Veterans Day Address at Bunsold Middle School

What defines a hero?

A hero is brave, strong, skillful,? courageous, has a strong sense of purpose, and has an uncompromising set of morals.

It is said that our nation’s veterans are our true heroes. But you will struggle to find a veteran who will proudly proclaim their hero status. In my experience, the veterans who are the most decorated and accomplished due to their actions in combat are the most humble and inspirational individuals in our society.

Veterans are ordinary people who join a common cause and are committed to a journey of challenge, adversity, and transformation. On this journey, a moment of crisis and adversity may reveal the hero in them.

I believe everyone in this room lives out the characteristics of a hero, villain, victim, or guide. But the choice of whom you become is decided by the daily habits and moral beliefs that you commit yourself to.?

?I believe that there is a hero in each and every one of us. If we all live as heroes, some of us may be fortunate to become guides to another generation, and ultimately, our world will be a much better place. Our world and community are better because of the sacrifice and living legacies of many veterans sitting in this room today.

Like our favorite superheroes, every veteran has their own origin story for why they entered into military service.

Some joined because of the opportunities that military service may provide.?

Some joined to find a new family and to leave their bad associations behind.?

Some joined to continue their families' legacy of military service.

Some joined in chasing adventure and challenges to push themselves beyond the limits of their today.

Many joined because their nation called upon them to serve.

Others joined because there was an inflection point in history, like the attack on Pearl Harbor or 9/11, that inspired them to serve.?

But no matter why one chose to join the military, we all took the same oath of enlistment, and we all joined a common cause and committed ourselves to a journey of challenge, adversity, and transformation.

Many years ago, I was your age attending school just like you on a beautiful fall morning, when an announcement comes over the airway, and our teachers turn on the tv news station. We see that an aircraft has crashed into one of the iconic twin towers of the World Trade Center. Now this one incident was a tragedy in itself.?

But as we watched the news reporters search for the answers to why and how, we all watched another plane crash into the second tower with shock. At that moment, we did not know the who or the why, but we knew that we as a nation were under attack. Within the hour, another plane was rammed into the Pentagon, and the last plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania because of the brave and selfless actions of the civilians on board that plane.

As students, we did not have instant communication with our parents and friends, and we stayed in class for the remainder of the day. But many children and loved ones of the World Trade Center staff, the military members at the pentagon, and first responders had to wait much longer just to know if their dad, mom, their loved ones would ever come home again.?

It was not the day that I knew I would serve my Country.

On that day, many decided to enter military service to bring justice to the terrorist who organized the attack and prevent a future attack from happening again.

The oath of enlistment is not a loyalty pledge to an individual monarch, dictator, or religious supreme leader but an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.?

Our common cause is to defend and support our founding document -the U.S. Constitution - which brought forth a system of government that transformed the world and threw off the chains of submission and service to the aspirations of a monarch, a dictator, or a tyrant and has elevated the natural rights and responsibilities of the individual and We the People.

President Lincoln reminded America of our common cause in the Gettysburg Address when he said that these dead shall not have died in vain– that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”

This is our common cause. This is why we willingly serve.

Over the course of time, the men and women who have served in our military have secured and preserved our own democracy, have aided in the abolishment of the American institution of slavery, liberated Europe from the evils of Nazi Germany, contained the spread of communism and terrorism to allow the seeds of self-governance to take root in every continent. Our military has protected trade routes that have allowed America to prosper and have strengthened our global economy. When our friends from around the world face natural disasters, our military shows up to preserve life and provide meaningful aid.

So how do ordinary people come together to serve this common cause?

We commit to a journey of challenge, adversity, and physical, mental, and moral transformation.

For many, this journey begins when they arrive at boot camp, basic training, or a military academy. But for some, this journey begins during the recruitment process. Not everyone who desires to serve is eligible to do so. A recruit must meet the educational requirements such as earning a high school diploma and passing an Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, known as ASVAB assessment, meet physical fitness requirements like a run time, pull-ups, push-ups, and have a clean criminal record, and meet the medical requirements.

A recent Department of Defense study shows that nearly 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service due to being overweight, using drugs, or having a mental or physical health problem. I witnessed the journey of a personal friend who dedicated over a year of his life to lose over one hundred pounds so that he could serve in the Marine Corps. His transformation before the start of his service is a testament that we have control of the direction of our future.

I attended boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. Within the first hour of arriving on the island, you trade in your civilian clothes for a uniform, you trade in your name to be called “recruit,” you instantly lose the privilege to use the word “I,” you get a beautiful haircut and shave, every second of your day is accounted for. You begin the process of earning the title “United States Marine.”?

A recruit goes through a 12-week transformation of physical strength and conditioning, military drills, hikes, training, and assessments of the rifle and your ability to swim. If you do not meet the qualifications, you are held in that developmental phase until you prove yourself. On the 11th week, you go, and your unit goes through a 3-day crucible, and if you make it to the other side, you receive the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, your name and rank, and the title of United States Marine.

During your time in service, your rank and awards are earned. One must continue to meet and exceed standards; your unit is only as strong as your weakest link.

What is your most challenging class?

Let us experiment, the entire class will receive the grade of the lowest-scoring student. Take a moment to reflect on how your classroom dynamics would change. You would have a strong culture of accountability peer-to-peer, you would have to get to know each other, despite the cultural or personality differences, and you would learn to care about every classmate genuinely. You would realize that your futures are all intertwined. The unit is only as strong as its weakest link in the military. Though each individual is responsible for reaching their highest potential, they must never leave a team member behind. Together, the unit must work as one.?

If you listen to the stories of our military heroes, no matter what military branch they served in, the common thread is that they took action to protect the man or women to their left or right. Their love and care for their peer superseded their own interest in self-preservation. This spirit is the DNA of all heroes.

During my time in the Marine Corps, I was gifted a card by my NCO with our organizational values. It was expected that I carry this at all times, and though I have left military service, I still carry this card with me today. Our core values are honor, courage, and commitment. On the back of this card is a description of what a Marine is.

Marines obey the law

Lead by example

Respect themselves and others?

Maintain a high standard of integrity

Support and defend the Constitution

Uphold special trust and confidence

Place faith and honor above all else

Honor fellow Marines, The Corps, Country, and Family

?Our values are the composition of our identity. I admit, there are many times that I do not measure up to these core values, to the identity of a Marine. But our daily habits define whom we become. When we fall short, our decision and commitment to our continual moral transformation will prepare us to live as heroes.

What separates the heroes from the villains is our moral integrity. When adversity comes, and life tests us, our moral north star will guide our actions and produce worthy outcomes to create a better world. We must always live out our values as military service members, veterans, and responsible citizens.?

So today, we thank the men and women who committed to our common cause and their commitment to a journey of challenge, adversity, and transformation as they honorably served our nation.?

Now it is our responsibility to say “thank you!”

To say “thank you” not only as a kind and respectful gesture but in our everyday living.

We say “thank you!” by living as heroes.

We say “thank you!” by living as responsible citizens.

Thank you, Bunsold! May God Bless. Have a wonderful day!