{"id":202732,"date":"2019-02-18T02:50:06","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T07:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=202732"},"modified":"2019-02-18T02:50:06","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T07:50:06","slug":"an-act-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/02\/18\/an-act-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"An act of love"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Members of the military do not have the luxury of time or resources for Valentine\u2019s Day, but their expression of love is more profound and encompassing. February 14 is like any normal day for them: foot patrols in their area of responsibility, as they keep watch against terrorist activity in the hinterlands. (PNA photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— Valentine\u2019s Day is a momentous occasion for lovers, married couples, families, and practically everyone who hopes to convey their feelings. It is a time of giving flowers, and chocolates, cards, and handcrafted gifts, all meant to be romantic gestures expressing love.<\/p>\n

For members of the military, they do not have the luxury of time or resources for Valentine\u2019s Day, but their expression of love is more profound and encompassing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know there\u2019s a running joke among the troopers why they call remote patrol bases \u2018detachments\u2019,\u201d said Lieutenant Marcus, a soldier of the 1st Infantry Division, PA of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom). \u201cIf you find yourself stationed in one, you\u2019ll be forcibly \u201cdetached\u201d from your social life, and your love life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy now you\u2019re probably seeing cheesy military love stories on social media: soldiers proposing to their girlfriends, or some other sentimental clich\u00e9 mumbo jumbo. Good for them, we\u2019d say. But for the most of us, we\u2019re spending hearts\u2019 day in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

February 14 started for Marcus and his men on a cold morning in their patrol base in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Their duties for the day were as usual: foot patrols in their area of responsibility, as they keep watch against terrorist activity in the hinterlands.<\/p>\n

Part of their area of responsibility had an LGU-initiated irrigation project. \u201cMaking this happen means improving the livelihood of the people around here. So we exchanged pleasantries, and told them we\u2019d be happy to provide security anytime,\u201d Marcus continued.<\/p>\n

Marcus\u2019 group passed by another village the edge of the municipality they are assigned to, where an immunization program was ongoing. The town chief had told them the medicines and supplies came from the municipal center, which were connected by rough roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thought only highlights the importance of our mission to secure the critical government infrastructure projects laid out all across the area,\u201d Marcus remarked. \u201cTheir security from terrorist atrocities such as harassment, extortion and burning means being able to deliver the basic government services to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite their routine, the thought of doing something Valentines-like still crossed their minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the troopers had the idea of picking a flower and asking a student to hand it to his teacher, along with his regards,\u201d Marcus said as he mentioned a local elementary school in a sitio they were patrolling in.<\/p>\n

Lunch for Marcus and his troop was instant noodles and dried fish, nothing like the Valentine\u2019s Day fare in the metropolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re probably enjoying their nice candlelit dinner dates on hotel rooftops right about now, with their fancy ramen, gourmet chocolate, expensive wine, and all that sophisticated stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sure the boys would like to take their families out to dinner today, but it\u2019s a soldier\u2019s life for us. And we\u2019re still on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Marcus\u2019 troop returned to base, he mused about how they would like to be with their families, wives, or girlfriends on Valentine\u2019s Day. However, it is the people they mingled with during their everyday patrols that need more of their attention and care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose faces we came across during the patrol are the people we serve,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnyone of these people could be anybody\u2019s family, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, and whatnot. Then we\u2019re not so different after all. In a way, they are the extension of the people we love and cherish in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marcus shares the feelings of every trooper around the country, as they forego the comforts of city life, including the feeling of being in the arms of their loved ones on Valentine\u2019s Day, to fulfill their sworn duty as keepers of the peace and protectors of every Filipino life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe, the Army troopers, believe in our mission, not just in mind but in our hearts,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that where there is fear, we may bring hope. Where there is darkness, we may bring light. Where there is chaos, we may bring order. This is the core purpose etched into the uniforms we wear with pride: To serve the people, and to secure the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo while others may give extravagant gifts of affection in flowers and chocolates, this is how we show our love. Our sacrifice and dedicated effort to our mission is not just a simple act of duty. It is an act of love,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0— Valentine\u2019s Day is a momentous occasion for lovers, married couples, families, and practically everyone who hopes to convey their …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":202733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-202732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","mauthors-mark-manalang","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}