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.    

Some Presidents enjoyed my respect for the steadfastness of their character and the quality of their leadership.  Some whose ethics or moral fiber I did not respect still received my loyalty.  They were, after all, the elected leader of the American people, and that’s who those of us who wear or have worn the uniform work for.  I kept my own counsel – it didn’t matter if I respected them as leaders or merely served because they held the highest office the citizens of this nation can bestow upon a fellow American.  Male or female.  White or black.  Just an American elected by other Americans.  That’s reason enough for me.
           
These reflections of fealty and respect come to me now because the recent election, like the two that preceded it, was as momentarily divisive and vicious as – well, as every other American election.  Only our very first President was unopposed and received 100% of the Electoral College votes.  

The second US election, between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, was characterized by brutal campaigning, vicious lies, yellow journalism, and much enmity all the way around.  Adams won by 3 electoral votes, only to lose to Jefferson 4 years later by 8 votes.  The two despised each other.  But, as Americans are (uniquely?) able to do, they also respected each other’s intellect and contributions to the cause of liberty.  They began, after their terms as President, a lifelong correspondence that did not concluded until the death of both men on the same day, July 4, 1826.  The 50th anniversary of the day both signed the Declaration of Independence.  With Adams’ last words allegedly being, “At least Jefferson lives.”

Every election since has been the same.  We begin with vehement disagreement and, optimistically, we end by closing ranks and giving our support to the new President (all the while looking forward to the next election, of course.)  This time will be no different.  The entertainers who promised to leave the country 4 years ago if George W. Bush was re-elected disappointed us mightily by not having the courage to actually leave.  This time around, those who are claiming they’ll take their guns and canned goods to a mountain redoubt will likely prove equally disappointing. 

Our nation has endured the Presidencies of Franklin Pierce, Warren G. Harding, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and – well, if they’re still living, they’ve endured enough, so let’s leave it at that.  No matter what happens, we’ve seen worse.  Some of us served under worse than we could possibly imagine going forward.  Through it all, the common sense of the American people gets us through the worst of times and is there to reap the reward of their faith in the best of times,

I believe those who have defended the right to vote however we damn well choose, who have defended our right to disagree, who have defended our right to be wrong from time to time, and who have defended the Constitution itself, too often with their life’s blood, are among those who return to the citizenry at large most knowledgeable about just how unique and extraordinary our constitutional form of government is. 

Our Veterans are the guardians of the Constitution, for they are able to compare other forms of government they have seen, fought alongside, or fought against.  And they know firsthand the inexplicable elation of being able to repeat the following words, words that bring a catch in the throat of those taking it and those administering it.  This oath is for military officers; NCOs and enlisted personnel swear a very similar oath:

“I, ((Full Name)),  having been appointed an officer in the ((Branch of Service)) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of ((Rank)) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.” 
           
As of this date, 11 November 2008, there is 1 veteran of World War I still alive (note:  Frank Buckles, age 107, is a resident of Charles Town where APUS is headquartered).  The best estimates are that there are 2,306,000 living service-members who served during World War II; 2,307,000 men and women who served during the Korean War; 7,125,000 Americans of every color, ethnic background, and political philosophy who were in uniformed service during the Vietnam War; 2,269,000 who served in Desert Storm and another 3,000,000 who have served or are still serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.  It shouldn’t be too difficult to find one to say “Thank you.”  Don’t worry or be embarrassed if it’s the day after Veteran’s day or a day 6 months hence.  Still thank them.  No matter when they served, no matter where, no matter for how long or in what capacity – they are the guardians of our Constitution.  Many have the scars, and some only a lonely marker where they now lie forever still, to prove it.
           
Thank you, Veterans.  To every one who has ever served, who does so today, or will in the future, I salute you.

Respectfully,
Joseph L. Shaefer
B Gen, USAF, Ret.

The debate over establishing the United States Navy was long and arduous.  Many felt that the endeavor was a fruitless waste of funds; they believed that the British Navy was far too superior for the United States to even compete.  Others, including John Adams of Massachusetts, were fervent supporters of the development of an American naval force.  It was not until the Congress received intelligence that two British ships were on their way from England to Quebec, unarmed and without a protection convoy that the pro-naval advocates began to gain support.  The vulnerability of the two British ships seemed too good an opportunity to allow pass.  Within only a few days of receiving the information, the Congress authorized the outfitting of the two American vessels.

The new navy had surprising success during the course of the American War of Independence, taking “nearly two hundred British ships…, contributing to the demoralization of the enemy and forcing the British to divert warships to protect convoys and trade routes.”  With the British defeated and American independence secured, however, the new nation turned its attention toward securing its western borders and the attention given to the navy diminished to the point that for nearly a decade, it was nonexistent.  In its absence, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner of the modern U.S. Coast Guard (see my recent article on the Coast Guard), policed the American seas.  The outbreak of civil war again proved the importance of a naval fighting force; the fact that the Union had one that vastly overpowered that of the Confederacy was vital to the eventual Union victory.  The United States Navy has been in operation without interruption since its re-establishment just prior to the Civil War.

As American policy and security interests have evolved, so too have the activities of the Navy.  United States naval participation in World War I was precipitated by German submarine attacks on civilian shipping interests.  The Navy was instrumental in the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II, a contribution they were all too happy to make after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.  The United States Navy was instrumental to the war efforts during the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.  During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Navy’s blockade of the island was fundamental to American negotiations with the Cubans and Soviets.  The Navy has participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and the ongoing War on Terrorism.  Dedicated in all ways to protecting American interests and promoting a positive American image around the world, the Navy embarked on a unique public-private partnership after the devastating 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean.  Partnering with a coalition of non-profits, led by Project HOPE, an international non-profit dedicated to providing medical attention to those most in need around the world, the Navy manned its two hospital ships, the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy, with volunteer doctors, nurses and other medical staff members, civilian and military, to provide much needed medical attention to the hundreds of thousands affected by the disaster.  The partnership has continued with missions to other areas of the world in which medical attention is scarce, including coastal areas in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia.  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Navy deployed the USS Bataan to assist with disaster relief efforts.

From its fledgling beginnings, the United States Navy has become the world’s largest and strongest, with a tonnage greater than that of the next seventeen closest of the world’s navies combined.  There are more than 332,000 active Navy personnel and nearly 124,000 ready reserves.  Sailors, many of whom are our students, today we salute you on your 233rd birthday!