Sacrifice, Duty and Courage

Veteran's Day Speech

By John Bolger, associate principal at Grayslake Central High School, Nov. 10:

It is an incredible honor to be asked to say a few words on such a solemn
occasion as Veteran's Day. This is especially true for an American who spent his
youth reading stories about our citizen soldiers – taught American history for
17 years, and now serves as a school leader serving in a district sharing a firm
desire to produce ethical, active, and productive citizens of our Republic.

To have a group of students sitting among veterans from our community
affords us an incredible opportunity – an opportunity to grow in our collective
understanding about things only our veterans can teach. Veterans teach us
powerful lessons about Sacrifice, Duty, and Courage.

Veterans understand a thing or two about SACRIFICE. Whether thinking about
the 3 million surviving veterans celebrating the 65th anniversary of freedom's
great victory in WWII – or the roughly 95,000 service men and women in
Afghanistan – and 90,000 in Iraq, that are serving right now – it is altogether
fitting that they all know that as a nation we are proud of, and grateful for
their service.

Our young people in this room right now should take note of the collective sacrifices that have had to be made to generate and maintain the level of comfort and security we often take for granted in the relative tranquility of Grayslake Illinois. High school freshmen were born in 1997 – just four years before 9/11 – and they do not always understand that this nation is at war – or how quickly our American values and lives can be put to the ultimate test. We occasionally see the bumper sticker, "Freedom is not Free!" Indeed. Our veteran Americans endured great dangers, tremendous isolation, and incredibly rugged living conditions day and night to maintain our way of life. Yes, veterans can share a thing or two about sacrifice – and our nation's citizenry would be wise to take note.

Veterans can also help us understand DUTY. America has relied on the draft
periodically in our history – but it has always been the free citizen that has been
the backbone of the American military. I do not wish to focus on the willingness
to fight – although it is necessary at times – I wish to focus on the overwhelming
fact that our Veterans continue to serve their nation in incredible numbers
long after the battles have ceased.

Veterans understand the importance of commitment – commitment to ideals, sure – and even to flag and country. But talk to any veteran, especially ones who have seen action, and they will ALL tell you that their REAL duty was to each other. Those lessons were hard earned for our veterans – and they didn't leave them on the fields of battle when they headed home. For the students in this room – there are powerful lessons in the way our veterans understand and LIVE THEIR DUTY.

For the veterans, it is the alarming numbers of former soldiers who live in poverty and with untreated medical conditions. For our students, it can be the alienated or
mistreated classmate. As Americans, as human beings, we need to understand
the fundamental need to do our Duty by one another. As citizens of the republic
– we have a civic and moral duty to live, work, and interact fully with one
another. Our veterans have much to teach us in this respect.

Our Veterans can teach us about Courage. That is not to say that every veteran
you meet acted like the heroes you see in overdone movies. Courage is complex
– and it comes in many different forms and attributes. I like the definition of
courage that says "American veterans are very often ordinary people who have
done extraordinary things." If you interview veterans from any conflict, they
will tell you a story about someone who did something quite unexpected or
extraordinary that contributed in some large or small way to the success of
others. Again, this definition and example of Courage set by veterans would be
powerful and important for our high school students to learn. We might not
face bullets or bombs or shrapnel – but we certainly find ourselves in situations
where it is easier to remain silent – easier to walk away – easier to not get
involved. And yet, when one person acts courageously – it very often rallies
others. Harry Truman had ANOTHER plaque on his desk that said, "Always do
right, it will gratify some, and astonish the rest." Courage is something we can
learn from our veterans.

In its simplest form, we are here to honor ordinary people/citizens who did
extraordinary things in their lives. We celebrate these veterans assembled
here today, and we are grateful to share stories and breakfast with them here
this morning. It is most appropriate that their presence here remind us that
there are often times when we are faced with great responsibilities in our lives.
Responsibilities that require SACRIFICE, DUTY, and COURAGE.

While it is always easier to shirk that responsibility, to ask others to shoulder more of the load – it is these veterans who remind us that the responsibility stemming from sacrifice, duty, and courage is often necessary to preserve and maintain the
most precious things in our lives. These men and women gave up everything –
comfort, security, financial gain, home, education – so that we could live in a
country that promotes choices, growth, and freedom. There is no swift or easy
path to peace in our current world.

For our part, we must not forget that these veterans assembled saw things, experienced things, lived things that we cannot imagine. There are no beings on earth who would wish for peace on earth more earnestly than they. And yet, this concept, this word, this idea – responsibility – looms ever present in our midst. In the end, the only way to preserve and maintain peace is to be prepared to defend it.

And so, we thank these ordinary men and women who have done and
experienced extraordinary things. These are America's citizen-soldiers, who
were willing to sacrifice everything, do their duty, and act courageously for the
good of the nation – young and old, rich and poor – black and white, and every
category in between, they are the men and women who served America.

In closing, let's take a moment to acknowledge some of the veterans here
among us today. There are many active members of the military related to
students, faculty and staff here at the school. There are Grayslake graduates
fighting in the Middle East as we speak. In addition, one of our dearest teachers,
Captain Glen Roeck, is currently serving actively with the army. Retired from
active duty are Col. Glen Miller, a member of our Guidance Department. Alice
Rees, one of our Security folks, was in the Air Force. Dan Cahill, a member of the
science department, was also in the Air Force. Tom Kim, our athletic director,
was a Marine. Finally, Bob Burns, a Marine, and Terry Devanie, who was in the
Navy, are members of our building and grounds crew. Let's give them a round of
applause.