File this Veteran’s Day speech in your Memorial Day Folder
November 17, 2009
Delivered at the University of Oregon, November 11, 2009
Civilians are sometimes surprised when they hear a veteran speak of what he owes this great country of ours.
Often, they mean well.ย They tell us, โNo, your country owes you!ย We owe you an unpayable debt because of all youโve done to defend America.โ
They mean wellโand I always truly appreciate their sentimentsโbut they donโt quite understand. They donโt understand how much we veterans get from giving. They donโt understand how the lessons we learned and the values we absorbed in our military careers have meant so much to our success in life that we feel indebted.
I guess if I were to explain this to a civilian, Iโd take him to a Barnes & Noble bookstoreโor any mammoth bookstore in any city in America. Iโd steer him to the management section. Then Iโd ask him to count up the number of books on the shelves that are all about how to get ahead as a business leader.
As our civilian lookedโand counted up the booksโhe would see title after title on how to lead by example … how to lead with integrity … how to be a servant leader … how to be a purpose-driven leader … how to lead by being mission-oriented … how to motivate the people under you … how to make crucial decisions … how to function well under pressureโand so on.
Civilians buy these books by the armload. They spend hours poring over them, to find the secrets they think will help them advance their careers. They attend seminars on leadership techniques. They flock to motivational speakers for tips on how to pump up the people under them.
Veterans, as a rule, donโt do this. We donโt have to. We have learned all these things alreadyโby serving our country.ย And weโve learned with a difference. Weโve learned โnot by putting ourselves first, but by putting our country and our comrades first. And weโve learned under conditions where leadership canโt be faked.
When you reach a point in life where integrity, courage, resilience, selflessness and devotion to duty are second-nature to you, then nothing can hold you back. You canโt help but succeed.ย
I know that I loved my military service and my ROTC experience at the University of Oregon. I loved the training and the skills it taught me. I loved the discipline I acquired from the marauder field training. I loved the confidence, and self-reliance I got from the program. I loved the way it taught me to assume responsibility, provide direction, and make things happen.ย
All of this served me very well in life. As a businessman, my military training has helped me to manage my time, motivate my employees, realize my companyโs goalsโand even start my own investment and corporate advisory firm. In short, my military service made me.
Thatโs why, no matter how much I give, I know that I will always feel indebted to my country. And that is one debt I am proud to owe.