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E-PrinceDorm room windows don't get a lot of attention. We open them in warm months, slam them shut in the colder months and blame them when we enter our room to find a squirrel swimming in a pile of ...(back to the article)
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Hooah! Princeton in the Nation's Service!
You missed a huge reason. One word: Bush. I don't say this as a form of partisan hackery. But, many of us have come of age under the Bush administration which sent us into a wildly unpopular war with highly questionable motives. And even military officials have said that it was terribly mismanaged. The next commander-in-chief will need to make a lot of headway in regaining the trust of young people. When those of us with the means to avoid military service see our peers sent into battle carelessly, we will probably take advantage of the means to avoid military service. It's not something to be proud of, of course. But that's the way it is.
Something significant occurred this morning in the University Chapel: a solemn Veterans' Day service. Professor Uwe Reinhardt, father of a Marine injured in combat, spoke movingly through tears about being part of a military family, both his own and the larger family of American soldiers of every generation. His recollections of growing up in post-war Germany made the comments especially poignant.
About 60 people attended, including me. I thought of my father, Class of '41, who served in the Pacific. I thought of all those names engraved on the marbled walls inside Nassau Hall. I thought of the war-torn American battle flag of the U.S.S. Princeton that hangs on the Chapel's wall.
Military service fell out of favor with my baby-boomer generation. This antipathy became institutionalized in our elite academies. That only three Princetonians were recently commissioned to military service through ROTC is a seriously negative harbinger for our country, now engaged in two wars at once. This is especially so where the country, indeed the world, needs now more than ever needs in leadership and command the best and the brightest, as Princetonians are called and trained to be.
As the Marine trumpeter at today's service solemnly sounded taps, I wondered how could this anemic rate of commissioning come to pass at Princeton? Here, the pivotal victory at the Battle of Princeton saved the American Revolution. Here, the Continental Congress sat with George Washington in attendance. Here, the name that graced the bows of five significant American warships was born. Here, two Presidents were schooled. Here, one President and two Signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried. Here, an incredibly distinctive American history exists, preserved, protected and perpetuated in no small measure by the honorable and, by some, ultimate sacrifice of military service to our country.
As uncommon stewards of a particularly treasured American history, we Princetonians In The Nation's Service have a special responsibility. Our beloved University ought to do more to increase the ranks of better Princeton leaders who can lead and defend us in battle, not for the sake of making war, but for the sake of preserving the principles we hold dear as Americans and hold forth (as just done again on November 4) as inspiration for all the world.
Only sixty people at today's Veterans' Day service. Next year, may there be twice their number. May they come especially from the leadership of our beloved University. Nothing would be a better example to those under their care who would become the leadership of America’s noble service men and women, both present and past, upon whose sacrifice we mere citizens depend for our independence, freedom, and peace.
My problem with issues like this is that it is a perfect illustration of the rampant militarism that is so prevalent in America. Why is everything about the military and violent solutions to problems? I think its a good thing that members of the military are revered less in the wake of the Iraq debacle. We need to cut the defense budget as Barney Frank suggests, and we need to eliminate Cold War era bases in east asia and europe. We need to close Guantanamo. I don't think that the troops are bad ppl, but they are pawns within the larger problem of the military-industrial complex, which as Eisenhower said is a continuous threat to the Republic in its constant push for increased militarism (which is profitable for them).
"Why is everything about the military and violent solutions to problems? I think its a good thing that members of the military are revered less in the wake of the Iraq debacle."
A good thing that members of the military are revered less in the wake of the iraq debacle? Thankfully, few people in this country hold members of the military in as low regard as you apparently do. You also seem to not understand that it is our elected officials who set policy and direct the use of military force. The misguided war in iraq and the exceptional mismanagement were the work of elected and appointed officials (bush, cheney, rumsfeld), not the military.
"I don't think that the troops are bad ppl, but they are pawns within the larger problem of the military-industrial complex, which as Eisenhower said is a continuous threat to the Republic in its constant push for increased militarism (which is profitable for them)."
Eisenhower would be appalled at your twisting of his words to construe them as being against the troops who stand in defense of our country. His words: "A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."
Intertwining security and liberty is the calling that Princetonians who accept commissions in the armed forces answer. The misguided cowboy-esque foreign policy of the current administration should be viewed as the ultimate failure in light of Eisenhower's words... not the service of those who put their lives on hold to ensure our security.
Thank a vet today.
"Unfortunately, the number of Princetonians choosing to wear the uniform is dwindling." Please, just do every human being a favor and stfu. The days of glorified killing, and massacring "colords" in places of the world you can't even name or spell should have ended long ago! Just because the only way you can feel dignified is to strap on a uniform and hold a gun, just stop equating this with anything American, civilized, or humane for that matter! You want Prussia, fine, get back in a time machine. As for the sorrows of military deaths, trust me, it's precisely the people who glorify militarism who belittle these tragedies and ensure their continued occurence
To all those that are serving and have served-
Forgive these commentors. They know not what they do.
We support you. And thank you.