Warrior
What is a warrior?
Warrior as defined by Dictionary.com.
Warrior: 1. a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier. 2. a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics.
Some of us are born warriors – seeing the need to fight for others, to improve their lives no matter the cost. When a warrior places value on their life, they calculate the possibility of their maxim effect of their efforts and the potential cost. The cost of living on without fighting for one’s innate and inalienable right to pursue happiness, or other’s rights to happiness – is higher than the cost of losing one’s life in the battles that will ensue for a greater good.
Warriors fight battles in the war with a purposeful end in sight. The glory of battle is not lost on the battlefield. The glory of heroism is never forgotten – a legacy of life given for others, a true sacrifice is made and the legend of the warrior never dies. Those who survive the war, have a duty to honor those fellow warriors now without their physical voice. We warriors must embolden ourselves for we now represent those that can no longer wave the flag or speak their peace. We must never let our brethren die inside us for it is the pilot light for our own warrior spirit that keeps us alive. We living warriors must live our lives, not focused on the dead, but to rather live our lives with purpose for the warriors who are resting.
A warrior’s spirit never dies, only resides like a waning tide. We pull away to reset ourselves on giving life, rather than taking it. We build in place of destruction. We rebuild ourselves.
The warrior’s spirit is driven by love. Seemingly contradictory – one must take a life in order to provide a better life for others. One must protect their good, their way of life – one must always fight for what they believe is right. Following God’s word, a warrior on a warpath can embark on a mission that is just if the purpose of the fight is rooted in the word of God, and in line with love. A warrior need not always kill another human, but they must relentlessly attack and defend against evil that causes harm to the warrior’s tribe and purpose. A warrior must defend against and kill the evil spirit within another human, for it is not life-giving.
My warrior spirit lives on inside me and I will always fight for good – for God – and for love. A warrior wars for peace and protection; a warrior sacrifices their life so that other’s may have a better life. A warrior is born, but never dies. A warrior yearns to sacrifice everything. A living warrior is jealous of those who had the opportunity to die, they must live on in their honor with a renewed purpose of giving and protecting life, rather than taking and harming life. Life is precious and delicate; it is not guaranteed. It must be fought for, even in peaceful times and places. Honor a warrior by living a positive life – be life giving. Honor the sacrifices they made for you, for you will never know the gift of giving the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield.
A warrior is always watchful for the next battle. They seek the weak, not to exploit, but to protect and provide. A warrior’s spirit never dies and we are always vigilant to needs of the weak. Our abundant strengths, courage, and intuition guide us. Each battle is new and unique, we warriors battle on so others may have a voice to speak. Death and evil chase life and happiness with a vengeance – for evil is never satisfied, until death presides. But death does not know that without life and love, death and evil have no purpose. A warrior is capable of love and mercy, whereas evil and death do not know love. A warrior is able to deliver justice in an envelope of hate, packaged and delivered intentionally to the source. A curious devil will open this pre-addressed letter unknowingly motivated by a unruled conquest of curiosity at the cost of demise. A warrior leaves it up to their adversary to open the envelope, but gives no mercy once opened. A warrior will include their return address as an open invitation for the opponent to attack or seek mercy. A warrior is capable of mercy and forgiveness as they fight from a source of love, derived from God.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” A warrior loves their enemy, and they win the battle before it ever begins. Life is meant to sustain and grow. Life is movement, and death is stillness. A warrior’s life is a living one – and their spirit never dies.
Do good, and never give up. We are all warriors in our words and actions. No warrior is perfect, nor is every battle won. Victory comes to warriors when they give everything and by the grace of God, we shall open our eyes one more day – to fight on for good, for light, and for love. Be a warrior and fight on. You are never alone and you have a purpose if you are still living. Be slow to anger and listen with your heart. Trust your intuition and if you doubt, pray.
Joshua David Kapellusch
The only thing left to do for the annual ceremony after folding up the flag is to put ocean water on the flag and tires to connect the two bodies of water. When we leave the shooting site I dip my tires into the Tennessee River and put river water on the flag. When I arrive on the coast the bodies of water are connected. The final connection for the completion of the mission is to dip my tires back into the Tennessee River and put final drops of water on the flag until next year.
That last little drive over the bridge is so exhilarating! Mission complete…until I get home! I am relieved of duty at this point! I made plans to meet my best friend from when I was in the Air Force who lives in San Francisco. He and his friend went surfing as Mack and I sat on the beach relaxing watching the waves crash and flow. Throughout the trip it was my goal to have deep self-reflection and really address some things in my life that needed to be dealt with. I struggle with depression and am technically a serviced disabled veteran, although I struggle with shame admitting this.
Mack and I arrived late into the night. Driving into LA at 3:00 am to the hot rod mecca of the world was a thrill. I may or may not have shredded the flag on the solar panel due to some excessive speeds. 2 days earlier I noticed the flag starting to come apart and my little blasts didn’t help. Once in the parking lot I decided to make friends with the security guard who was awesome, and then I drove around for a bit checking out some Roadkill cars and finding a place to park and sleep. It was my intention to sleep in the parking lot, wake up and stay until someone noticed us. That’s exactly what we did!
We had a pretty major breakdown. My driveshaft blew out on the freeway at about 65 mph which was my biggest fear with that truck. I put the truck in 4wd, backed up to pick up my driveshaft, and got off on the next exit. Normally I would just keep driving in front wheel drive, but for some reason this year all my 46-year-old spinning parts wanted to come apart. I found a small repair shop and they graciously offered floor space, spare parts, gave me $20.00, and bought my supper! I could not believe the kindness of Adam & Brooke Dishman in Warner, Oklahoma. If you need any kind of repair visit their shop Waysen Tire & Lube at 15 Williamson Circle, Warner, OK 74469. 919.913.4304. I “band aided” the driveshaft together and even welded the u-joint caps to the rear yoke since it was extensively damaged.
Mack and I made it back home on the 16th of August after 14 days on the road and ~ 5,300 miles later. We finished the mission by dipping our tires in the Tennessee River and finally by putting water on the flag. Looking at the next 2 years, I am thinking about how to make it better, different, and more meaningful.
I arrived at O’Reillys to change my rear differential fluid to a heavy synthetic Royal Purple oil to cut down on the gear noise and give me a piece of mind. Royal Purple is the only oil I trust for racing or any extreme abusive situation. In fact, I only change the oil in the blazer once a year before the trip. After talking to some nice people and getting the work done, we were on our way.
The departure date was very welcomed after a few mechanical delays with the ’72 Chevy set us back. After getting everything fixed up and tested I set to leave on the 30th of July. Some work-related tasks needed to be completed as well as work on the truck. So eventually I left with my dog Mack on the 2nd of August in the rain. We ate supper with the Fallen 5 as I do every year. I take this time to really feel the emotion of the event 3 years ago.
The entire trip is focused on the Fallen 5. I constantly ask myself if I am doing enough, in the right way, and to the right people. I do know that I perform to my absolute best in this honorable mission. I am the keeper of the Fallen 5 Drive flag from the Amnicola shooting site. My duty is to fly it from the Goldgen Gate Bridge for them. So in reality, I just need to get that flag there on that bridge – everything else is part of the story. People love stories. I tell the story of the Fallen 5 everywhere I go.
I begin the drive each year by starting the Fallen 5 Drive from the memorial site off Lee Hwy in Chattanooga. I then take the path of the shooter to the Naval Station and Marine Reserve Center. On this part of the drive it has the most meaning, to take up a new mission for good and carry their honor. It is my way of fighting the pain of loss and the fear of hateful acts. We must show love and unity, not hate and division. The Blazer of Glory carries this message.
At about 1:00 pm I settled into the Blazer of Glory for the night with Mack my dog. I intent on sleeping in the truck for the entire trip as an added level of excitement! Stay tuned for more!
