I begin by wishing all who serve and have served a Happy Veteran's Day. This is not a political statement, it's a personal one. In the words of T.L. Moffitt, "Damn the wars but bless the soldier". For those who have known war, there is no Hollywood ending--innocence, at the very least, is a casualty. Often, war penetrates the sinews, the marrow, and those who left return something altogether different. I also wish to thank everyone who served in peace time, no less a form of service, still a sacrifice. Veterans go where and when they are called, subject to the forces of circumstance and history.
I am son, grandson, brother, father, and uncle to veterans. We grew up on a message of service above self; one that stressed the nobility in sacrifice for the good of the whole. In an age disproportionately influenced by ethical egoists and moral relativists, seemingly governed by the superficial, the material, the unethical, and a "me first" orientation, the notion of service, in any of its forms, is trivialized, caricaturized, dismissed. It's a sad condition.
This day, like any day or person worthy of remembrance or emulation, should be a calling to our better angels, a reminder of the importance of service as a central tenet of civilization. Who will go if not I, who will serve if not me, who shall take my place when I am called? I don't glorify military action here. Service isn't a uniform or a flag. It's not something you put on so much as it is something you find within. We used to say in my branch that the Marine Corps doesn't make the man, it reveals him. The same is true of the Peace Corps, of Doctors without Borders, or the Red Cross, and a whole number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) doing important work around the world.
Think of the importance of this message for our children. The world is a mighty big place with awfully complex problems. Our governments will never be the whole solution; they never have been in all of human history. Individuals and communities are the backbone of society. They defend the homeland, rise in the face of tragedy, lend a hand to the less fortunate, show us what we can be, and hold us accountable. We each have in us the germ of humanity, human decency, divine grace. These amount to naught if we fail to act, fail to stand up for what we believe in, fail to challenge injustice and hardship when and wherever they rear their ugly faces, fail to give to those less fortunate. We are all called to service in some way; the question is whether we pick up the receiver.
To those who have served, and serve still, I wish you peace. Peace, though, begins at home, not in some far away land. We must teach our children peace, show them the better road, instruct them in the ways of humility, and model a commitment to the greater good. This is how we change the world.
See you around campus.