Memorial Day
Memorial Day. Throughout the generations brave men have died preserving the freedoms by which we live our lives.We pay tribute to them and realize how much we have to be grateful for. Because of them, we get to choose how we want to spend this day, and how we want to live our lives.
- Some will remember those who served and gave their lives to preserve our freedom.
- Some will honor them today with tributes.
- Some will picnic with friends and family.
- Some will take advantage of Memorial Day sales.
- Some will be returning home from a three day weekend.
- Some people will be working at their jobs.
- Others still may be in the midst of graduations and ensuing festivities.
Rich, poor, or somewhere in between, we know that if we work hard and wisely, we can make a difference in our own lives, and in the lives of people around us. And it will be good.
Dwight Eisenhower said, ‘Neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.’ We don’t do that. Our futures are not subservient to the will of others. We make our own. We choose our own paths, work toward goals we set for ourselves, and make lives better for ourselves and our families. We’re fortunate. So many people in other lands still sit on the tracks and wait to be told what their futures will hold. There are places where people don’t have the freedom to choose.
Our military chiefs who have inspired, motivated and united teams to serve the common good can teach us much about true leadership. Here’s what some have said:
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. – Dwight Eisenhower
- “Live for something rather than die for nothing. – George Patton
- “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. – George Patton
- “It is fatal to enter an war without the will to win it”. – Douglas MacArthur
- “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier”. – Colin Powell
- “If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly”.- David Hackworth
- “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent”. – Douglas McArthur
- “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy”. – Norman Schwarzkopf
- “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid”. – David Hackworth
- “We are not retreating, we are advancing in another direction”. – Unknown
- “This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act, and in acting, to live”. – Omar Bradley