By occupation, I am a high school history teacher and have a deep interest in our nation’s past and present. We are here today and gather in a solemn ceremony to recognize the fallen, those who have given their lives in military service to our nation.
Veterans Day is a holiday to remember everyone who has served in the military, period, whether or not they served in wartime. We pause and reflect upon the ultimate sacrifice they have given for us that enjoy this day, and this event that brings us together.
I have taught history to high school students for 30 years, and a common statement I have heard through those years is how our youth are not interested in our history. You know the story, how we hate history in high school and then grow to appreciate it more as we get older. Our culture consistently communicates to us that our kids today don’t care, that they are self-absorbed, that their whole world is centered around their phones. I would agree it appears so much of the time!
But is this really true? Does it have to be this way? Why do many kids find our nation’s past not interesting or relevant? I would suggest the answer lies within us. To me our history, our citizenship and the recognition and appreciation for who we are as a nation is something that we live, that we practice, not just what we say. You and I are the ones responsible for instilling in our youth the perspective and values of citizenship that we hold dear, including knowledge of the legacy of those we seek to honor today.
Memorial Day began after the greatly terrible American Civil War, an event that shook our nation and our people to their very core. A war where each citizen had to choose a side and then fight for the values in which they each believed, willing to pay dearly for their belief system. They paid with their fortunes, their futures, their families. The cost was deep. It hit home with them, because it was at home, very few American families went unaffected. Because of this great tragedy and its impact on them, they sought to remember and remind succeeding generations of that cost, hence the reason for our gathering today.
Since the Civil War, our nation has indeed been involved in other conflicts, most in foreign lands, often fighting for the causes not only of ourselves but for those of other people. War therefore became more distant, and although segments of our population were affected, rarely other than World War II has our populace had to deal with the concept on a personal level. In this we are blessed, as we are fortunate to live largely free of those concerns.
Fortunately, most of us have not had to pay much of a price at all for that freedom, but there are those amongst us who have. Therefore we Americans face a dilemma often unique to us: How do we continue to function as a peaceful, free nation, yet comprehend, appreciate and honor the price that peace and freedom cost?
I am convinced that the generation raising today’s kids will determine the future of our nation. The impact of their attitudes and actions, modeled and passed down to their children, will greatly shape and determine the direction of our nation’s path. So what are we teaching our children, not necessarily just in our schools, but in our homes and families?
For I understand as you do, that today, we are in much greater competition for the minds and thoughts of our children, and of our people. There are so many voices with so many opinions that it is difficult to discern truth, to know who and what is right and correct. But I firmly believe that our youth are still moldable, are still looking for guidance and direction, possibly more than ever before.
This bestows a great responsibility of intentionality within our families, within our homes, within our communities. We memorialize men and women who have given their lives in military service to our nation. Their dreams, plans, hopes, futures, all washed away because of their sacrifice. So what can we each do to make sure that their sacrifice is not wasted, is not forgotten, that their lives made a positive lasting impact on our nation and world, that their lives did and continue to have great value by the price they each paid. While we may not all serve in the military, how then as American citizens can we serve, to help honor the legacy of the price that has been paid?
Personally, I do not listen to those who scoff at today’s youth and say they don’t understand or don’t care about America and our nation’s past. I believe that they just need an opportunity, a reason to care.
I have watched groups of teenagers enthralled while listening to a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge tell his harrowing story.
I have watched scores of kids writing and mailing “Happy 100th Birthday” notes to a highly decorated combat medic who survived the beach landings of World War II in Africa, Italy and Normandy.
I have seen many students tour the hallowed grounds at Gettysburg and other Civil War battlefields.
I have watched hundreds of students spellbound by the story of a Waynesfield veteran who helped liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp in World War II, several of who eagerly wrote heartfelt thank you notes to his war bride, who graciously chose to share the family story.
I have watched busloads of youth respectfully stand in silence observing the solemn Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.
I am thankful for scores of our many veterans who have graciously visited school classrooms to tell their stories to class after class of kids over the decades. You have no idea how much those kids anticipate those visits.
I have watched dozens of high school children walk the beach at Omaha in Normandy, France, and stand overcome with emotion while participating in the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the American Cemetery on the cliffs above.
In May, my students were fortunate to have five veterans of the Vietnam War visit our classroom and tell as much of their stories as they felt comfortable. The kids’ attention was glued to these men as they related their experiences in the most humble fashion. Over 100 students wrote thank you notes to these citizen soldiers, the content of two I wish to share with you.
The first, a high school sophomore, wrote:
“Hearing all of your stories was very impactful, but one of your stories touched me more than the rest. During my class you told me and my classmates about friends who protected a wounded soldier. You said they didn’t move, no matter how close the helicopter got to them, as they covered his body with theirs, that they would have died instead of leave him. But thankfully you noticed and was able to get the helicopter to move. I hope those men are doing OK. Your story reminded me of how wonderful we can be. You had such emotion in your voice, I started to tear up. If I wasn’t at school I would have cried with you. Listening to you talk about the beauty you can find in the chaos was so inspiring. From now on, I will look at things in a different light. I will let myself be less affected by the evil and more amazed by the good. Thank you. Thank you for speaking to my class. I respect you and everyone who served. Your ability to remember and remind us of the good, when the war was filled with tragedy was one of the bravest things I have ever seen someone do. I wish I could apologize for all the people who disrespected our vets when they came home, but I can’t, so I’ll tell them what you told me. That way we will always thank you guys for your sacrifice, I appreciate your courage to speak to our class.”
Another student wrote:
“The morning you came to school, I was on the bus and looked outside the window and noticed a very unique truck. And when I saw the man come out of that truck I noticed the Vietnam hat, which was when I knew I was going to hear your story. I never heard anyone speak of their stories in Vietnam because I never had the chance to meet a veteran. So I know you coming was very special for you and for me. Everything that was said I will be able to remember because you were a part of history, history that was so important because it impacted the lives of so many. I have always wanted to be a pilot because of my strange fascination for planes. So, I have decided to join the U.S. Air Force once I am older. Realizing that for you, you may not have had a choice when it came to serving, but for me as a woman, I want to serve our country. This may be difficult for me but I will do what it takes to achieve my dream. Yours and all the others’ stories have inspired me so much and thank you for your service.”
While I know that my occupation provides me the opportunity for many of these connections, my question remains, “What can we each do?” What can you do to help model and teach those values that are important enough to you that you are standing here today? How can we connect with those in our families and community who we need to carry on valuing the cost and legacy of the price that has been paid?
We live in a very negative culture where it’s so very easy for people to complain about all that is wrong. But how many of those people actually try to do something about it? What good can we each do, to help do our part in service to the next generation?
Do you have a story that can be shared at a school or another meeting place that would add value to a young life?
Are you able to physically or financially help young people learn the history and ideals of our nation, by travel, through books or virtually by internet?
Can we model the type of citizenship and respect we wish to instill in future generations?
Can you introduce others to the Veterans Memorial Wall in Waynesfield’s park, help them see and hear the stories of those represented there?
Our town is full of beautiful banners honoring those from our community who have served in the military. What might it look like if we took the time to learn, and then relay the stories of some of those people and their families instead of just driving by them each day?
Can you volunteer to organize and lead an educational session for our community at our local library or community room at the school?
Our nation is filled with communities of great people who have deep gratitude for who we are and how we got there. But no longer can we take for granted that succeeding generations will be filled with that same gratitude, that it will be personal for them. So on this day where we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the challenge for us is what can we do to contribute to preserving the enduring legacy of today’s holiday occasion? For as you know, regardless of the thought that seems to pervade our culture, everything has a price. What can we each do to help share the cost of freedom?
For those willing to look, our opportunities are endless. Just as our ancestors did during the Civil War, we must take a hard and serious look at what we believe in, and then make a commitment of action on those ideals.
Thank you to all you who have served the United States of America. May God bless each of us, our community and this great nation.
In closing I leave you to consider four words that are inscribed in bold letters on the first panel of the beautiful Korean Veterans War Memorial in our nation’s capital in Washington D.C. If we allow them to, these four words challenge us to consider our part in paying the cost of being an American by simply reminding us that, “Freedom Is Not Free.”
Chad Spencer is a high school history teacher who lives near Waynesfield. He delivered a version of this during a Memorial Day ceremony in Waynesfield. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
