A Salute.

I have had several students and many friends join the military over the years. They enter for a variety of reasons. For some it is a family tradition. For others it is a lifelong dream fulfilled. Yet, for others, it is because they are searching for something. Direction. Discipline. Passion. Meaning. Most of the people I have know who join the military do so in an effort to bring purpose and order to their lives. It is truly stunning what the military does for them. They enter the service with wide eyes, sometimes fearful eyes, and within a few short weeks they transform into responsible, disciplined adults. As we have seen this week in Fort Hood, many become heroes at a tender age. The young woman who provided first aid to her fellow soldiers, and later learned she was wounded herself, looks like a cherub. She is freckle-faced and sweet and might give you the impression she is off to the mall or out with her friends somewhere. Yet, she is an American soldier; one of our finest young (barely) adults who fight the battles that are fueled by a twisted world of politics, religion, greed, fear, ignorance and hatred.

So, today, Veterans' Day, I offer a huge patriotic salute. To our soldiers, and the organization that propels them from adolescence to greatness at warp speed.