we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion
Abraham Lincoln
This past weekend we remembered those who died in service to our country. For them, Duty, Honor, Country was more than a phrase, it became the visceral reality they lived and died for. They understood the concepts of Duty to guard the ideal of Freedom, of Honor in doing that duty, and of devotion to Country.
After Viet Nam, we as a country decided that we would move from a military based on the draft to an all-volunteer service. This resulted in an Army that was able to transform itself into a much more capable fighting force after the debacle that was Viet Nam. However, it meant that our youth no longer had to serve, but rather only if they chose to do so.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that since then we have drifted toward a “me-centric” society. This “multi-culture” requires no Duty, has no concept of Honor and is at best indifferent to its Country. In my youth (as best I can remember it!), the idea of a Trump or a Biden as our President would have been unthinkable. In our media we had men and women who had actually lived on the frontlines, seen soldiers die, who knew what Duty, Honor, Country actually meant. We had leaders who had served, and whose leadership had been literally honed under fire. These honorable men and women stood above party to do the right things for their country.
Those who haven’t served have no conception of service to something greater than themselves. Those who have never seen the great good that our country has striven for here and abroad cannot truly appreciate our country until they contrast it against foreign societies (Brittany Griner’s epiphany is a good case in point). We cannot “get our Country back” until we – all of us – rediscover the importance of that cause that so many have died for.
One might think that these are idealistic concepts, of no practical importance. But they are, even – perhaps especially – at the community level. We see rising crime, a widening partisan divide – a chasm!, leaders who are pushed forward by their “followers,” citizens lacking trust in their governments because they sense that their governments don’t trust them, and decreasing life expectancies especially among those who have lost all hope.
And yet … And yet, even in the kaleidoscope of our current dysfunction, I see glimmers of hope. I see parents starting to speak up for their kids’ education and taking back responsibility for their upbringing. I see business owners starting to pressure their city councils to take back their downtowns from the thugs and the druggies. I see people voting with their pocketbooks against businesses that seem to have forgotten who their customers are.
Yes, these growing pains can be messy; yes, they sometimes are downright ugly. But ultimately, my hope is that this reawakening of responsibility will lead to greater civic engagement. That we will all eventually realize the importance of community, of serving something greater than ourselves. And in doing that, we will have rediscovered Duty, Honor Country. And if we can, we will pay the greatest possible tribute to those who “gave the last full measure of devotion.”
Community Resilience 