The American Vision
By
I’ll never forget that sunny Saturday morning, June 7, 1958 when a group of tanned, chiseled candidates stood to take the oath of Officer in the United States Marine Corps. I still remember solemnly swearing with pride to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. That oath was taken with joy in a nation filled with an enthusiastic spirit, full of energy and excitement over the bountiful prospects that lie ahead. I remember Brigadier General Victor Krulak’s address shaping the responsibilities and trust bestowed on us to be“Leaders of Marines.” Think of it. A Leader of Marines.
Where there is no vision, the people perish: Proverbs 29:18
My vision of America had been taking shape since I was five years old. I was interested in Geography and History. I read the newspaper and I worked for my father. He owned and operated a typography shop and brought home “galleys” to proofread at night. I was the proofreader copy boy at the dinning-room table. Later on, I was the sole proofreader of the “galleys” for a weekly black newspaper called the “St. Louis American.”
Pearl Harbor was bombed when I was six. I vividly remember standing outside our home on that December 7, 1942 afternoon after Sunday Mass and listening to the neighbors speak of the Japanese attack on the United States Naval Base in Hawaii. Little did I know I would sail into and out of Pearl Harbor seven times and enter the base weekly to receive top secret classified material. A big responsibility.
The Jobs Americans Won’t Do
Many of the men were called to the Armed Forces during World War II. I became an entrepreneur who mowed lawns with our “push mover” in the summer and shoved snow in the winter. All for a Quarter. I had the responsibility as chief farmer of our backyard Victory Garden. Sometimes, I would hitchhike to Sunset Hills Country Club and caddy for a dollar a bag. I could carry two ladies’ bags and that was a big payday. I did all of the jobs Americans won’t do.
I collected trash and honey buckets; did road work in hundred degree heat; operated the pitchfork at a horse stable; was guide and security for a small lake resort; worked a summer job with “migrant workers” and “college boys” as a “pea-picker” in Wisconsin when attending Mizzou.
Just a few of the many jobs Americans won’t do that provided me with a bank account and a “Passbook” at the local Savings and Loan Association. There was no time for whining and safe spaces had not yet been invented for cloistered millennials.
That oath helped shape my life and my vision. My “Vision of America” has matured since that day of great magnitude so many years ago. Meanwhile, something terrible has happened to America over these many years. Our country, so poised to accomplish monumental undertakings has gradually become a listless, lost ship in a roiling sea of uncertainty searching for a beacon of light. America has lost its’ direction and our moral compass. Now, we have “The American Vision.”
A Clear Vision for Our Future
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