In this information age — when television and major market newspapers report daily on developments across the globe — the average American remains rather insulated from the war in Iraq. We see disturbing images from Baghdad and other hotspots in the Middle East, but unless one has a loved one in that part of the world, our attention soon is drawn to domestic issues, like the political campaigns or the future of Medicare or can the Lakers avoid being upset by the Pistons.
And military personnel, thrown into harm’s way on a number of fronts, seem to be shortchanged in the court of public opinion.
How so? Oh, we talk about supporting those wearing the uniform, but truth be told that’s sometimes all it is — talk. If more Americans could experience what I did last week, their appreciation for the military would soar. And that is a sentiment coming from one with 21 years service in the Army Reserve.
This writer had the privilege of attending a week-long National Security Seminar at the U.S. Army War College. That doesn’t tell the average person a great deal, so here’s a glimpse of what it involved.
• The Army War College brings together elite senior military officers to help prepare them to assume positions of great responsibility in the army and throughout the defense community. It’s a year-long program, with the last week of the term devoted to bringing in civilians to discuss issues pertaining to this country’s immediate and future security interests and obligations. The idea is that the dialogue will help officers, most all with master’s degrees, better understand the nation they serve.
• Each day began with a lecture by a nationally distinguished speaker, followed by dividing into 20 discussion groups — 17 officers and eight civilians. To give an idea of what we heard, the first day’s speaker was a four-star general. On Wednesday the speaker was Lt. Gen. (Ret) Brent Scowcroft, one of the country’s leading experts on international policy, who served as National Security Advisor to two presidents.
The list of guests was equally impressive. Among the eight in our group included a former director of the New York Stock Exchange. Spotted in the civilian group was Sean Astin, the actor who played Sam the Hobbit in “Lord of the Rings” as well as “Rudy” in the movie of the same name. On the bus one day we sat beside a man who is a professor at Georgetown University, but had retired as Undersecretary of the Smithsonian.
Among that braintrust were aspiring military officers who were congenial and well-versed, not just in their specific duties and assignments, but had a broad grasp of key domestic and international issues.
The experience enabled the civilians to more clearly put a face to the war that is being waged on foreign soil. Several made the comment during the week that if more Americans had the opportunity to interact with the officers as we had, there would be a much greater appreciation and recognition for the military.
The discussions frequently involved mention of the media, most often in a negative aspect. That allowed me — the only media representative in the group — the chance to explain that not all media folks are evil. Most, I explained, are decent folks wanting to do a good job and do the right thing. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the ones who don’t have that intention, cast a disparaging light on the rest of us.
Interestingly, on the final day of the seminar, several officers in our group admitted they weren’t overjoyed at the prospect of having civilian guests. By week’s end, they made mention that it had been a productive and profitable week. We think that was a candid comment — not one made as a matter of diplomacy.
Over the years I’ve been to a number of motivational gatherings and newspaper seminars that have inspired me, but this week rates as a premier event from a professional standpoint. The opportunity to interact with brilliant people and observe their knowledge of history and world affairs rekindled my desire to know more about the world around me. And it helped me have an even greater appreciation for those men and women who devote their lives in defense of this country’s freedoms.
While the civilians headed home Saturday, the military folks departed from Carlisle Barracks, Pa., for new duty assignments — from the Pentagon to Joint Forces to TRADOC or a NATO post, to name a few. Those military professionals left their mark on our lives, as we’re sure they will on the men and women they’ll command for years to come.
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Probably the first question that might come to mind is how a guy from the small town of Princeton ended up at Carlisle, Pa.
That’s an easy one — my nomination was submitted by Col. Lyle Cayce, a Caldwell County High grad who was in the War College student body. Lyle was staff judge advocate with the 3rd Infantry Division as it went into Baghdad last year at the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Two other nominations from him were chosen, giving a strong western Kentucky connection. One was Dan Thomas, clerk of the court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta. But Dan is a Kentuckian at heart — he is from Cadiz and is a graduate of Murray State University. The seminar allowed us the opportunity to talk about a number of friends we have in common.
Also at the seminar and in my discussion group was another of Lyle’s nominees, Farouk Umar, a native of Baghdad who came to the U.S. in 1956. He is now chair and professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Murray State.
And in our discussion group were several officers who had tours at Ft. Campbell. One of those was Lt. Col. Rick Gibbs, who graduated from Ft. Campbell High School. He was the starting quarterback on that school’s first state championship football team, so we found plenty of friends we had in common.
Another officer with strong Ft. Campbell connections was Lt. Col. Steve Woods, who was there from 1987-89 and 1990-91.
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Our reflections on the seminar will not include quotes from any of the speakers, students or guests. That’s because we agreed to a non-attribution policy, which was designed to allow a free-flow of ideas without the concern that remarks would be used against someone.
We’ll add more reflections in Saturday’s column, but conclude this one with a quote we came across in our recent readings…
“In every war we give our best men and women, not our worst…only those capable of dreaming great dreams and achieving great goals are sent to the sacrifice.” (Harold E. Kohn)
