The Value of Service
By Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big
lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of
hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. It
was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and
Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps
even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into
presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol,
etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on
time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours
later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule. That's a big slip
for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it
happened. Here's why.
On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper
deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night
in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take
his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position
as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two
other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.
I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in
the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret
on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put
at the edge of the stage as a static display. When the speech was over
and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my
shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and
my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us.
Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and
followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a
crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find
ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room.
The only thing we could hear was a cell phone
vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator
Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer. A short time later, the
Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought
we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he
walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a
kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then
grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and
said, "Everybody out."
A few seconds later, the four of us were completely
alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and
not a Secret Service agent in sight.
He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled
up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He
looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were
scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose
for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and
suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job,
sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about
our son, Iraq, his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings
about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged
sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals,
stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy. He
said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot
of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say
that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he
teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will
be his role as Commander in Chief.
One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for
the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing
that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly
humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing
the man his family sees.
We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but
he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again
for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few
minutes. He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open,
Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he
was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave
each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A
few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone. The remarkable
thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If
he wanted to do more, he could've ! just given a quick handshake and
said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and
everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a
Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country.
What an incredible lesson on service. If the President
of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit
with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving
another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others
with dignity and respect.
We often think of service in terms of sacrificing
ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we
remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If
you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating
your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you
rely on every day.
