Despite arriving at the Spartan army headquarters by over thirty minutes early, Clark and his clique were not the first to arrive. Hundreds of others already came before them.
Clark was not too surprised by this though; he would have been even more surprised if he did not meet such a scenario.
When he said honoring the dead was something that the Spartan republic placed great priority on, he was not lying. It was one of the most solemn creeds of the republic that had never been taken lightly.
President Leonidas once said just after his coronation as President of the republic years ago that, a good leader is known by how much he protects his subordinates, but a great leader is known by that and also by how much respect he gives to his fallen subordinates.
If they had the choice, no soldier wanted to die. That courage alone to remain fighting on despite the real chance of death was commendable, that’s why they must be honored after their death.