Spartan women would say this to their sons as they handed them shields before battle, as the legend goes.
What this meant was, the men should either return holding their shields, victorious, or be carried home on top of their shields, dead.
To return without a shield was unforgivable, because it would mean the soldier had dropped it in order to flee.
It was the shield, not the sword or spear, that was the most important of the Spartan’s arms. It didn’t just protect the soldier in individual combat, it was what made possible the famous phalanx formation -- the interlocked wall of shields -- that allowed 7,000 Greeks to hold off 2 million Persians at Thermopylae:
In the phalanx, the shield, worn on a soldier’s left arm, protected not him but the man to his left, meaning a soldier had to both defend his neighbor and trust someone else to defend him.
For this upcoming weekend's misadventures and adventures, I want you to take away this very important thought...
As a wingman, think of yourself as a Spartan, with your skill as your shield.
You and your companions may very well be self-sufficient on your own. But when you make the choice to sarge together, you take on certain obligations to each other that transcend your individual desires and anxieties.
Others have presented a thousand and one rules for winging, but I suggest only two for now:
1. Do not hesitate to join your companion in battle. When he needs your help, your own hindrances become irrelevant.
2. Do not desert your companion once you’re at his side. When winging, you're no longer sarging for yourself only. Your shield becomes his shield.
In short, wingmanship offers a simple choice, the same one the Spartans had: You can either be a victorious hero, or a fallen hero. But never a coward.
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