by Dr. Drew Bennett, Chancellor

Missouri State University, Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts

Springfield, Missouri November 11, 2007

Thank you distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and fellow veterans. I am humbled to speak to you today. You see, even though I am proud to say I’m a Marine, albeit a retired one, there are older generations of veterans whose performance of duty and heroic displays of honor far exceed mine. And even though I spent 30 years on active duty, there are young men and women in our military today who, in less than one year, have shown infinitely more commitment and sacrifice. So when I speak of veterans today, I am referring to the ideal represented by these heroes, an ideal every citizen should try to emulate.

Today, we honor veterans for their service. The word service is used frequently in conjunction with the military. We say people who entered the armed forces have served in the military. It is also interesting to note that we refer to our Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine as separate Services. And so, on Veterans Day it is appropriate to reflect on exactly who our veterans served while in the military and what military service means.

The oath for enlistment and the oath for commissioned officers in our military both begin:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”

Every veteran has taken that oath. This pledge is not to a political party, not to a geographic area, not to participate in a specific campaign or operation. Veterans have pledged service to the Constitution of the United States.

And what type of service do those entering the military promise? They pledge solemnly that they will bear true faith and allegiance, the most serious and unconditional commitment that can be made. It means that they are ready to endure heat and cold, thirst and hunger, and mental and physical fatigue, the intensity of which cannot be described. They give up the freedom to pick and choose when, where, or why they are deployed. It means separation from friends and family. They are willing to forgo birthdays and anniversaries, the joy of watching the first steps or hearing the first words of their children, or walking a daughter down the aisle when she is married. It means the severest of hardships. They agree, if required, to subject themselves to the unimaginable horrors of combat, the emotional pain of fear and suffering, and the dangers of physical and mental injury. They place the Constitution of the United States above the possibility of being maimed, and they are willing to fight to the death in support and defense of the ideals embodied in that document. For the hundreds of thousands of veterans in Missouri, the 25 million veterans in our nation, and the families of those veterans, this is what service means.

After the American Revolution, when General George Washington issued his farewell orders to his army, some 224 years ago this month, he commented on their “unparalleled perseverance,” and stated that “their achievement was little short of a standing miracle.” From our humble beginnings to our current status as a great nation - perhaps the world’s greatest nation - the strength of the United States is not measured by our power, but by the notion of what America stands for. Those ideals are expressed in our constitution which was adopted by a convention of our founding fathers 220 years ago. Today, ours is the oldest written national constitution in existence. And I would submit to you, that the reason it is the oldest is because veterans have served in a manner that is little short of a standing miracle.

In 1995, the university system was given a statewide mission in public affairs and charged with developing citizens of enhanced character. Who better to model character than the men and women who have served and are serving in the military. What better way to develop all citizens than to teach the concept of service to our constitution. And finally, what time is more appropriate to acknowledge our responsibility to public affairs than on Veterans Day.

Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to each and every veteran, a debt that cannot possibly be paid but must always be freely acknowledged. However, respecting and recognizing veterans is something that should extend past Veterans Day and during peace as well as war. The reason we should hold veterans in high esteem goes beyond our debt to them. It is simply because, whether we serve in the military or not, the traits we learn from veterans; traits like duty, honor, commitment, and sacrifice, traits exemplified by older generations of veterans, as well as those serving today, make us all better citizens.

Thank you.