𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭: 𝐀 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭: 𝐀 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

In the high-stakes world of government, there is a way things are done, and there is a way they are not done.

On that Saturday morning, 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞 held a press conference that will be remembered as the moment the old alliance didn't just break it was incinerated.

By openly speaking of a "𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭" with an "𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧" to𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝 "𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐠" 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐉𝐫., 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐳𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐚-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐳, she stepped out of the realm of politics and into the realm of the unthinkable.

​A leader must be a pillar of stability. When one speaks of hits and revenge "𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝," they do not sound like a stateswoman; they sound like someone who has lost the thread.

The administration's response on 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, was cold and precise.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭. He simply 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 that 𝙞𝙛 𝙖 𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

While the Vice President was making headlines with expletives, the government was making moves with the law. This is how real power operates:

(𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔): On February 5, 2025, the House of Representatives showed its loyalty to the Speaker, delivering 215 votes to impeach her.

Though 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 paused the process on 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, citing procedural technicalities, the message was sent.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: Just weeks ago, new complaints were filed by various blocs.

They don't just cite her threats; they cite the 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 (𝐂𝐎𝐀) findings regarding her use of confidential funds. This is the "business" end of politics following the money until it leads to a dead end.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐎𝐉 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 (𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔): As we sit here today, the Department of Justice has confirmed that the "𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬" and "inciting to sedition" raps are under final review.

They aren't rushing. They are being thorough. That is how you ensure a resolution that sticks.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟖 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧: 𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

How this affects her bid for the big chair. In this country, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫: By targeting the First Lady and Mr. Romualdez, she has alienated the very people who managed the UniTeam victory in 2022. She is now an island.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲" 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: Voters in 2028 will look for a steady hand. The Marcos administration has positioned itself as the side of "Bagong Pilipinas" order, diplomacy, and growth.

Against that, a campaign built on "𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬" looks less like a movement and more like a tragedy.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡: She announced her 2028 intent just days ago, on 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔. Within hours, a fourth impeachment rap was filed.

She will spend the next two years in a courtroom, not on a stage.

The Vice President has mistaken "𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞" 𝐟𝐨𝐫 "𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡." The 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 have shown that they do not need to raise their voices to exert their will; they only need to uphold the law.

𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 2028 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨.

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨.

The administration is moving forward.

The question is 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜.

𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨

#perspective

Vigilance and Hope

February 23, 2026 Monday of the First Week of Lent Readings for Today Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr—Optional Memorial

Sharon Mollerus, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Video Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31–32 Throughout history, rulers have vied for power, and countless wars have been fought over ambitions for political control. Even in modern democracies, there is constant strife over who should lead. Yet, in the end, there will be only one King Who will sit upon His glorious throne forever. Today’s Gospel reminds us that although civil governance plays an important role in our earthly lives, we must never lose sight of the One Eternal King. When Jesus returns in all His glory, accompanied by the entire Celestial Hierarchy of Heaven, all justice and righteousness will be fully established. Each of us will appear before Him as Judge. At that moment, and for eternity, only one thing will matter: How did I live while on earth? Too often, the temptation to live as though this life is an end in itself dominates us. When faced with injustice, we may respond with anger. When our preferred political party is not in power, we can become disillusioned, considering it a tragedy. Many are seduced into believing that accumulating more material goods leads to greater happiness, and poverty or simplicity is undesirable, a sign of failure. Yet, in the end, one thing alone will matter and one thing alone will endure—charity. In the passage above, Jesus uses the image of a shepherd separating sheep from goats. This familiar image to the people of His time depicts the end of the age. During the day, a shepherd often allowed sheep and goats to graze together, just as God permits all people—the righteous and the unrighteous—to live in this world together. But at night, the shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. Sheep, being more docile, obedient, and faithful, represent those who live according to God’s will. Goats, often more unruly and independent, symbolize those who live selfishly. The contrast is striking. Faith, hope, and charity are not abstract ideas; they are supernatural virtues that win for us a place in the eternal Kingdom of God. Self-centered living, worldly ambitions, and unruly passions extinguish these virtues, leading to God’s judgment and condemnation at the end of time. Knowing these truths should instill vigilance and hope in us. Vigilance will help us remain faithful members of God’s true Kingdom, living out charity toward God and others. Hope will inspire us to live with an eternal perspective. Worldly ambitions will pass with this life. But if our hope is set on the eternal Kingdom, it will lead us to holiness and a deeper union with God. Reflect today on the eternal promises our Lord makes to us. At the end of time, He will separate the sheep from the goats. We must never forget that while God is perfectly merciful, He is also perfectly just. If His mercy is not embraced through repentance and conversion, His justice must be satisfied in the end. But if His mercy is embraced, it perfectly fulfills justice, and we will live with Him as our King and Shepherd forever. My merciful and just King, at the end of time, You will return with all Your angels to judge the living and the dead, establishing Your eternal Kingdom. I pray that I will be counted among Your sheep. Please grant me the grace of humility and repentance so that I may grow in love for You and in charity toward all. Jesus, I trust in You.

Battling the tempter this Lent

February 22, 2026 First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Readings for Today

Jesus Tempted by Carl Heinrich Bloch Video At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” Matthew 4:1–3 In His great humility and compassion for us, Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, allowed Himself to endure something that we sinful human beings encounter every day—temptation. God’s glorious plan from the beginning included the creation of both humans and pure spirits—angels—to form one glorious Kingdom of God. Original Sin, the fall of the angels, and our struggle against temptation were not part of God’s original intention, but they became realities due to the misuse of free will, both by angels and by humans. Free will was necessary for both angels and humans to love God freely, which led to a third of the angels and many humans turning away from Him. Theologians such as Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine offer profound insights into God’s original plan for His Kingdom. In that plan, angels were believed to have been tasked with assisting humans in their journey toward perfection through enlightenment and contemplation. Some choirs of angels were tasked with the governance of the cosmos, guiding the physical world in harmony with God’s will. Tragically, the fall of a third of the angels, along with the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, has resulted in a world filled with struggle and sin. The fallen angels—now demons—use their natural gifts to deceive, confuse, and tempt. Those who were once responsible for guiding the cosmos now seek to sow chaos, contributing to the existence of natural disasters, disease, and death. While Catholic angelology is speculative, based on a limited amount of biblical revelation, it is important to recognize the role of angels and demons as we enter this sacred season of Lent. Today’s Gospel focuses on the activity of the most powerful fallen angel—satan, originally named Lucifer, meaning “Light-Bearer.” Tradition holds that he was among the highest of the angels, possibly a Seraphim. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, Lucifer’s fall resulted from pride: He desired to be a god unto himself, to create and govern according to his own will, refusing to serve God. This cosmic reality, of which both Jesus and satan were fully aware, sets the stage for and adds profound significance to their encounter in the desert. In this dramatic confrontation, Jesus, by allowing Himself to be tempted, begins the ultimate defeat of satan, a victory that will culminate in Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This is the only recorded instance in which Jesus permits satan to tempt Him directly. While satan remained active throughout Jesus’ ministry, seeking to disrupt His mission, this moment in the desert addresses temptation specifically. By rejecting each temptation, Jesus not only demonstrates how to overcome the devil but also empowers humanity with the grace needed to resist temptation through His triumph on the Cross. As we enter into the first full week of Lent, reflect today on the temptations you face in your own life. Though satan is powerful and highly intelligent, he is no match for the grace of God. By uniting ourselves to Christ, we are strengthened to resist all that satan and his demons throw at us. Victory over temptation is not achieved by our own strength but through Christ’s grace, which He freely offers to all who turn to Him. My victorious Lord, You faced satan with courage, the once-beautiful angel who fell from grace through pride and envy. Now he seeks to destroy those whom You love. Give me Your strength and courage this Lent as I confront my own temptations, so that united with You, I may share in Your victory. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Great Banquet

February 21, 2026 Saturday after Ash Wednesday Readings for Today Saint Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Optional Memorial

© José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro Video Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. Luke 5:27–29 Levi’s life changed in an instant. He encountered the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and in response to Jesus’ simple yet profound invitation—“Follow me”—Levi left everything behind and followed Him. This radical decision offers an inspiring witness as we begin our Lenten journeys. Christ’s call is often twofold. Even those baptized as infants must eventually hear and respond to that call for themselves. There comes a moment after the age of reason when those raised in the faith must choose whether to embrace the call to follow Jesus. For those who did not encounter Christ in their youth or who might have strayed from Him, the call is ever-present, continuously offered by God. Like Levi, once that invitation is heard and internalized, it demands a response—a radical choice to follow Him. And with that choice, life is never the same. When Levi accepted Jesus’ invitation, his life underwent a complete transformation. He “left everything behind.” While his career as a tax collector was financially lucrative, it likely left him spiritually empty. Tax collectors were viewed with disdain by their fellow Jews because they worked for the Roman oppressors and often took more than what was owed for their own profit. This position, though offering wealth, created a life of moral compromise, guilt, and isolation. It was into this interior emptiness that Jesus entered. Levi, touched by an intuitive grace, recognized that abandoning everything and following Christ was the answer to his deepest longings. Have you heard Christ’s call in your own life? Have you abandoned everything that stands in the way of fully following Him? This question is especially significant for those who were raised in the faith. While being baptized as a child and growing up in the Church is a great gift, it does not automatically mean that we have internalized the faith or personally responded to Jesus’ invitation. Have you truly heard Jesus call you? Have you left behind everything that hinders your complete “Yes” to Him? Levi’s transformation didn’t stop with his “Yes.” He wanted to share his newfound joy and faith with others. Levi hosted a “great banquet” for Jesus in his home, inviting a large group of tax collectors and others to meet the One who had changed his life. His encounter with Christ was so profound and life-giving that he couldn’t keep it to himself—he wanted others, especially those whom he knew were also spiritually empty, to encounter the same transformative love.  If you have responded to Jesus’ call and given your life to Him, your heart will naturally burn with a desire to share that joy with others. As you look at your family, friends, and acquaintances, do you see the same restlessness or emptiness that once filled your heart? How might God be calling you to invite them to encounter Christ? Perhaps, like Levi, you are called to “host a banquet” in your own way, sharing the Good News with those who need it the most. Reflect today on Levi’s conversion and see your own life in his story. Recognize the restlessness within your heart and listen for Jesus’ call. Identify Him as the answer to your deepest desires. Say “Yes” to His invitation, abandoning everything that competes with His will, and share the treasure of your faith with others. Embracing this twofold path is one of the best ways to ensure a truly fruitful Lent. My inviting Lord, You call to me each day, yet I often fail to listen. Help me to hear Your voice more clearly this Lent and to respond with all my heart. I choose to leave behind all that stands in the way of following You, and I pray that You will use me to invite others to Your heavenly banquet. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Quiet Hero Who Never Stopped — Billy Waugh

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The Quiet Hero Who Never Stopped — Billy Waugh: Enduring the Unendurable, Serving the Unseen.

In the jungle near the Laotian border in 1965, Billy Waugh lay bleeding where he fell. Bullets had ripped through his body. His head. His legs. His torso. North Vietnamese soldiers moved past him, stripped him of his clothes and weapons, and left him exposed in the undergrowth. Naked. Wounded. Alone.

Men usually died there.

Billy Waugh did not.

He pulled himself forward inch by inch. Every movement tore open gunshot wounds. Blood mixed with dirt and leaves. Insects crawled across his skin. Breathing hurt. Staying conscious hurt more. Still, he kept moving. For hours, he dragged himself through the jungle until somehow, against every rule of war and medicine, he lived.

When he finally made it out, doctors pieced him back together and delivered the verdict. His fighting days were done. His body had taken too much damage. He had earned the right to go home and stay there.

Billy Waugh listened politely.

Then he ignored them.

War had already shaped him long before Vietnam. He joined the Army in 1948, barely out of his teens. He fought through Korea while others were settling into ordinary lives. When that war ended, he did not look for comfort or stability. He chose harder ground.

In the mid fifties, he joined the Green Berets. Special Forces suited him. The silence. The endurance. The understanding that success often meant no one would ever know what you did. By the early sixties, he was operating with MACV SOG, a unit so secret it barely existed on paper.

Their missions crossed borders the United States officially never crossed. Laos. Cambodia. Deep jungle patrols where capture meant torture or execution. No public records. No ceremonies. Just the work.

The ambush that nearly killed him did not slow him down. Over the course of his military career, Billy Waugh was wounded eight separate times. Eight Purple Hearts. Eight clear chances to walk away. Each time, he chose to return.

He also helped pioneer high altitude parachute insertions, jumping from extreme heights and opening low to avoid detection. Today, it is standard practice. Back then, it was experimental and unforgiving. He learned it the hard way.

Eventually, age forced him out of uniform. But retirement never fit him.

In 1977, he joined the CIA.

For the next twenty years, he worked in places the military could not openly go. Fragile governments. Violent networks. Conflicts that required deniability. In the early nineties, the agency sent him to Sudan to track a man most Americans had never heard of.

Osama bin Laden.

Billy Waugh found him in Khartoum. He photographed him. Mapped his routines. Identified his associates. Long before the world knew the name, Waugh had already put a face to it. Around the same time, he also helped track Carlos the Jackal, contributing intelligence that led to Carlos’s capture in 1994.

Still, there were no headlines. That was understood.

Then came September 11.

As the United States prepared for war in Afghanistan, the CIA began assembling teams to operate in mountains where cold, altitude, and terrain were as dangerous as any enemy. Billy Waugh volunteered.

He was seventy two years old.

The agency hesitated. The conditions were brutal. Younger men struggled to keep up. Waugh insisted. He knew the enemy. He had chased bin Laden years earlier. He could still do the job.

They sent him.

In Afghanistan, he carried his gear like everyone else. He slept on frozen ground. He operated alongside men half his age. Korea. Vietnam. The War on Terror. One lifetime had not been enough.

Billy Waugh died in 2023 at the age of ninety three.

There was no grand public reckoning of his service. There could not be. Much of what he did remains classified. Many missions will never be named. Many lives saved will never be counted.

That is the bargain of that kind of service.

He never chased praise. He never waited for permission to stop. He went where he was needed because he believed someone had to.

Billy Waugh stands for a kind of hero most people never meet. The ones who endure quietly. Who accept that history will only ever tell part of the story.

They do not ask to be remembered.

But they should be.

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