{"id":548,"date":"2011-06-14T18:00:11","date_gmt":"2011-06-14T22:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/dailyjoys\/?p=548"},"modified":"2011-06-14T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2011-06-14T22:00:11","slug":"secretary-gates-wishes-the-army-happy-236th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailyjoys\/2011\/06\/secretary-gates-wishes-the-army-happy-236th-birthday.html","title":{"rendered":"Secretary Gates Wishes the Army Happy 236th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

And so do I.\u00a0 Like Secretary Gates I also want to honor the families who serve their country by staying at home and standing by their family member’s decision to serve in the Military.\u00a0 Those families serve our country and deserve our thanks, as well.\u00a0 I remember the last time I flew home from teaching back East and there was a young mother in tears.\u00a0 Her military man was going to be home on a brief stateside duty – just a matter of days – and she’d traveled from the midwest with two small children in order to see him.\u00a0 Her face was broken out with allergy spots.\u00a0 Her eyes were racooned with dark circles.\u00a0 Her children were crying.\u00a0 She was crying.\u00a0 And she had lost her cell phone.<\/p>\n

The seven women who were waiting for their shuttle bus, along with me, saw our own opportunity to serve.\u00a0 Search and rescue for the phone.\u00a0 Food for mother and children. Water. Juice.\u00a0 Comforting arms.\u00a0 A toy appeared from somewhere.\u00a0 The tears were staved.\u00a0 The phone was located.\u00a0 And mother understood that, while in the company of complete strangers, she was not alone.\u00a0\u00a0 We have the opportunity to honor those in service every day – by offering back what service we each can.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Enjoy the commemorative remarks that Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gate delivered earlier today in the Pentagon Courtyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Army 236th Birthday<\/div>\n
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Pentagon Courtyard, Tuesday, June 14, 2011<\/em><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Secretary McHugh, thank you very much for that extremely kind introduction. \u00a0And thanks to Secretary Shinseki, General Dempsey, Sergeant Major Chandler, civilian and military officials, veterans, families, and all of the distinguished guests here today. \u00a0As an aside, General Dempsey, I\u2019m sorry we\u2019re making you redecorate yet another office after just a few months, not to mention relinquishing the leadership of your beloved Army, but you have my deepest thanks for answering the call, and I know you will be an exceptional Chairman for all our men and women who serve.<\/p>\n

I will say as an aside among other things I told the NATO defense ministers last week, was that I was beginning to feel like a tenor in a very long and bad opera.\u00a0 And in the last scene, a protracted death scene, and people keep waiting for me to go down for the count, and I keep coming back up to sing one more aria.\u00a0 But thanks for the kind remarks gentlemen.<\/p>\n

I am delighted to be here celebrating the 236th<\/sup> birthday of the United States Army.\u00a0 One of the things I will miss most when I leave this post are occasions like this, where we have the opportunity to honor the remarkable soldiers, past and present, who have forged the most formidable army the world has ever seen.\u00a0 And also of course, I\u2019ll miss the cake \u2013 itself a pretty dramatic testimony to the Army\u2019s can-do spirit and logistical prowess.<\/p>\n

I know for many soldiers coming to the Pentagon after an assignment down range or with troop units can be quite a jarring, even bewildering, experience.\u00a0 One of my personal heroes has always been Dwight Eisenhower, whose portrait hangs in my office next to George Marshall, two historical Army officers.\u00a0 But even Eisenhower was occasionally defeated by this building. \u00a0Once, shortly after World War II, he made the mistake of trying to find his office by himself, and got very lost.\u00a0 He later wrote:\u00a0 \u201cOne had to give the building his grudging admiration; it had apparently been designed to confuse any enemy who might infiltrate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eisenhower\u2019s example has been much on my mind lately.\u00a0 Last week we marked the 67th<\/sup> anniversary of D-day\u2014part of that day I spent with the 101st<\/sup> Airborne in Afghanistan\u2014D-day, one of Eisenhower\u2019s \u2013 and the U.S. Army\u2019s \u2013 greatest triumphs.\u00a0 One of the most deadly obstacles US soldiers faced as they pressed inland from the beaches of France were hedgerows so thick and tough that allied tanks would ride, not through, but right on top, losing traction and exposing their vulnerable underbellies to German fire.<\/p>\n

Then a cavalry sergeant had a brilliant idea of fashioning iron bars, scavenged from German anti-landing craft fortifications, into tank-mounted hedgerow cutters. \u00a0Within 48 hours 1st<\/sup> Army Ordnance had crafted nearly 300 of the cutters, and rest of the story is Operation Cobra, the Army\u2019s successful advance through France.\u00a0 That victory was a demonstration of the great and abiding strengths of our Army \u2013exceptional adaptability at all levels in the face of unpredictable circumstances, as well as the great trust and reliance placed in the ingenuity of soldiers of all ranks.<\/p>\n

The ground wars following 9\/11 placed even heavier responsibilities on young leaders.\u00a0 From the earliest days in Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers down range have been adjusting and improvising in response to the complex and evolving challenges on the ground \u2013 often using new technologies to share real-time tactical lessons with their comrades.\u00a0 At various stages the mission has required our soldiers to be scholars, teachers, policemen, farmers, bankers, engineers, social workers, and of course, warriors \u2013 often all at the same time.\u00a0 And they have always risen to the challenge.\u00a0 It is this dynamism and flexibility that allowed us to pull Iraq back from the brink of chaos in 2007 and, over the past year, to roll back the Taliban from their strongholds in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to take a moment to thank the Army families that have so steadfastly stood by their soldiers and one another throughout the fight.\u00a0 One of the most rewarding \u2013 and important \u2013 parts of my job has been the troop talks and town halls where I have the chance to hear honestly how things are going, no power-points.\u00a0 This direct engagement with soldiers on the battlefield, their families at home, and civilians employed around the world has helped shape my views and the priorities of the service and the department, and I believe it is a critical responsibility of all leaders.<\/p>\n

The Army\u2019s challenge now is to learn the right lessons from the past decade.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean assuming the next war will be similar to the last, a common and dangerous mistake, but rather making sure the diverse experiences and agility of today\u2019s young soldiers are institutionalized, so our Army stands at the ready for conflicts both foreseen and unforeseeable.\u00a0 This includes welcoming and embracing in peacetime the ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit of younger officers and NCOs so central to our success in combat.\u00a0 This is a challenge the Army has met countless times before in our history, and, under the leadership of General Odierno, I have no doubt it will do so again.<\/p>\n

It has been the honor of my life to lead and to serve our men and women in uniform, and I will keep you and them in my prayers everyday for the rest of my life.\u00a0 Here\u2019s to another 236 years.<\/p>\n

Happy Birthday!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And so do I.\u00a0 Like Secretary Gates I also want to honor the families who serve their country by staying at home and standing by their family member’s decision to serve in the Military.\u00a0 Those families serve our country and deserve our thanks, as well.\u00a0 I remember the last time I flew home from teaching…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[251,252,253,255,254],"class_list":["post-548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration","tag-army","tag-armys-236th-birthday","tag-pentagon","tag-secretary-gate","tag-secretary-of-defense-robert-m-gates"],"yoast_head":"\nSecretary Gates Wishes the Army Happy 236th birthday - Daily Joys and Simple Pleasures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailyjoys\/2011\/06\/secretary-gates-wishes-the-army-happy-236th-birthday.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Secretary Gates Wishes the Army Happy 236th birthday - 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