Many people don’t know that this is the official motto of the United States Army,
adopted at the time of the Revolutionary War. According to Reference.com: “Each
word is meaningful. ‘This’ refers to the United States, the U.S. Constitution and
liberty. ‘We’ll’ references the army’s collective team efforts, and ‘defend’ refers to
the primary function of the army as a defender of the nation, not an aggressor
against others.”
I never served in the military, but members of my extended family served with
honor as Army and Navy officers in just about every conflict from at least World
War I through Operation Iraqi Freedom. And I have lived most of my life
surrounded by the wonderful men and women of our armed services. My
hometown of Plattsburgh, NY is the site of the oldest military post in the U.S. —
the “Plattsburgh Barracks,” first established as Cantonment Plattsburgh in 1812. In
1917 it was the home of the Plattsburgh Training Camp where Army Chief of Staff
General Leonard Wood established the “Plattsburgh Idea,” the predecessor to
today’s ROTC. In 1944, the base was turned over to the Navy and became Camp
MacDonough, an indoctrination school for naval officers. The camp was named
after Commodore Thomas MacDonough, naval hero and victor of the Battle of
Plattsburgh in the War of 1812. In 1945 the camp was turned over to the Army Air
Forces and in 1954 became the Plattsburgh Air Force Base, a Strategic Air
Command bomber base and home to the 308th and 380th Bomber Wings and
497thRefueling Wing. As a critical component of the US nuclear triad, this meant
that my hometown was a primary target for Soviet ICBMs in the event of nuclear
war. Those not alive during the Cold War will find it difficult to understand what it
was like to live under the constant threat of that Sword of Damocles.
During that time of global tension, another Plattsburgh native gave great service to
his country and the world. General Glenn K. Otis, a four-star general who enlisted
in the Army in 1946, served on occupation duty in post WWII Korea, was picked
from the ranks to attend West Point, served with distinction in-country during the
Vietnam War, directed major improvements as director of the XM-1 Tank Task
Force and ultimately served as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army Europe from
1983-88. I am proud to have known General Otis. On his death in 2013, another
Army general observed “Glenn Otis was soldier’s soldier who served his country
and his Army with distinction and dedication for more than four decades.”
I mention this because in this noisy and contentious world it is all too easy to miss
the fact that there are many extraordinary individuals quietly dedicated to
preserving, protecting and defending the liberties we sometimes take for granted.
We are profoundly fortunate that men and women of talent choose to serve in our
armed forces. When I met my brother-in-law’s Officer Candidate School and
Army Ranger School classmates, I felt like hiring each one of them on the spot,
they were all that impressive. Let’s take a moment to give them the thanks they
deserve.
Hooah.