The State of West Virginia Winning Essay for The VFW Voice of Democracy Essay Competition: By Logan Foley Freshman Class Greenbriar West High School “Why Veteran’s are Important to our Nation’s History and Future” Nations are not born. They do not come about by accident. They are not conceived by a series of consequences, nor by good fortune. Powerful nations are designed with intent, and then forged in the crucible of sweat and more often than not, blood. The architects of our great nation, the master craftsmen who painstakingly, lovingly, gave their entire selves to its creation, all have something in common with the men and women who hold office, who run our corporations, who act as our first responders, and who hold positions of leadership, military service. The Revolutionary armies that liberated the United States from England were commanded by General George Washington. Thomas Jefferson was a colonel in the Albemarle County militia. Abraham Lincoln was an army captain and Theodore Roosevelt was a colonel during the Spanish American War. Famous veterans transitioned seamlessly from leadership roles in the military to leadership roles in civilian life. That was true of our past and is still true today. Veterans are constantly trained for leadership. They are drilled and conditioned to have the qualities that make them exceptional military leaders and these traits carry over into their civilian lives. Some of these traits are discipline, integrity, vision, responsibility, team work, problem solving skills, and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure. The Army instills the value of “selfless service”. The concept of putting yourself in harm’s way for people you’ve never met, far away from your loved ones working for a small paycheck sounds ridiculous to some, but to a soldier, honor, patriotism, and a sense of duty make all of the sacrifices worthwhile. It’s no wonder that 32 former presidents and 10 of the CEOs of captain and Theodore Roosevelt was a colonel during the Spanish American War. Famous veterans transitioned seamlessly from leadership roles in the military to leadership roles in civilian life. That was true of our past and is still true today. Veterans are constantly trained for leadership. They are drilled and conditioned to have the qualities that make them exceptional military leaders and these traits carry over into their civilian lives. Some of these traits are discipline, integrity, vision, responsibility, team work, problem solving skills, and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure. The Army instills the value of “selfless service”. The concept of putting yourself in harm’s way for people you’ve never met, far away from your loved ones working for a small paycheck sounds ridiculous to some, but to a soldier, honor, patriotism, and a sense of duty make all of the sacrifices worthwhile. It’s no wonder that 32 former presidents and 10 of the CEOs of the top 100 corporations have some sort of military background. The creation, development, and maintenance of military academies are further evidence of the military’s interest in developing leaders. Take for example the United States Naval Academy. The mission statement says, “To develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically,and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order to provide graduates who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.” The three academies each generate approximately 1000 graduates annually each who go on to become officers and then prominent leaders in the community. Leadership is not only found in our college degreed officers. Look around at your first responders as well. The vast majority of them in our country are veterans. The same qualities required in making good soldiers, seamen, airmen, and marines translate well to Search and Rescue, EMT, firefighter, and police officer. These careers require hard work and sacrifice. My mother is a veteran and she reinforces the principles of integrity, honor, responsibility, and hard work, making me work to earn things I want, in order to give me a sense of ownership. I appreciate the things I have and I take good care of them. Serving our country is the same thing. Less than half of 1% of our citizens’ serve, so although veteran leadership is not abundant, where it exists, it demonstrates how important and valuable leadership is. Serving America, leads to our appreciation of our nation and an interest in the direction of the country. Our veterans have always been and will continue to be more than just brave, important people. They are vital to the success of this great nation. Their vision to see America as it can be and to lay out a plan of action, their dedication to see that plan come to fruition through hard work and sacrifice, and the leadership skills to inspire others to get involved with the process, ensure that the United States will always be the greatest nation in the world. By Logan Foley 2015
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 23:16:52 +0000
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