Officium Honor Et Patria

As I embark upon my chosen path of military service I can't help but reflect upon the immense potential demonstrated by my colleagues and classmates at Columbia, on whose shoulders lay the hopes and dreams, indeed the very future, of this nation. And yet, while potential I see, I also note a supreme lack of vigor and ambition for national service, military service in particular. I have worked as an active duty military officer in New York City for just a few months now, and have been doing my best to interest students in something that shouldn't need to be sold, something that should be looked upon as an honor and a privilege: the chance to lead our nation's servicemen and women as military officers. It wasn't so long ago, less than half a century in fact, that Columbia was known throughout as a source of great military leadership, an institution that honed the knowledge and skills of officers in the arts and sciences and informed them upon the very philosphical and ethical foundations of the free and democratic society of which they stood in defense. As one learned sociology professor has noted to me, the societal and political expectations of today and indeed the very abandonment of national conscription in favor of a small volunteer military have changed the equation and removed much of the impetus for university graduates to enter into service as commisioned military officers. Others have observed the expansion of opportunities for service into other realms, as exemplified by the success of Teach for America or the Peace Corps, and the desire of students to use their talents for the 'good of humanity' rather than in the service of what they view as an immoral or barbaric institution. These other forms of service are quite admirable and immensely beneficial to society, but the contrary view of military service and leadership as an immoral venture to be shunned or castigated illustrates a thorough lack of understanding and foresight. Wars may come and go but the necessity to protect and defend our constitution as well as our lives, liberties, and persuit of happiness will always remain. This is your military. And for you, the best and brightest of this nation, the charge to serve has always been greater, for you have been vested with the immense responsibilities that arise out of great intelligence, knowledge, and influence. Recall that our constitution and the political and moral philosophy upon which it is grounded was forged and remunerated by Columbians. That among the great officers who fought for these rights and civil liberties we today enjoy were the likes of John Jay, Gouvernor Morris, and a certain Army Colonel by the name of Hamilton. War, politics, and governments change. What remains, however, is the continued need for great military leadership, tempered by a broad liberal education in philosophy, history, science and economics, and a worldly understanding of global affairs. I entreat you, my fellow Columbians, to take up the torch of leadership and bring to our armed forces the values of leadership, knowledge, and understanding that Columbia has imparted to you. Remember well the words of Lt. Gen. Sir William E. Butler, "The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards."