“The soldier is the army. No army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.–Gen. George Smith Patton Jr.
The death of General Dzarma Zirkushu and three other soldiers is yet another set back to the war against terrorism in Nigeria. General Zirkushu and three other soldiers were killed by ISWAP militants after a bomb-laden vehicle rammed into their operational vehicle.
The manner they were ambushed and killed was a revelation. According to Senator Ali Ndume, the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, the ambush on General Zirkushu was a revenge attack because he had successfully led operations that resulted in the death of key ISWAP commanders.
General Zirkushu was, indeed, remarkable not only for his gallantry and intrepidity, but also for his inspiring leadership qualities. One of the greatest attributes of leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate those under you. Leading from the front, unmindful of the risks to oneself, is the best illustration of courage. Great thinkers say that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act or proceed despite those fears.
As American war hero General George Smith Patton Jr said, bearing arms for one’s country is the highest sacrifice. A soldier’s life is inherently risky. The risk is so constantly present that everyday you leave your base for operation, you aren’t sure of coming back alive. Military life is not kids’ stuff.
Therefore, no matter their limitations, especially in view of the challenges of asymmetric warfare, members of our military deserve public support. Fighting an unconventional enemy conventially is a tricky challenge. Whatever maybe their limitations, their successes and immeasurable sacrifices by far exceed those limitations.
We shouldn’t behave like the owl that sees more in darkness than in light. Let’s not behave like incurable armchair critics who always condemn from a safe distance while someone else is taking the bullet. You can’t be snoozing and snoring from your comfort zone, waking up to look for only something to condemn rather than giving credit for their successes and sacrifices.
It always irritates me when people react dismissively to story of military successes against the terrorists. Whenever the military issues a statement announcing the killing of terrorists, the cynics throw their noses in the air and ask: “where are the bodies?” Public support is critical to raising and sustaining the morale of our gallant soldiers. While the critics are snoring away from a safe distance, these soldiers suffer sleep deprivations day after day in the trenches, cut off from the comfort their families for months or years.
May the souls of General Dzarma ZirKushu and other fallen heroes rest in peace. May their sacrifices never be in vain. I don’t think words can adequately do justice to the sacrifices of these national heroes. They should be adequately honoured posthumously in order to keep their memories alive.
Zagga is a public affairs commentator.
