BE SAFE

Summer works for me. The weather, the attitudes, the ambiance, the vacation, and baseball converge to make the time frame so pleasant. It also allows me to recharge the teaching batteries, reflect on what worked the previous year (or didn't), and where I am mentally and physically. With the much-expanded leisure time, I often try to make contact with friends and colleagues I have neglected for no valid reasons. This summer I've followed that script, more or less, until the other day. The end of July suddenly arrived and a little buzz motored through my brain before finally settling. I think it was a wire service story about decreasing casualties in Iraq that prompted it. Nearly forty years before marked my departure for Vietnam. I remember being numb in lieu of being scared, and subsequently most fortunate throughout my deployment. Returning unscathed, I got on with my life. There's more to that story, but this is about something else.

In the spring semester of 2007 I met a young lad in one of my classes whom I grew to admire in the ensuing months. He wasn't a 4.0 student, didn't participate in student government or community service organizations, and maintained a fairly low profile on campus. His one passion had been football, where he was a talented linebacker and solid team leader. He wasn't a discipline problem, completed his assignments on time, asked for help if he needed it, and eventually graduated this past May. Yet there was something about him that caught your attention. Several years ago an E.F. Hutton (financial company) TV commercial appeared with nauseating frequency on all the networks. The punch line in a group conversational setting stated, "When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen." The staged group became a collective silent statue as this profundity was uttered. I've always thought of that marketing ploy in conjunction with our subject. He wasn't loud, ebullient, or overbearing. However, when he had something to say, his peers tended to pay attention. It's a subtle trait and worthy of unseen exaltation in today's young adult hierarchy.

As last year moved along, I would see him from time to time and we'd exchange pleasantries. One day in March we crossed paths during a lull in the daily proceedings. I realized I had not asked him about his post-high school plans. I was assuming he would be attending college in the fall, but had not heard any specifics. So I popped the question. He replied that he had joined the Marines and would be reporting for basic training in July. I was stunned, not because of any preconceived notions, but that it was such an unusual decision at our high school. Over 90% of the graduates attend either two-year or four-year colleges. He would certainly have qualified. The Iraq War can charitably be termed unpopular on our campus, yet he had made a conscious, and obviously well-researched choice, to possibly situate himself in harm's way. To my knowledge he is the only member of his class to enter the military .

The more I thought about his decision, the more I remembered my own. It wasn't easy then or now. The exceptional student magazine published a nice article about the lad, but not much more was said. The school year ended and summer took its place.
To be honest, I didn't think about him until the other day. Basic training dominates both mind and body, but he will adjust and thrive.

It's a strange world now and the military remains busy. I'm sure he will make his own distinct contribution, and being so far removed, I doubt we'll know much about it.

Only two words came to mind when I recalled his decision. BE SAFE.

MM