The Academy community welcomed Mr. John McClure as our Veterans Day guest speaker this week. Mr. McClure is the father of four Academy alums, grandfather of five alums, and was Board of Trustees chair from 2003-2007. He served in the Army in Vietnam, and inspired Academy students with his reflection on service. “I served because of my love for this country and the opportunity to give something back and to protect those freedoms that we so enjoy,” he says. Below we share a portion of his remarks:
Those of us who served, and particularly those of us who were deployed, know how difficult it was for our loved ones to carry on while we were away. They made sacrifices every single day so that we could serve our country, and in doing that, we honor their service.
Serving means putting the needs of others above your own needs without asking for anything in return. Serving means making a positive impact on another’s life. And I know that service is important at the Academy. Just look down on the corner of Clark and Second Street and you’ll see a sign that says, ‘This student will give 20 hours of service within the course of a year.’ Middle School students do service projects — might be in a nursing home or food pantry. There are other food drives and toy drives during the year. And who can forget the Christmas Baskets that are prepared and the Christmas Basket liturgy where we give food to families in need.
Service can begin at home and in your church. The interesting thing about service is you never know when the opportunity is going to present itself. When I was in Vietnam, I served in a combat engineering battalion. Daily I was involved in a lot of things that were connected with the war. We cleared Landing Zones and explosive devices. One night we built a bridge overnight across a big gap. I was busy and I had a war to fight. The thought of veering into some kind of a service project never entered my mind.
Our base camp was located next to a village, and in that village was a school. One day the village chief asked to see me. He asked, ‘Would you help us build a ball field? We need a field where we can play soccer and baseball.’ As an engineering unit, we had lots of equipment and strong, able-bodied men. In one quick afternoon, we cleared enough space for a good ballfield and put up a backstop to make something for that school.
You know what? It was a service project, now that I reflect on it. It was a service project in which we were presented an opportunity and reacted to that opportunity when we least expected. We did it not because we wanted recognition, not because we were going to get an award. We did it because, at the end of the day, it gave us a warm spot in our hearts for having done something for the people next to our base camp.
Today I remind you, if you see a need, if you see a situation that needs your attention, take action. If you just think about it, it will never get done. You have to roll up your sleeves and dedicate yourself to serving.
