I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
– John Galt
– Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Who is John Galt?
Deep Thoughts
The Patriots of Massachusetts
Those of you that know me, know that I am not a fan of Senator Ted Kennedy. He is the senior Senator of the state in which I reside and other than that, I don’t really have much kind to say about the man.
I watched his speech tonight, and while most of it went as I expected from the Senator, I was rather impressed with this section of his speech:
The roots of that America are planted deep in the New England soil. Across this region are burial grounds, many so humble you find them without intending to. You’re in a town like Concord, Massachusetts, or Hancock, New Hampshire. You’re visiting the old church there, and behind the chapel you find a small plot. Simple stones bearing simple markers. The markers say ”War of 1776.”
They do not ask for attention. But they command it all the same. These are the patriots who won our freedom. These are the first Americans, who enlisted in a fight for something larger than themselves — for a shared faith in the future, for a nation that was alive in their hearts but not yet a part of their world.
They and their fellow patriots won their battle. But the larger battle for freedom, justice, equality and opportunity is our battle too, and it is never fully won. Each new generation has to take up the cause. Sometimes with weapons in hand; sometimes armed only with faith and hope, like the marchers in Birmingham or Selma four decades ago.
Sometimes the fight is waged in Congress or the courts; sometimes on foreign shores, like the battle that called one of my brothers to war in the Pacific, and another to die in Europe.
Now it is our turn to take up the cause.
One of the things I am most amazed by, as I walk the streets of Boston, or find myself out in Concord, or Lexington, or as I pass by the Old Granary Burying Ground, is that I’m walking the same places that these men walked – trodding the same ground that these men walked – and looking over the same sights as they did – though they are much different now.
They were the men who stood at the bridge in Concord, Massachusetts and refused to yield:
Senator Kennedy is right. As you walk through the town square, you’ll spy the church just off of the village green. You’ll be drawn through the front doors, off to the side, and then out the door that leads into the church plot out back. You’ll spy the more modern stones of recent years – but you’ll be drawn to the dull white one at the edge of the field. And there, you’ll come face to face with a man that died in 1775.. or 1776.. or 1777.. and you’ll hear his call from beyond.
That’s one of the wonders of living in this place where our country was born as an idea in the heads of men like John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, John Hancock, Sam Adams, Paul Revere… and many others.
Accountability and Leadership
A few days ago, Lex made a posting about Zero Tolerance and accountability – in his case, about the Navy’s stance on the drug issue – but, more generally, about accountability overall.
I am fortunate, I think, to work for a company that takes accountability very seriously. As a mid-level manager, accountability is a large part of my job. And yet, it is something that took me many years to truly understand – and an issue that I see many of my peers struggle with as they try to achieve the results expected of them in their job.
My own sense of accountability in the workplace came from my first real job out of high school, with the Fountain County Sheriff’s Department. During my tenure there, a deputy was suspended for five days without pay for not following proper procedures that had been laid down by the Sheriff. It was a tough punishment, but one that the Sheriff clearly felt was required given the infraction.
When I first became a manager in 1995 in Columbus, Indiana – accountability wasn’t my strong point. It’s easy in most cases to sit down and talk with someone about an ethical issue – theft, fraud, sexual harassment, etc. The issues are clear cut – and almost everyone realizes that this behavior is wrong. It’s far more difficult to sit down with someone, look them in the eye, and talk with them directly about their shortcomings as an employee – or as a manager. And took me years to both fully understand – and to develop the self-confidence and courage needed to do it effectively.
And there’s still room to grow.
I’ve been promoted a few times since then – and I’ve learned that the stakes are higher the farther you move up the chain. In my current role, if I sit down with a direct report and talk with them about their performance – I’m no longer dealing with an entry level hourly employee – I’m talking to a mother or a father – someone with years invested in this corporation – and who is likely the breadwinner for their family. Most of my team owns a home. Almost all of them are married – and half of them have children. Dealing with someone’s lack of performance now could result in a serious issue for many people.
The counterbalance though, of course, is that it must be done. The great leaders on a team want the team to be held accountable – because they’re only as good as the weakest link on the team. They want to be held to a high standard – but more important – they want to win. And to do that, they want only the best as a part of their peer group.. their team.
And it’s my job to help create that environment for them.
And unfortunately, that means sometimes I have to fire people. It’s not fun… in fact, I hate it. But I do it.
But like Lex, I take it as a personal failure. Particularly if I brought them into this company. It means I made a bad hire, I did a bad job with their training, a bad job coaching and mentoring them along, a bad job developing them, a bad job supporting them, or just a bad job leading them.. or some combination of these…
I originally had something in mind on how to end this entry, but in the midst of everything else I had going on tonight, I can’t remember what that was.. so we’ll end things here.. Accountability is a key part of being a leader – but it requires appropriate self-confidence and some courage to be willing to do the right thing.
I Want to Remember
Blackfive writes today about how he watched the video of Kim Sun II begging for his life:
I watched Kim Sun-il scream that he doesn’t want to die. I watched him, frightened, alone, begging for his life. My stomach was in knots watching him. My throat dry, my fists clenched.
I watched because I want to remember. I want to remember Kim Sun-Il.
I’ve watched the videos of Nicholas Berg, Paul Johnson, and now Kim Sun II. I do it because I want to remember.
I remember, sitting in one of my stores, on September 11th watching the twin towers fall – the Pentagon attacked – and knowing that thousands had died.
I want to remember
We forget far too easily in this country. I wrote about this briefly on the second anniversary of September 11th when I quoted Bush’s speech on September 20th:
It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return almost to normal. We’ll go back to our lives and routines, and that is good.
Even grief recedes with time and grace.
But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what we were doing.
Some will remember an image of a fire or story of rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.
And I will carry this. It is the police shield of a man named George Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others.
It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.
I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people.
I was so afraid of this after September 11th. I believe it’s hard sometimes for us to hold our resolve together – particularly when the going gets tough militarily. I’ve already seen the cracks in the foundation when talking with my parents – who, after all, are of the Vietnam generation and make that comparison frequently.
But the resolve won’t be there if people don’t take the time to remember what has happened to us.. and why… and it continues today with the deaths of Berg.. and Johnson..
And we cannot forget them…
Blast from the Past
Just found this letter to the editor to the Commercial News that I wrote back in 1992. Unbelievable.
Editor:
I would like to respond to the letter printed in The Commercial-News last
Thursday by Lille Delva of Westville. Mrs. Delva’s letter was encaptioned
“Atheists seem to be taking over control of our country.”I will not delve into a discussion of my personal religious beliefs, such
as they are, because I consider them to be an extremely private matter, and
it is not something that I feel is relevant to this particular situation.Apparantly, Mrs. Delva has not studied very much history, nor does she
know her constitutional law very well. Both cases that she has cited were
argued and decided numerous times before The United States Supreme Court.
These men and one woman have all been appointed by the President of the
United States and confirmed by our duly elected Senators. Even our former
President George Bush, and his predecessor Ronald Reagan, both of whom were
devout Christians named Justices to the Supreme Court. For rather obvious
reasons, I cannot imagine President Bush nor President Reagan ever naming an
Atheist to the Supreme Court, I do not see how Mrs. Delva can complain about
the recent Supreme Court decisions, as they were made by Christians, like
herself.
A substantial number of our forefathers fled to the New World from the
Old because they were escaping some sort of persecution, be it political or
religious. Many of these groups came to the New World, established colonies,
and then promptly started doing to others what they had run away from to
begin with. There are many documented cases of cruel and unusual punishment
arising because one group or another would not conform to the religious
beliefs of the majority in a region of the New World. Is this the kind of
religious freedom that Mrs. Delva is referring to?
Mrs. Delva asks, “What has become of that freedom?” Well, Mrs. Delva,
what have you lost?
In the first case, involving prayer in school, there are actually several
examples. One example was when a state legislature mandated a prayer that
MUST be said at the start of every school day. Well, what would happen if we
wrote the prayer as a prayer to Satan? I bet that Mrs. Delva would be one of
the first “concerned citizens” at the door of the schoolhouse to complain.
But to a Muslim, or to someone who does not believe in a God, this is a
violation of their constitutional rights.
The second case, involving prayer at graduation ceremonies, is simply an
extension of the first. How can we go about mandating that we will have a
prayer at our graduation ceremonies for Christians? I would not hestitate to
bet that less than 1/2 of most graduating high school classes even believe in
God, let alone want to be forced to pray to one. My own graduating class was
less than 20% Christian, according to a survey of 160 seniors.
Our Constitution was written by many great men, including George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others. They were NOT the “Religious
leaders” of our country. Jefferson is well know for his opposition to many
organized religions, and was once the target of a church who wished to keep
him from being elected.
Jefferson also authored the Declaration of Independence, another document
that Mrs. Delva claims to have been written by religious leaders. This is
false, as well. Jefferson was a strong beleiver in the separation of church
and state, and he stated so very eloquently in a series of letters to Virgina
churches.
Your right to worship as you wish in your home, and in your church shall
never be impeded in this country. I, even though I do not profess a belief
in your brand of religion, would gladly lay down my life in order to defend
your rights and freedom of religion. However, organized prayer and other
mandated religious activities have no place in public schools, nor anywhere
else where the rights of others may be impeded.
Finally, I for one, do not want this country to become an atheistic
country, but neither do I want it to become a God-fearing country. I want
the United States to become a country of tolerance and acceptance, instead of
a country that breeds contempt for those whom are different, bigotry, hatred,
rascist, and extremely intolerant. We are all Americans, be we Christian or
Atheist, and we need to start loving one another.Bryan Strawser, Covington, Indiana
World War II: The Price of Freedom – Followup
In conversation with my parents today, who have now read my post about the World War II Memorial, revealed additional details of which I was unaware.
In the Second World War, my grandfather and his two brothers served in the military.
My grandfather, James Strawser, who died long before I was born, served in the Army in a construction unit in Europe.
His brother, Roy Strawser, whom I don’t believe I ever met, served in the Navy and was a survivor of Pearl Harbor.
His brother, Glenn Strawser, whom I knew well growing up in Covington, joined the Marines and fought in the Pacific. Glenn died when I was a teenager. I remember some fishing trips with him at Sugar Mill Lake in rural Fountain County, Indiana.
Their sister, AnnaRose, married Guy Smith, who served in the Army in Europe. Guy passed away when I was a teenager as well.
Guy’s brother Jim Smith, who was my next door neighbor growing up, served in the Army in Europe and wound up married to a German woman, Lottie Smith. Jim retired from the Army as a Master Sergeant. He is in a hospital today, facing a terminal illness.
My parents have added all of their information to the World War II Memorial Registry, because, as my father said, “I felt it was the right thing to do.. they deserve their due”
Indeed… while I knew of my grandfather’s service and that of my neighbor Jim Smith, I knew nothing of these other relatives.
And this is just one sampling of my own small family in my own small corner of Indiana.
World War II: The Price of Freedom
For the last week, I’ve been mulling over how to best write about Memorial Day in the context of the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
I grew up in Covington, Indiana, a very small town in west central Indiana. Military service runs strong in my family and in my hometown. I am the son of a Navy Vietnam Veteran and the grandson of two veterans of World War II. Many of my family members, neighbors, and community leaders served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts. Many cousins and classmates of mine served – and still serve – in the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, the Reserves, and the National Guard.
I remember Carmen Abernathy, who taught music at Covington Elementary School for many decades, talking to my classes about her husband, who served in World War II as a pilot in the Army Air Corps, flying B-17s. We learned the music, the culture, the stories, and many of the events of the Second World War. And stories such as those told by Mrs. Abernathy brought those events to life for us.
Marine Corps General David Shoup, who earned the Medal of Honor for leading his Marine regiment in an assault on Tarawa during the Second World War, grew up in my hometown. He later served as the 22nd Commandant of the Marine Corps. I remember the day that he died in 1983 – we held a moment of silence in my elementary school. General Shoup was buried at Arlington National Cemetary. Later, the bridge over the Wabash River in Covington was named for General Shoup.
The war – even though it occurred nearly thirty years before my birth – has always been a part of the fabric of my life. Its impact on my hometown – and on the people who lives there – was huge.
My father, a Vietnam Veteran, was active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion. He twice serves as Commander of American Legion Post 291 – housed in an old historic log cabin in Covington’s city park. As a Boy Scout in Troop 291 – sponsored by the same American Legion post, I would stop and read the plaques and study the pictures mounted on the wall.
Post 291 was named the Fulton – Banta American Legion Post. I remember an old black and white photograph of Ensign John William Banta – for whom the post was co-named. Ensign Banta was Covington’s first casualty in World War II. Fulton, whose background escapes me at the time of this writing, was Covington’s first casualty in World War I.
Something about the way that I was brought up – the combination of small town Indiana and the military service history of my family and neighbors – has always instilled in me a deep respect for the sacrifice of those of served – and those who gave their all. It may come from a deep understanding of freedom – an underlying theme that I heard growing up. From the 4th of July Fireworks, to planting flags as a young Boy Scout on the graves of hundreds of veterans in Fountain County, Indiana, that message was reinforced in my head over and over… and I also learned from the veterans and others who had lived through the Second World War that freedom came with a price. I knew that from the honored pictures of Fulton and Ensign Banta in the American Legion Post.
This weekend, we finally gave them their due with the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
It is difficult today to realize the situation as it existed throughout the world from 1939 – 1945 – the entire world was truly at war. In Saturday’s Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson wrote:
From the German invasion of Poland in 1939 until the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in 1945, the war lasted 2,193 days and claimed an average of 27,600 lives every day, or 1,150 an hour, or 19 a minute, or one death every three seconds. In the time it takes to read this paragraph aloud, 10 people perished in World War II — an estimated total of 60 million.
It was truly a war of good versus evil. Once we were attacked by Japan, we dumped the Great Depression and partisan politics on the floor and went to war. Millions volunteered – others were drafted. Even women volunteered, as one Army Women’s Service volunteer told her granddaughter, “You have to understand how it was for everyone at the time. There was a war.”
Many from Covington volunteered and served. Ensign Banta did and was killed in action. Marvin Bodine fought at Leyte Gulf and lost an eye. Steven Abernathy served as a Browning Machine Gunner in France and Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star. His grandson writes “a stronger patriot never walked the earth.” Robert Grady served as a B-17 pilot with the 2nd Bomb Group – 15th Air Force and received the Purple Heart. Charles Macy served as a Seaman 1/C and was killed in action. And there were more that served as well – this is just a sampling.
What happened when they went to war? Again, Rick Atkinson sums up the American war effort in his Washington Post article:
The American war can be summarized in a paragraph: After the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States — in alliance with London, Moscow and others — resolved to first crush Germany, the strongest of the Axis partners, and to then defeat Japan. A brutal but successful seven-month campaign to occupy North Africa — and thus regain control of the Mediterranean Sea — was followed in mid-1943 by invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland. Island-hopping thrusts in the Central and Southwest Pacific brought U.S. air power within range of Japan, with devastating results. The invasion of France on June 6, 1944, and southern France two months later, squeezed Germany between the Anglo-Americans from the West and the Russian juggernaut from the East. Adolf Hitler’s suicide, on April 30, 1945, was followed eight days later by Germany’s unconditional surrender. Japan followed suit after a new American weapon, dubbed the atomic bomb, obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August.
And when the war ended in 1945, more than 291,000 of them had given their lives to defend freedom around the world. My hometown lost many – as did others around the world. My current home, Taunton, Massachusetts, had nearly a thousand serving in World War II – and an untold number of dead.
These men and women set out to keep the world free. And they succeeded. And when it was over, they came home and led even more fascinating lives. And it’s a shame that it has taken us so long to build a monument worthy of their service – and sacrifice.
How does one build a monument to this generation – to this seminal event in the history of the world? Again Atkinson writes in the Washington Post:
To be an enduring success, this memorial must “respond to a very simple question that a 15-year-old high school student who comes to Washington asks the teacher 100, 200 years from now,” Friedrich St. Florian, an Austrian-born architect who won the memorial design competition, said in an interview several years ago. “So what was World War II about? How was it different from the Mexican war, or the Spanish war, or World War I?”
Part of that answer can be found in the assessment of the British historian Martin Gilbert: “Although the Second World War is now far distant, its shadows are long, its echoes loud. How else could it be with an event, lasting for nearly six years, in which courage and cruelty, hope and horror, violence and virtue, massacre and survival, were so closely intertwined?”
I hope that hundreds of years from now young Americans come to Washington, DC – take the time to gaze upon this monument – and remember what it means. And what this war meant to the world. I believe that the monument will connect them to this past.
Atkinson ends his Washington Post article with this thought along the same lines:
The memorial dedicated this weekend is part of that mnemonic migration, a tribute not only to those who served, or the 291,000 U.S. battle deaths, or the 670,000 U.S. wounded, or the tens of millions who labored in factories and fields and dockyards. It is an effort to convey, to generations hence, that the war was a struggle both about territory and, as the historian Gerhard L. Weinberg has written, “about who would live and control the resources of the globe, and which peoples would vanish entirely because they were believed inferior or undesirable by the victors.”
The monument contains a field of stars commemorating those that gave their lives during the war – that section is marked with this simple saying:
HERE WE MARK THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
And nearby is another:
HERE IN THE PRESENCE OF WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN,
ONE THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY FATHER AND THE OTHER THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY PRESERVER OF OUR NATION, WE HONOR
THOSE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICANS WHO TOOK UP THE STRUGGLE
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND MADE THE SACRIFICES TO
PERPETUATE THE GIFT OUR FOREFATHERS ENTRUSTED TO US:
A NATION CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY AND JUSTICE.
The generation that fought this war – that sacrificed so much – is waning quickly. The average veteran from that age is now 79 years old. Once again, Atkinson writes in the Washington Post:
Inexorably, the day is approaching when not a single human alive has a personal recollection of the war, which then will slide fully into mythology, history and collective memory. Although 16.4 million Americans served during the war, fewer than 5 million remain alive; the youngest survivors now are in their late seventies, and they are passing at the rate of 1,100 a day.
I will likely live to see the last of the World War II veterans pass this world.
And we will be much the lesser when they are gone.