A Warrior's Heart, An Immigrant's Optimism, and A Servant's Soul

University College Dublin and its Literary & Historical Society have been around for more than 150 years. They count James Joyce as among their most distinguished graduates. 

And so, I was honored to learn I was to be awarded The James Joyce Award for Accomplishments in Human Endeavours on March 7th this year.

In the days before traveling to Ireland, I found myself thinking about my grandmother who had left her home in County Mayo at 16 and processed into America through Ellis Island. 

Would she have ever imagined I would become our nation's highest ranking military officer? I wondered. 

Probably, I thought. She was filled with the boundless optimism of an immigrant.

Arriving in Dublin I was surprised—and delighted—to learn that the Literary & Historical Society is entirely student-run. The "Auditor" of the Society, the one with whom I had been coordinating my trip, turned out not to be the staid and stuffy college professor I imagined on the other end of the phone but an energetic and engaging young student by the name of Donal Naylor. 

A few days before the ceremony, Donal explained that he would present the award following my short address to the Society's members. With some difficulty, I discovered a Joyce quotation which I believed I mostly understood, and I decided to build my presentation around it:

"In the particular is contained the universal." -James Joyce

On the day of the ceremony I suggested to the audience that what Joyce means is that in each of us is some clue to the rest of us.

"Why does that matter?" I asked.

A student responded. "Because it means there is more that binds us together than pulls us apart."

Impressive, I thought.

“Writing at almost precisely the same time, another great writer of the Irish Literary Renaissance--William Butler Yeats--asserted that talent perceives differences; genius unity," I noted.

"Then we need more genius and less talent," another student called out.

"That would be nice," I said. "In the meantime, perhaps we could simply commit to listening--I mean really listening--to each other."

They nodded in approval.

I finished.

"Wherever life takes you, live with a warrior's heart, an immigrant's optimism, and a servant's soul."

Donal arose. 

"On behalf of the Literary & Historical Society, University College Dublin, I confer on Martin Dempsey the James Joyce Award."

I realized that in a chance encounter in Dublin—the kind that Joyce wrote about in his novels—I had just learned something about and because of these students. I was departing with much more than a medallion.

About the Author: After forty-one years in military service, General Martin Dempsey retired as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. He now lives in North Carolina where he is faculty at Duke University, sits on two nonprofit boards, plays a leadership role in the NBA, serves as chairman of USA Basketball, develops leaders with Starfish Leadership, and is writing a book with multiple New York Times bestselling author Ori Brafman.

Follow me on Twitter @Martin_Dempsey