Joel Jacobs
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country?" This question was posed by the late President John F. Kennedy almost forty years ago but does not seem to be part of today's generation's current philosophy. It is the most basic question that is ingrained into a Soldier from the start of their training and translates to the incredible sacrifices our military men and women make for our country every day.
When I joined the Army twelve days out of high school I had no idea at that time that this would be the path I would travel on for the next 22 years. I was young and my goals and aspirations were individual and were only concerned with how well I was going to do in life and what was in it for me. From the very first day of basic training I realized I was not in "Kansas" anymore……I was getting in trouble because the team was not completing the mission together, how was that fair? I did my job…..I quickly learned that that military service is not about you, it is about your team. I think that is part of what President Kennedy was trying to communicate, if as a country we go about our business as individuals the true value of what we are as a nation is lost as we forget those who sacrificed their own needs to better the country as a whole. At the end of basic training I was a member of a team and had a different outlook on life and actually had direction to go in.
My travels in the Army were just like the "poster" I went all over the world. I went to Korea, two tours in Germany, Egypt, Ft Drum NY, Ft Belvoir VA, Ft Carson CO, and Ft Stewart GA. My combat deployments were Somalia, Haiti, three tours in Bosnia Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and two tours in Iraq. I feel that President Kennedy believed that those who served understood the greater calling that our nation needed. He realized that Soldiers that have traveled to foreign soil to defend what our country holds dear truly believed in our cause and were willing to make that sacrifice to maintain that status quo. To be quite frank not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to bear that burden. I have seen man at his worst in my travels, I have experienced cultures that do not respect human life and only care about self preservation. The average American has no idea that the freedom that we have and the rights we embrace are not common place in many countries throughout the world. My experiences in these places has left no doubt in my mind that this truly is the greatest country in the world and I have great pride that I was part of defending the right to maintain that. Without my military service I would have never fully understood the magnitude of current world affairs.
I grew into a man while I served in the Army, but also had to learn some life lessons as well. When you first come in you think you are ten feet tall and bulletproof and there is no accountability for your actions. I made some mistakes along the way but the difference in the military is that even though you are held accountable, you are disciplined, retrained, and put back on the path to success. "Normal" civilian life does not always offer that sort of environment to develop and grow in, lord knows I needed it…… I also met the love of my life and married her and she has been by my side for over 20 years now. I am also blessed with two wonderful children, my daughter Danielle who is the apple of my eye and the reason I am writing this essay, and my son Aaron who is an outstanding young man who most likely will follow in my footsteps. They have also experienced the Army and also believe deeply in the importance of military service and the positive effect it has on society and a family. They have also had to experience hard times to as they have had to wait on the home front while I was away defending our freedom, but they ALWAYS supported me with letters, care packages, and pride. I have to admit that some of my drive to serve was selfish as I wanted to make sure my family would always live in a country that was free and afforded them the opportunity to never have to worry that would be infringed upon on.
We did go through some hard times though; in August of 2005 I was injured in action in Iraq that ultimately resulted in the lower portion of my right leg being amputated. It was a hard time initially when they were notified but as a family we had been through things before so we pulled together and pulled through. I have to give us a little credit though because we did not ask "what was our country going to do for us" we knew we had to pull together and do this together, and we did. I have since then retired after 22 years as a Soldier and as cliché as this sounds I still miss it sometimes. My time as a Soldier though did prepare me for the next phase in our lives though. We are still a team and we still are staunch supporters of the military. My daughter wants to study government and be part of the process to make sure that we do not forget as a country where we started. She is a brilliant young lady that is articulate and never gives up. She has always been proud of my service and I am sure as her career progresses she will always keep the Soldier in mind as she knows from firsthand experience the merits of service and the impact it makes on society. I leave you with this. I started the essay with the quote from JFK that as I said I feel emulated enough in today's tumultuous times . I tell my son and my daughter to ask themselves " If not you……. then who?" That's what military service teaches you.
