November features two days of reflection: Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Every November 11th, I think of the two medals that rested on my grandmother’s fireplace mantel so many years ago. The Bronze Star was my dad’s, the Distinguished Flying Cross was his brother’s. Dad was a quiet man and a nice man, always reluctant to talk about his experience slogging through Nazi Germany as a combat engineer. He rarely complained about anything, and his quiet confidence, easy manner, and respect for others made a big impression. Uncle Busty was likewise disinclined to discuss his exploits as a B-17 pilot. He’d seen a lot during his twenty missions, flying over that same dark part of the world during those same dark days. Like most veterans, Dad and Busty were of exemplary character and men that I respected. I was lucky to have them in my life.
It seems like the zeitgeist in which we are born never leaves us. I entered the world at a time when World War II veterans were running pretty much everything. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the five-star general who led our effort to defeat Nazi Germany, was in his first term as president. A man of honor, Eisenhower was committed to serving our country … never the other way around. Last month, I was reminded of Eisenhower while watching an interview with retired Army General Mark A. Milley (here). Milley recently served as our highest-ranking military officer. His character and military bearing—the quiet confidence and direct manner—go hand in hand. We are fortunate to have men like General Milley defending our democracy and the republic.
“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” – Sam Rayburn, 43rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
With time, peace, and prosperity, memories fade and attitudes change. I often wonder what Dad and Busty, two men who risked life and limb for home and country, would think about the political turkeys strutting around in today’s ‘Kardashian America’. Performance artists gripe and tweet, loudly and often, all to claim a spotlight on the national stage. In turn, gullible believers fill the collection plates of these political televangelists. But the people away from the revival tents know the hallmarks of a qualified leader: character, competence, and courage to do the right thing. They know that men of Eisenhower’s caliber don’t suffer from fragile egos, or whine incessantly about imagined injustices. They know that men like Milley are loyal to their country, never to amoral opportunists. I miss the days when turkeys took center stage just once a year … and then, only on Grandmother’s dining room table.
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