ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL NATION

Photo by NMG 2010

I cannot imagine that when the parents of the men and women who serve or have served in our Armed Forces thought of their child's future, they had war in mind. I doubt that at those 2 am feedings, lullabies of guns and sacrificing their lives for their country were ever sung. But still, those children grew up and chose to defend the red, white and blue and the people it represents. They decided to carry the cost of freedom. And for that reason, and because I'm a parent myself, I'm a strong supporter of our military. I wish we lived in a world where carrying peace signs and bouquets of daisies would solve all the problems. How wonderful that would be. But this Earth does not march to that sweet beat. And so, we have our collective Armed Forces made up of sons and daughters, like yours and mine. Children who were brought into this world with love and now as adults have a love for this nation that moves them to stand up for it, stand by it and stand in front of all that would harm it. I kindly ask you to say a prayer for those who serve, to keep them in your thoughts, to thank them whenever you can. We live in a beautiful country that is not perfect,  but overall we are blessed to call America our home. And for those who pay the price to keep us free and for their families, I offer a gratitude that comes from a parent who remembers the lullabies, love and hopes of those 2 am feedings. God Bless our Military. 
Today and for always.

Photo by NMG 2010

If you do anything today, I urge you to watch these videos. If your heart isn't moved by the end of them, I urge you to have yourself checked to make sure you have one! For the sons and daughters who pay the price, past and present, God Bless you and keep you in His care. Thank you, on behalf of a grateful nation. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkkzNa2nlZI&feature=relateded 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p2EW3yBqSk&feature=related

Please see below some wonderful words from my Uncle John, who proudly served this country and was rewarded with a successful career and legacy. I asked him to relate his experiences and opinions on

 that service and he came through with the class, intelligence and dignity that I expected. Thank you, Uncle John, for standing up for this country. God bless you for doing so.



Lorraine, my niece, has asked me to write an article about my career as a military man for inclusion in her blog, “On Behalf Of A Grateful Nation.”  It is with some trepidation I write this as I am not quite sure what a blog is.  J  However, after reading some of Lorraine’s excellent writings I am honored to offer my opinion of life in the service.  Thank you Lorraine for the opportunity to share my thoughts on what it means to serve one’s country.

I served over thirty-three years in the United States Navy and one might ask why a farm boy from Upstate New York chose a career in the U. S. Navy.  It is difficult to answer with any specificity but one answer is the influence of my father.  My father loved the sea and read many books that dealt with seagoing adventures.  He could hardly wait for The Saturday Evening Post to arrive so that he could read the series on Captain Horatio Hornblower and he often shared these stories with the family.  The series was based on the book by C. S. Forester.  Listening to him talk about ships and the sea pointed me in the direction of joining the Navy.  However, the other answer is I voluntarily joined because of the very real likelihood I would be drafted anyway as was customary at the time.  Regardless, after I graduated from college in 1956, I completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned an Ensign in the U. S. Navy.     

How do I look at sense of duty and devotion to country?  To me, it is something you gain over time.  During my first tour of duty on the USS Castor (AKS-1) I was “home ported” in Yokosuka, Japan.  I was away from the United States for twenty-four months and I soon learned what it was like to experience homesickness.  I will never forget it; it was a strange and solitary feeling.  It was at this time I initially treated the Navy as just a job with a regular income.   At times, I did not think about it as serving my country.  But while I was away I recalled the many adventures of Captain Hornblower.  I started thinking about what I was actually doing and over time devotion to country became increasingly important.  And now to this day I cannot see the "Colors" pass in review or hear the National Anthem played without having the hair on the back of my neck stand up!

Are there any special moments/occasions that I will always recall?  The one thing that never ceased to amaze me was the generosity and charity of the young sailors I had the opportunity to serve alongside.  Every time we entered port there was often need for volunteers to do work such as painting local schools and helping rebuild churches.  There was always a surplus of volunteers to do this work, a solid testimonial to the character of the young men and women our country has raised.  The teamwork and camaraderie of a ship's crew likely can only be appreciated by someone who has served one’s country.  I had the privilege of commanding both a Naval Destroyer and a large Naval Station and I am forever in the debt of the many service men and women I served with for having a successful Naval career.  It is an old cliche but you are only as good as the people you work with.  And I was fortunate to have always been in good company. 

People often ask about family life in the service and what it is like when there are long periods of time away from your family.  To me, it wouldn't be possible without a very special kind of spouse. I was fortunate in having married just such a person, my lovely wife Kay.  Kay sometimes had to raise our family on her own for extended periods of time and I am grateful for the job she did.  There is no doubt in my mind that Kay and all spouses in the military have also served our country with as much honor as their husbands or wives.  Kay and I are blessed to have four lovely children, Paul, Kathleen, JoAnne and John. I think each would agree that being part of a military family gave them opportunities others may not have had.   As an example, our family lived two years in Naples, Italy and three years in London, England.  Both tours offered the opportunity for all of us to learn of the diversity of other cultures.

One of the questions Lorraine posed to me was whether I ever had a negative experience in the thirty-three years of service in the Navy.  Never once.  If you were to ask me, would I do it all over again, the answer would be "Absolutely."  Along these lines may I share with you that the number of people that have stated that they wished they had stayed in the service far outnumbers those who have no regrets about having left the service.  

I will conclude by sharing with you there have been many times people have thanked me, grateful for my service to our great nation.  To them and to your readers of “On Behalf Of A Grateful Nation” I say, “It is I that am grateful to have served my country.“

Capt. John Paul Cornell, USN Ret.

 For those that may be interested, the below link has a synopsis of my career in the U.S. Navy.

http://spg.navylog.org/Blueprint.aspx?navy_log_id=384248