“I didn’t want to miss that war.” —17-year-old Clifton McCleskey
Bessie’s youngest son said these words to his mother and his sister Eula at the laundromat in Rotan in June 1944. He had just graduated from Dowell High School in Fisher County but still needed to have his mother’s signature on the enlistment papers since he was not yet eighteen. They drove to Roby, where my grandmother signed her name and gave a reluctant blessing. Her other son, Preston, was already in the South Pacific, serving in the U.S. Navy. Clifton was going to follow.
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Throughout our country’s history, many young men and women have entered a branch of the military to serve. The reason for their decision varies. The draft may have been in place. Some may have felt the strong pull of a family legacy of military service. Others could be seeking a sense of belonging to a cause, stability, discipline, and a chance to see more of the world. Of course, we cannot underestimate that, for most, love of country manifests itself in enlistment.
November 11 marks our country’s official recognition of that service. In just a few years, no World War II veterans will be alive. The youngest of our Vietnam Veterans are now in their mid-to late sixties. The twenty-plus years of the War on Terror will add large numbers of veterans as they exit their service.
Some veterans have served without combat experience. Their work is nonetheless important. All-hands-on-deck may refer to the service member monitoring for cyberattacks as much as to the mechanics who refuel bombers at any of our various domestic bases. To be a veteran means a person served in the role assigned to them, took orders without question, and often did so under intense scrutiny and pressure.
Serving in the military is by no means the only way to show patriotism. To judge others for not choosing this path is not wise—numerous factors influence such a weighty decision. And as with any profession, there are unfortunate instances of those who have not served in the best interests of their country. Benedict Arnold comes to mind.
May the rest of us serve our country in ways that make our future veterans’ job easier: being informed citizens who do what we can to preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution with decency.
Thank you to our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard veterans. In the not too distant future, you may have a family member who is a veteran of the Space Force. To Infinity and beyond!
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