spirit lives on through the inspired actions of Senator Lindsey Graham. The silver lining in this story is that if Crisostomo and Graham had not crossed paths Graham may not have been as inspired to push a request for more troops and resources to bolster what evidently appears to be a protracted venture in Afghanistan.

With Guam's renowned U.S. patriotism, loyalty to America at all costs, and consistently high rates of enlistment and casualty, perhaps it should come as little surprise that a spirited Chamorro should rise to the occasion and put fire in the belly of a fellow officer to call for more troops and supplies to rally the present forces to accomplish the democratic goals that America sought to establish there in the first place.

That Crisostomo was 59 when he made the ultimate sacrifice after so many years of military service is a testament to the depth of Guam's deeply American identity. That Colonel Graham also happens to be a U.S. Senator intent on honoring Sergeant Crisostomo's legacy of liberty is a blessing too touching to go unnoticed by those in positions of power to act.

Jeff Marchesseault contributed to this analysis.

Read the GreenvilleOnline.com story, "Lindsey Graham says more troops needed in Afghanistan", September 1, 2009.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Comments

Add New Search

Write comment

Name: Email:  do not notifynotify Website: Title: UBBCode:         -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge     Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."