A CALL TO SERVE
In the wake of one of the most divisive political campaigns in our nation’s history, this Veterans Day, more than any before, has drawn me to focus on the true meaning of service.
Last fall, I patrolled through a village in southern Niger alongside a small U.S. military team and its Nigerien partners. Just before we had arrived, members of the extremist group Boko Haram had swept through the village, looting food supplies and burning women and children alive in their huts. The carnage was evident all around us — in the smoldering wreckage of homes and in the haunted eyes of the community. We were there to speak with the village elders, to identify ways to improve security and to meet the needs of the local population.
As I walked along, my mind went back to patrols years before in Iraq, when I had been in uniform, leading young men on the dangerous roads around Baghdad and Anbar Province. This time, although I walked next to U.S. troops, I was a civilian, working for a charitable organization that supports the safety and success of deployed U.S. troops. The connection between the two experiences was a simple one: a commitment to serve.
Service is the core trait we honor this holiday. To be sure, this trait includes the incredible commitment and sacrifice of my brothers and sisters who have worn the uniform. But, in these tumultuous times, it also should reflect the notion of service as a key component of the American identity, and it should motivate us all to redouble our service to each other, our country and the world. What drives a desire to serve? I can offer as a proxy my motivation. I spent some of my formative years in Iraq, first just after the invasion, when initial hopes for peace sputtered, and then during the height of the surge, when success was not a foregone conclusion, but we owed it to our country and the people of Iraq to give it all we had. My service was in no way extraordinary — some had it easier, some far harder — but those experiences cemented the importance of service in my mind. What I learned during those years in the desert made me believe in service more than ever before.
Why? Because of what America represents, even in these uncertain times. As a nation, we often lose sight of the advantages we enjoy and take for granted the very framework upon which our country is based. An inclusive society, a messy yet functioning democracy, a dynamic economy and great security based upon geographic isolation. And yet, I am reminded again and again by people all over the world — from Syria and Iraq to Niger to Ukraine — how much these ideas matter and what a source of inspiration they are to those struggling for peace and opportunity. In the world’s toughest places, my colleagues and I have witnessed the power of the American idea, and we feel compelled to safeguard that idea. Not solely for our nation but also to do our small part in the betterment of humankind.
And, as we veterans strive to accomplish that task, we are joined by civilians who are equally as motivated.
This Veterans Day, as we both reflect upon the sacrifices made by those who have worn the uniform and recover from a bitter political campaign, let us ask ourselves if we have done our part to make the world a better place. That does not necessarily entail service in some foreign land like Niger or Iraq. Rather, it means that every one of us has done what we can to fully embody the values and ideals we as a country hold so dear and to which others around the world aspire.