Speech at the Commemoration
of General Meade’s Birthday,
Laurel Hill Cemetery,
December 31, 2011
The Meaning of Service
Good day everyone and I’d like to thank you for coming to a cemetery on New Year’s Eve. I am Jon Peterson and I am honored to be able to say a few words. Of course this is no ordinary cemetery, and the fact that it is New Year’s eve is simply a matter of timing.
I teach at West Chester University, and a question I like to ask my students is “Why are you here?” That usually stops them for a moment, so I’ll ask the same of you, Why are you here? Why do you find yourself in a Cemetery on New Year’s Eve? I myself am here because Andy asked me. (Anyone else in that category?) Well that should show you the power of one individual.
Andy asked me to speak about the meaning of service. Although I have 25 years of active duty service in the US Army, I will freely say that I think the MEANING of service is probably defined by the individual, so my definition may differ from yours, however the Significance, the Impact of service is felt by all.
I was raised north of the Mason Dixon line, but my parents would load us up in the car every summer for a two week adventure somewhere, resulting in a fairly well rounded childhood education. A short visit gives you a peek into the local culture, but my first Army assignment to Fort Rucker, Alabama was full of experiences. A small city near Fort Rucker is Enterprise, AL, which holds the honor of the only city with a monument to a bug. The Boll Weevil killed the cotton crop, forcing the region to diversify into peanuts and other crops, which actually bolstered the economic base of the region. While it first may sound odd, once you know the history, a monument to a bug starts to make sense. In a similar vein, I found myself collecting local sayings everywhere I went in my career. One of the earliest I recall is “that dog won’t hunt” My first reaction was Why won’t it hunt, and what does that matter? The phrase means, of course, that whatever you are proposing simply won’t work. It is a non-starter, or simply unacceptable course of action.
There are a lot of sayings and I hope you will share some of your own with me at the reception, but one phrase that I used to despise I have now come to hold in high regard. I recall being a young officer working on a task, and all my research and effort led to an impossible solution. I briefed my boss on my findings, and he uttered the phrase that was to be the bane of my existence; MAKE IT HAPPEN. I was non-plussed, dumbfounded. I just finished telling this guy that his dog wouldn’t hunt, and he completely ignored the facts and said MAKE IT HAPPEN. Of course I was frustrated and I kind of saw it as a cop-out, but as I grew older and wiser, I found that phrase to be less of a burden and more of a badge of honor. When faced with a seemingly impossible task, we can give up, or, we can figure out a way to be successful. The Army has codified this in the Warrior Ethos: I WILL ALWAYS PLACE THE MISSION FIRST. I WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT. I WILL NEVER QUIT and I WILL NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN COMRADE.
The Civil War tore families apart. It was truly a matter of service before self, as their devotion to duty and conscience outweighed their loyalty to their family’s status quo. President Lincoln captured some of this in his second inaugural address:
“On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.”
Fortunately, men like General Meade came to offer their service and their life, if necessary, to secure for future generations, a nation of the people, by the people and for the people.
Obviously the stakes are a little different between the battlefield and other endeavors, but the sense of service and a keen focus on the task will assure success in most domains. The “Greatest Generation” earned that moniker not just from what they did on the battlefield but from their efforts after the war that helped to launch their desires and dreams. They made things happen, mostly out of necessity. Raised through the depression, they were used to dreaming big but doing what they could with what they have. They served their nation in war, but also in peace through their hard work and determination. The problem for most of us is how can WE serve? We may not be disposed to military service, politics, or have access to a national stage but fortunately there are many ways to serve. You that are here now are serving our future by commemorating our past. Your experience here sets a positive example to others and you may gain some insight or initiative that will lead to another act of service. It is easy to say we can’t do something, but we don’t have to keep waiting for the right time or the right people or the best answer to start to act. We simply need to try and do what we can to make it happen.
So the question still hangs in the air, “Why are we here today?” We are here not just to commemorate a great person, but to recognize and remember that we owe a great debt to those who have gone before us. Their efforts, their strife, their success and sometimes their failures provide the bounty that we currently reap. We are also here to understand our history, and glean some meaning from it, both as individuals and as a nation, and discern how we can use that knowledge in a positive manner for future generations. That is why we find ourselves in a cemetery on New Year’s Eve. (although some of you might be here just for the champagne!)
In conclusion, don’t fail to try because you are afraid to fail. Do what you can and you will find that over time, you have achieved more than you expect.
Thank you, and Happy New Year.
Jon Peterson