Nearly one year later, Oct. 15, 1973, Pres. Richard Nixon presented Mike the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony with Norris in attendance. Mike had “basically kidnapped” Norris from nearby Bethesda Naval Hospital (Norris would in 1975 receive the Medal himself for a separate action.).

Fast forward to October 2008: I’ve now known Mike for about 15 years. I met him even before that (though he doesn’t remember the meeting) when I was a green Marine lance corporal in the mid-1980’s and Mike was a war-seasoned Navy SEAL officer wearing – above his myriad decorations – the loftiest American military award for valor.

In the years since, I’ve written about Mike, spoken with him for perspective on national security issues, broken bread with him, and more recently discussed with him the forthcoming Medal of Honor Society’s 2010 convention to be held in Charleston, S.C. (the state from which Mike and I both hail).

All of this brings me to an important event, in a personal sense, which took place last week when I was commissioned a major in the S.C. State Guard.

Being commissioned a field grade officer into a military-defense force with a lineage stretching back to the 17th century was an honor to be sure. But what made it particularly special was that Mike swore me in: He administered to me the oath of office, was the first man to salute me, and then shook my hand – pressing into my palm a gold coin engraved with his name, the SEAL trident, and the Medal of Honor – then he gave me great big bear hug (that’s the kind of good, unpretentious man Mike is).

As I later explained to my boss, Brig. Gen. Eugene F. Rogers (also a former Marine), the coin itself was a token more precious to me than the gold oak leaves I now rate. And I was somewhat bewildered by how I felt.

”It’s because you were – and will always be – a Marine,” Gen. Rogers said. “There are certain things we treasure – things of tradition, no matter how seemingly insignificant to others – that others will never understand.”

And I’m not sure that any of us can adequately explain those things of tradition, but we must always try. Because, and as I said to Gen. Rogers and others in an email, our military tradition and our national defense are inextricably connected.