Honor: The Lost Virtue?

What almost getting jumped in LA taught me about honor

My charcoal sketch of Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photo of the five marines and one sailor raising the United States flag on a hilltop on Iwo Jima on 23 February, 1945. Original artwork by Joseph O. Chapa.

Welcome to another issue of Views Suppressed, a special issue of Views Expressed only for paid subscribers! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to publish here. As you might imagine, the weekly issue of Views Expressed keeps me busy. I’d like to start thinking and writing about honor. My current plan is to publish them here first (for paid subscribers) and, hopefully, to drive thoughtful discussion in the comments. Then, eventually, I may re-publish them in Views Expressed (for free subscribers). Also, I originally did the Iwo Jima sketch as a parting gift for my students at the Marine Command and Staff College. But I like it and I think I’m going to use it for each of the Honor posts. So you can expect to see more of it. Thank you as always for your continued support.

When I was just out of college, maybe 22 or 23 years old, I visited my friend, Peter, in LA. We went out near the Santa Monica Pier. I don’t know LA well, but it seemed like a pretty nice area. My friend was driving. We met up with a few of his friends, then walked back to the car late at night. While we walked, a mercedes coup pulled up next to us and matched our walking speed. The guy in the passenger seat rolled his window down and said, “hey, where you from?” We kind of acknowledged him, but then tried to break contact and keep walking.

“Hey!” he said again, more intensely this time. “Where you from?”