Musings 
No Comments Life Dedication
“Wow! Really??!”, I exclaimed.
The Viet Nam War was raging. The ‘Tet Offensive’ had just concluded. I was just back from Air Force Boot Camp in Amarillo, TX.
For endless days while training I viewed railroad flatcars rolling by loaded with battle-damaged helicopters. Too many to count. How these broken birds made it all the way from Viet Nam to Amarillo was a logistical mystery. I imagined that for every one that did, dozens didn’t. These images brought home the costs of this war as I imagined the tragic stories of the lives lost and damaged behind every broken helicopter.
My fall term at USC had just begun. It was also the beginning of my two-year Air Force ROTC studies. Thereafter I was to be commissioned as an Officer and sent to Flight School to become a pilot.
Meeting with several fraternity brothers we exchanged stories of our summer experiences. Mine detailed the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that I had endured at Boot Camp. I claimed personal pride at what I had accomplished; what I had learned about myself. With some false humility I proclaimed that I had been awarded the honor of being selected as ‘The Most Outstanding Cadet’ from the 200+ cadets.
The ‘Wow! Really??!” comes next…
One friend asked, “What did you learn?” Proudly, I proclaimed, “I learned that I would die for my country.
It was then John’s turn to advise what he had learned during his summer training to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. Proudly and energetically John declared, “I learned that I would live for my country.”
His declaration pierced my heart and opened doors of sensibilities that had been shuttered.
After serving years as a military pilot and AF Reservist, followed by decades as an international businessman, I continue to be a ‘work in progress’ striving to live up to John’s declaration – and this has made all the difference.
