Remembering the Battle of Thermopylae

According to the history text, today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae, 480 B.C. The battle has been the subject of movies, some books, and even a new film that's in production. Most focus on the 300 Spartans of King Leonidas.

Bob's History in a Nutshell: King Xerxes of Persia decided he wanted to own the world. He assembled a vast army, numbering in the millions, and got to work. Here a conquest, there a conquest, soon he was a royal (ahem) pain in the ass headed for Greece. At that time, Greece was a collection of squabbling city-states. Individually they were going to be easy pickings. But some Greeks thought this would be a bad idea. In order to let the squabblers stop squabbling, a few select opted to face Xerxes at the pass of Thermopylae, a narrow strip of land that would nullify the Persians' superior numbers. This force was led by Leonidas and his 300 Spartans.

They -- and those that fought with them -- died to a man.

But buy time they did, and Xerxes got his royal ass handed to him at the Battle of Salamis and the rest of the Persians met a similar fate at the Battle of Plataea. Thus Greece remained free...to continue their squabbles. Eventually, though, the Greek state was born and many consider this the birthplace of democracy, so imagine our world today if Xerxes had been successful.

What the better histories point out is that key to the victory wasn't just Leonidas and his 300, but the contribution of the Thespaians (numbering some 700). While other Greek allies left the final fight to the Spartans, these Thespaians stayed. This can't be stressed enough, and must be understood to grasp how important this was. Not in terms of numbers, but in terms of courage. Maybe Steven Pressfield writes it best in Gates of Fire, as Polynikes, one of the Spartans, steps out to address those who are about to die:

"It is no hard thing for a man raised under the laws of Lykurgus to offer up his life for his country. For me and for these Spartans, all of whom have living sons, and who have known since boyhood that this was the end they were called to do, it is an act of completion before the gods."

He turned solemnly toward the Thespaians and the freed squires and helots.

"But for you, brothers and friends...for you who will this day see all extinguished forever..."

The runner's voice cracked and broke. He choked and blew snot into his hand in lieu of the tears to whose issue his will refused to permit. For long moments he could not summon speech. He motioned for his shield; it was passed to him. He displayed it aloft.

"This aspis was my father's and his father's before him. I have sworn before God to die before another man took this from my hand."

He crossed to the ranks of the Thespaians, to a man, an obscure warrior among them. Into the fellow's grasp he placed the shield.

I eat this stuff up. That simple display of honor and respect. You see, as Polynikes says, the Spartans were trained to die for their country; the Thespaians were not. Yet their they were willing to stand, to fight for what they believed was right, to die with the Spartans rather than retreat with the others.

The Thespaians were, in other words, the planet's first true citizen-soldiers.

And so I remember Thermopyle, and when I do so I remember the many members of the US reserve forces fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all around the world. Fuck the draft, let the real warriors step up. God bless 'em all.