On Veterans Day, as KCI honors and thanks our military, we present this excerpt from a graduation invocation for a US Army Combined Arms Services and Staff School.
“Peace, liberty, and the unique idea in human history that all are created equal. Our nation was created by ordinary men and women who chose to fight for these ideas. The citizen soldier has been the cornerstone upon which our country has defended these principles. Today, our brothers and sisters in arms go in harm’s way to protect and defend those ideals which we hold dear.
We stand before you as ordinary citizens who have volunteered to carry on the traditions of those who now stand in harm’s way. We ask for the courage to fight – and if necessary, give our lives – for these ideals. We ask for the strength to do the right thing when faced with hard choices. We ask for the compassion to treat others with respect and dignity. We ask for the faith to believe in our God –whatever name, color, or gender – our beliefs hold. And we ask for the tolerance to let others believe in those things we do not.
We ask for these things so all in the world can clearly hear the message John F. Kennedy once proclaimed, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to ensure the survival and the success of liberty.”
Below are photographs of some of our KCI 'Ohana Veterans all the way back to WW1. THANK YOU, Veterans!
