Look around and think on a question: How did we get here? Why do we have what we have? Freedom to speak, travel, read, iPhones? Why does the world look to us for security, innovation, relief in crisis, peace, and stability? Why are we the “go to” where everyone wants to go to? Because America is not an accident.
If you could wave a wand and – in some act, one act – suddenly teach all those high school and college kids to appreciate America, to cherish America, to understand how lucky they are, what would the act be?
We cannot take them back to the hell of Normandy, then hedgerows sprayed with interlocking machinegun fire faced by our grandparents as they fought to liberate Europe, the fear in boys’ eyes as they hit Sicily or rescued their fellow soldiers at Bastogne, both under Patton.
We cannot force them to endure the mud, wait, and eventual hell at Anzio, heat and merciless combat on Iwo, sudden onset of death everywhere at Okinawa and a hundred other Pacific islands, layered in firefights.
We cannot show them the horror of freezing to death, fighting to the death, being overrun at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, the jungle peril, disease, and daily death encountered in Vietnam, wounds – visible and invisible – that shattered the sensitive, calloused the practiced, scars that live, men that died.
We cannot show them how our Founders lived – and fought and wrote, and thought and lost and carried on, with no electric heat, no light at night beyond candles and lanterns, no air conditioning, no cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, telephones, let alone iPhones, no antibiotics, no Advil or aspirin, no pain relievers in surgery, childbirth, or end days. Yet, they pressed on, gave their all – for our freedom.
We cannot relive before them Lincoln’s endless ailments, the stress of knowing he and our soldiers and their nerve-wracked families lay the survival of our Nation. We cannot show them how Lincoln wrote and delivered the Gettysburg Address fevered with smallpox, honoring 51,000 casualties from the battle.
We cannot show them how Black Americans rose with force of will, patience, strength, faith and confidence in who they were, to lead in major ways, from the Tuskegee Airmen to Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary of State, or how millions of Americans of every ethnic stripe battled poverty, eyes on the far horizon, dreamed, worked, fought, and never gave up for their dream.
We cannot take them back through the poverty of many leaders, presidents, governors, and later titans of the industry, from Edison and Ford to those who rose, risked, tried, failed, got up again, and worked to make something good happen, despite all. Harry Truman went bankrupt, and Ronald Reagan’s father was an alcoholic; they both made decisions and showed resolve born of adversity and the wisdom it allows.
We cannot take the young and unsuspecting, innocent and hopeful through the hell of what has passed before, which makes possible the peace, freedom, opportunities, and luxuries they enjoy.
So, you may ask, what can we do? How do we convey that America is not an accident, that it is the product of incalculable, unimaginable faith, bravery, risk, and the courage to fight, fall, rise, and fight some more, never giving up, suffering with selflessness, risking all, losing it, yet rallying?
The answer is that, without reading, watching, talking, thinking, praying, and wishing to grasp the great, truly exceptional history of this nation, unique in the history of Mankind, appreciation for where we are, what we enjoy, why we have it, and what is thus expected of us in our time, it is hard.
But one idea comes back to me over and over. With close relatives buried at Arlington, Memorial Day not so far off, and one for teaching, consider just offering to take a class of fifth, eighth, or eleventh graders, or maybe college freshmen … on a walk with a veteran through a veterans’ cemetery.
When you stand in the presence of those who signed up to give all, many of whom did, all of whom understood the idea of obligation, love, living and dying for those things, it sobers the most boisterous soul, quiets the hurried mind, and causes us to leave modernity behind. Something changes, I have watched it.
A walk with a young person through a military cemetery, at first mysterious and uncomfortable, becomes reflective, inquiring, understanding, and appreciative. We know how it works. They must, too. So wave the wand, make it so, find time to go. Little things are sometimes big and teach: America is not an accident.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).
RBC, very good article about our past military background of heroes. This is an article that you should post again at Memorial Day.
I had a couple of uncles that served in the US Navy during World War 2 in the Pacific where one was on 2 different destroyers that were sunk, and he survived. My father (ret), a sister and I (ret) served in the Navy. I have several grandkids and nephews that are currently serving active duty in the USN, USMC and USAF. As young people, I did take to several of them to nearby cemeteries that contained military members who had died in combat and had served. We talked about their service and sacrifice that they had made. I had one cemetery that I always saved for last because of the Medal of Honor winner interned there. I always explained the importance of the military in relation to our country and the world,
Very good point, sir. My dad taught me to honor and respect those who died for our country by his quiet actions and words. He did not tell me war stories, but he always noted those who died for our country. I have done the same. ⅔ of my kids have served in the military of their own volition. Thank you for sharing
Mr. Charles, reading your words almost brought tears. It is heart-warming yet heart-wrenching at the same time. No better description and earnest heart-giving rendering of this nation’s existence and history can be made, and in so few words. Beautiful, patriotic, heartfelt, humble yet proud that we still stand because of where we’ve been.
Thank you.
Great article. I will also add that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in DC is a must-visit. My first visit down there was at 11 PM EST. It had rained all day, and it was foggy out and misting. The first thing I saw was the statue of the 3 soldiers that is facing the wall. You could see the mist on their arms, glistening like sweat, and every once in a while, the water would drop like a tear from the corners of their eyes. It really choked me and my family up. When you look at that wall and all those names, it’s a very sobering reality check for anyone.
A couple of things I would recommend that parents do with their kid…1. go out on youtube and look for the video “The Star-Spangled Banner as You’ve Never Heard It.” Tell the story of how our National Anthem came to being. It’s a really well-done video and very worth watching. 2. Go to the Hillsdale College website and enroll, with your kids, in the free courses on the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. These courses are easy to follow and very worthwhile. 3. Go to the National Archive website and get a free copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Read it with your kids, heck, read it for yourself it you’ve never read it before. You can also search the internet for “free copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights,” to have printed copies sent to you. You will have to pay for shipping. From the sites I’ve seen, shipping is usually around $5 or $6.
The kids today don’t understand the sacrifices involved. I really didn’t understand myself, though my father served in WW2, until I visited a military cemetery and saw what happened. Life is short and many gave their all. I’m afraid we are forgetting our heritage fast and i hope we can soon remember the principles of the Constitution before it is too late…. And we forget them forever…
It is rare to have goosebumps while reading a news article, but it does happen and this is certainly one of them! Thank you for writing this great article. This country has been bathed in prayer over its time of existence. No, it isn’t perfect, but people are willing to die to get here, why is that?
I think it is a blessed place, because there are at least 10 people in each city who really do believe what is on every piece of money – “In God we Trust”. Thank you for helping us remember!
The Bible tells us that we are to speak to our children when walking in the way, sitting down, reclining, etc. the things of God, of the history of people of the goodness of God and why we need Him. In the 70’s already schools were starting to eliminate or change history lessons. God said it was up to the parents to teach the children moral absolutes, by His Word, by the recounts of bravery from our founders, etc. Somehow over the years parents unlearned this. I never heard of a lot of this from my parents and we did not pass it onto our children until we started home school. It is then with Christian curriculum, that I learned along with my children the things I should have learned in my own childhood. Thank God for those who had the vision to create home school curriculum that taught not only this parent but our children and now our grandchildren the importance of history and absolutes.
I agree with everything Mr. Charles said. That’s why President Trump’s treatment of John McCain (and other military members) and his “losers and suckers” comment is so disgusting.