Gratitude and Listening: Honoring our Veterans
by Dr. Mike Davis, Ph.D.
Head of School
Against the backdrop of this year’s Veterans Day, news stories have emerged about how the Defense Department paid the National Football League to create programming celebrating patriotism and honoring the nation’s veterans. One veteran, Will Bardenwerper, who volunteered to serve our country after the 9/11 attacks, wrote an interesting opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “One Veteran’s View: How Patriotic Pageantry at Sporting Events Lost Its Meaning.”
Other veterans have noted how some of the “thank yous” that they have received seemed hollow. Matt Richtel wrote an article in the New York Times titled, “Please Don’t Thank Me for My Service,” and it offers a thoughtful perspective from veterans about gratitude and honoring our service men and women.
The article quotes Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam War veteran and author of the The Things They Carried. O’Brien says that “'something in the stomach tumbles" from expressions that are so disconnected” from the brutal reality of combat that veterans experience. Hunter Garth, a veteran from Afghanistan, spoke about what “thank yous” bring up for him. “The thanks Mr. Garth gets today remind him of both the bad times and the good, all of which carry more meaning than he has now in civilian life. Hardest is the gratitude from parents of fallen comrades. ’That’s the most painful thank you,’ he said. ‘It’s not for me, and I’m not your son.’”
The article asks different veterans how we should thank them. Some talked about offering employment or a college scholarship. Garth “appreciates thanks from someone who makes an effort to invest in the relationship and the experience.”
Head of School
Against the backdrop of this year’s Veterans Day, news stories have emerged about how the Defense Department paid the National Football League to create programming celebrating patriotism and honoring the nation’s veterans. One veteran, Will Bardenwerper, who volunteered to serve our country after the 9/11 attacks, wrote an interesting opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “One Veteran’s View: How Patriotic Pageantry at Sporting Events Lost Its Meaning.”
Other veterans have noted how some of the “thank yous” that they have received seemed hollow. Matt Richtel wrote an article in the New York Times titled, “Please Don’t Thank Me for My Service,” and it offers a thoughtful perspective from veterans about gratitude and honoring our service men and women.
The article quotes Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam War veteran and author of the The Things They Carried. O’Brien says that “'something in the stomach tumbles" from expressions that are so disconnected” from the brutal reality of combat that veterans experience. Hunter Garth, a veteran from Afghanistan, spoke about what “thank yous” bring up for him. “The thanks Mr. Garth gets today remind him of both the bad times and the good, all of which carry more meaning than he has now in civilian life. Hardest is the gratitude from parents of fallen comrades. ’That’s the most painful thank you,’ he said. ‘It’s not for me, and I’m not your son.’”
The article asks different veterans how we should thank them. Some talked about offering employment or a college scholarship. Garth “appreciates thanks from someone who makes an effort to invest in the relationship and the experience.”
In a school setting, I believe we show our gratitude to veterans by encouraging our students to listen and learn from their experience. Every year, we bring veterans to campus on Veterans Day to share their unique stories. This year, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann will speak to my War on Terror Class and to the entire Upper School student body. Evermann's legendary leadership while facing the horrors of war cemented his status as an American military hero. Portrayed by Josh Hartnett, Eversmann was immortalized in the epic film, Black Hawk Down, which recounts the 18 harrowing hours when US soldiers in Somalia were trapped in a hostile district of Mogadishu. Young Rangers and Delta Force soldiers fought side by side, outnumbered and marked for death by militiamen loyal to the warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, until a rescue convoy was mounted. Eversmann has received many military decorations, including the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Ribbon, eight Army Achievement medals, and four Army Commendation medals. For his service in Somalia, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor device and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. Before his retirement in early 2008, Eversmann served 18 months in Iraq leading an elite Army Ranger force.
We are grateful for the experience of the men and women who serve our country and an important part of our responsibility as educators is to listen and to learn from their stories.
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