This morning, one of those dear Fairbanks friends sent me an article that appeared on the Eielson Air Force Base Web site this week, as well as in their post paper. And I realized that, even though I no longer live in Fairbanks, I will never stop learning from the people who live there. I wanted to share it with you here.
> The Value of Service
> By Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
> 354th Maintenance Group deputy commander
>
> EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4,
> 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a
> refueling stop as he traveled to Asia.
>
> It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and
> Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even
> shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential
> travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it
> was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely
> 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President
> was 15 minutes behind schedule.
>
> That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few
> people know why it happened. Here's why.
>
> On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the
> outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a
> fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime
> patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead
> Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped
> through their vehicle.
>
> I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening
> to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee
> the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a
> static display.
>
> When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I
> felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She
> asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet
> us.
>
> Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back
> into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar,
> past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a
> quiet room.
>
> The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it
> was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't
> answer.
>
> A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush
> walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But
> instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug
> and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then
> grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said,
> "Everybody out."
>
> A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed
> doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent
> in sight.
>
> He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the
> side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from
> his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over
> concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the
> chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President
> - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family
> member at a barbeque.
>
> For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq, his
> family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of
> his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in
> life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not
> worry about being the "cool" guy.
>
> He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot
> of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he
> never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He
> said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as
> Commander in Chief.
>
> One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to
> meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died
> because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and
> completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.
>
> We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no
> hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the
> opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, "Let's get
> some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House
> photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for
> individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he
> posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he
> was gone.
>
> The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us
> at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake
> and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and
> everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private
> First Class who gave his life in the service of his country.
>
> What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States
> is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely
> the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one
> is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect.
>
> We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a
> position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below
> us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a
> good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role
> involves serving the people you rely on every day.
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