This time of the year offers many opportunities for personal reflection.  For those of us raised in the Judeo-Christian faiths, the celebration of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the birth of Jesus are events that mark centuries of traditions and religious faith.  For people of these and other faiths, the end of the year and the beginning of the New Year on January 1 are times to celebrate the passage of time and to mark new opportunities in the year ahead.

In America, we are transitioning the leadership of our government which we have done every four or eight years since 1792.  This year, the voters wanted change.  The Obama administration has promised change while facing the formidable challenges associated with stepping into the leadership role of the world’s largest economic engine during a global and domestic economic crisis which is unprecedented since the Great Depression.  By all accounts, the situation has not reached its bottom and it will be years before we climb out of a trough created by our own hands.   Even worse is the knowledge that many of the “solutions” may be politically inspired and not the “best” solutions for the situation.

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Holidays are often a time for family gatherings and homecomings.  I am fortunate to be part of a large and extended family.  When I was young, my parents would visit my mother’s parents on all of the major holidays; particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My grandparents lived on a farm where eleven of their twelve children were born (my aunt, Christy, was the twelfth and the only child to be born in a hospital).  Six of my mother’s seven brothers served in World War II and the seventh served in the Korean Conflict.  An older sister served as a nurse in the Army Air Corps.  We were fortunate that all of them returned home safely at the wars’ end.

I believe that my grandmother viewed holidays as the opportunity to bring her family back together.  It did not matter that she had to coordinate the logistics of preparing food for over fifty people at a time; it was a labor of love.  Her daughters and daughters-in-law would bring dishes or specialties; and the grandchildren/cousins would sample them.  One year, I remember gathering a healthy helping of what I presumed to be mashed potatoes only to find out that it was mashed turnips after taking my first bite.  I always asked after that.  After dinner, some or all of the forty plus cousins would gather for a football game or kick-the-can.  We could usually count on a younger uncle or two to join us.  Philosophically, I would not say that those were “the best years,” but those years have a fond place in my heart and in my memories.

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In response to my article on Veterans Day last week, I received a note from a retired general, Brig. Gen Joe Schafer.  Joe is a professor at American Military University and an alumnus as well and he shared his thoughts about Veterans Day.  I thought that his piece not only embraced many of my thoughts about those who serve our country, but also provided a great perspective on the attitude of the professional soldier toward the change in administrations and our Commanders in Chief.  Given the orderly transition that we are currently going through after the recent election, you have to respect the way our democracy works regardless of who you voted for in the election.  With Joe’s permission, I have provided the text of his note below.

11 Nov 2008
           
It is a private matter who you or I voted for to be the President of the United States one week ago.  It is a public responsibility, however, no matter how we voted, to now offer our support and best wishes for the new President’s success in keeping this nation strong, ensuring the liberties we have fought and died for, and making the country better every single generation for the generation that follows.
 
I take great pride in having served under 7 Presidents while in uniformed service.  (I missed Lyndon Johnson by 2 months, but served under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, James Earl Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, and George W. Bush.)  Though those 7 men were the Commander in Chief, as a member of the United States Army and the United States Air Force, I worked not for them as men, but for the American people.  My duty, my allegiance, and my sworn oath were to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.  I will do so until I draw my final breath, in uniform or not.    

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