Remember the honorable 1 percent – those in the military

I’m not sure how I feel about being part of the 1 percent. No, not the 1 percent that incoherent agitators on Wall Street have been deriding while wearing their Nike shoes, drinking Starbucks lattes and Facebooking on their iPads. I’m talking about the 1 percent of our population that serves in our military forces.

We just celebrated Veterans Day. Did you know that less than 8 percent of our citizens are veterans? And that half of those are over the age of 60? I feel proud that I wore the uniform of the United States Army for 10 years. However, I feel some concern that only 1 percent of our population currently provides the defense for the other 99 percent of us. Let me explain why.

I believe that national service inspires a deeper commitment to increasing the greatness of America. We are the shining city on the hill that President Ronald Reagan referred to numerous times during his presidency.

We have accomplished great things in the world because our military served the cause of freedom. The Union Army served as the ultimate instrument to end slavery in the United States. In World War II, our forces fought valiantly on two fronts (in Europe and in the Pacific) to defeat Nazi and fascist regimes attempting to rule the world. And the U.S. military served as the dominant presence across the globe during a Cold War period of five decades which led to dismantling the communist regime of the Soviet Union – an Iron Curtain that oppressed more than 200 million people and murdered more than 20 million of its own citizens. Hooray for our veterans throughout history who liberated so many people across the ages!

I fear that we take freedom for granted. If so few actively participate in the defense of our country, then large portions of our population can be disconnected from the responsibilities inherent with freedom. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, served as a stark reminder of this reality: that forces threatening our freedom still exist in the world. The old saying still rings true, “Freedom isn’t free.”

Sometimes I think about countries that require military service of all young adults. In South Korea and Israel, military duty is compulsory. However, I still prefer the American approach of an all-volunteer force. I believe military service should exemplify a higher calling in one’s life.

I graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1983. The motto of West Point remains firmly planted in my psyche – “Duty, Honor, Country.” As plebes, we were required to memorize the farewell speech that Gen. Douglas MacArthur delivered to the Corps of Cadets in 1962. I can still recite his words to this day; “Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

So for me, serving our country represents much more than just some occupation.

I admire the young people of today who choose military service. They represent the 1 percent. Their sacrifice is honorable. Because of them, we can sleep easy, go to work and enjoy our families each day.

My own military experience lies in distant days past. I don’t miss field exercises on the frozen rice paddies of Korea or the insect-infested swamps of Georgia. Nor do I miss eating cold rations from the sealed brown pouches labeled Meals Ready to Eat (MRE).

But I do miss the camaraderie and esprit de corps. In retrospect, I value the character-building nature of those experiences. I served proudly then, and remain proud to this day. And sometimes I harken back to those days when trying to motivate and inspire my own children – or make them feel guilty about how easy they have it now!

We are blessed to live in an area where so many service men and women live alongside us. Next time you see someone in uniform, please stop and express your gratitude for their service. And if you have never worn the uniform yourself, then look them in the eye and thank them profusely for making this unique sacrifice on your behalf. We should not wait until a military funeral to let someone know that a grateful nation appreciates their service.

Bob Turner of Tacoma is a husband and father of seven. He runs the nonprofit Gloria’s Angels foundation, which serves families battling life-threatening illnesses. He is one of six reader columnists whose work appears in this space. Email him at bob@gloriasangels.org.