Sunday, July 28, 2002
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Sunday, July 28, 2002 |
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The Scouting Way By MARY JANE HOLT
While attending their son's Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Sandra and Jeff Schwartz realized that we all have it within our power to live by scouting values. All we have to do is focus on being more Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Courteous, Kind and all the other Scouting values, all at the same time, each and every day. The thought overwhelmed them. Much discussion led them to decide they couldn't do it. But if they focused on one attribute a the time, then over time, all the values just might take. So that's what they decided to do. The journal they would keep would eventually evolve into the book they published last year entitled The Scouting Way. I sat down recently to read from The Scouting Way and immediately found myself wanting to make it required reading for every CEO, COO, CFO and politician. In the end I decided it was worthwhile reading for all the rest of us too. The book is designed so as to offer daily readings over a period of one month. Its pages offer much encouragement to one seeking to make good deeds, bravery, honesty, preparedness, kindness, trustworthiness, responsibility and so many other great attributes an integral part of their daily lives. I have chosen to share with you today a story that John McCain, Senator from Arizona, Former POW submitted to the authors for the chapter on Patriotism. In his words: "Let me tell you what I think about our Pledge of Allegiance, our flag and our country. I want to tell you a story about when I was prisoner of war. I spent five years in the Hanoi Hilton. In the early years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. "In 1971, the North Vietnamese moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change. And was a direct result of efforts of millions of Americans, led by people like Ronald and Nancy Reagan, on behalf of a few hundred POWs, 10,000 miles from home. "One of the men moved into my cell was Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Ala. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At seventeen, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He later earned a commission. "He became a Naval flying officer, and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation for the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and succeed. "The uniforms we wore in prison consisted of a blue short-sleeved shirt, trousers that looked like pajama trousers and rubber sandals that were made of automobile tires. I recommend them highly; one pair lasted my entire stay. "As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a piece of white cloth and a piece of red cloth and fashioned himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of months, he sewed the American flag on the inside of his shirt. "Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of our cell, and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know that saying the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important or meaningful part of our day now, but I can assure that for those men in that stark prison cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event of our day. "One day the Vietnamese searched our cell and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, called for Mike Christian to come out, closed the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike severely for the next couple of hours. "Then they opened the door of the cell and threw him back inside. He was not in good shape. We tried to comfort and take care of him as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs in each corner of the room. "After things quieted down, I went to lie down to go to sleep. As I did, I happened to look in the corner of the room. Sitting there beneath that dim light bulb, with a piece of white cloth, a piece of red cloth, another shirt and a bamboo needle, was my friend Mike Christian. Sitting there, with his eyes almost shut from his beating, making another American flag. "He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making the flag because he knew how important it was for us to be able to pledge our allegiance to our flag and country. "Duty, Honor, Country. We must never forget those thousands of Americans who, with their courage, with their sacrifice, and with their lives, made those words live for all of us." (Taken from Pages 36-39, The Scouting Way, by Sandra and Jeff Schwartz, ISBN 0-9715398-0-4.)
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