Statement on Special Operations Rescue Mission in Somalia 1-25-2012
25 January, 2012
I am proud of the courage demonstrated by the Navy SEAL team’s successful rescue operation in Somalia last night. Two hostages, one American and one Dane, are now safely on their way home. This is a great example of forces for good dominating evil; US Special Operations teams are doing important work making the world a safer place.
The individuals involved in US Special Operations missions have proven to be incredible assets to securing the safety of the United States and innocent people worldwide. We face challenges in our military operations abroad that we have never experienced before. In my grandfather’s generation, the threats to our nation’s security had a face, a territory, and a name. In this era, our enemies are less perceptible, and the frontlines of these battles span across borders and continents. To effectively address these threats and make progress toward securing the safety of our citizens, our military leadership has increasingly relied on the precision, courage, and expertise possessed by US Special Operations Commandos.
Hearing the news of the successful rescue of the two aid workers in Somalia made me proud to have served in Special Operations as a SEAL, and even more proud to be a citizen of the United States. It was with strong conviction that our Commander In Chief stated: "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people."
70 Years ago today: Dec. 7th 1941, “A date which will live in infamy”
Today marks 70 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
In President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s words:
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.
As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”
(Listen to the speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE)
My grandfather served on the USS Enterprise, which was fortunately out to sea on the day of the attacks. On that day, 2,459 Americans lost their lives and another 1,282 were wounded. It is fitting today to reflect on their lives, their service and the sacrifice they made for our country.
As Americans, we should always remember the sacrifices of those who lived through this time in our history. I recommend the following resources about Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to our entry into World War II:
US Department of State – Office of the Historian
Naval History and Heritage Command
The Atlantic Pearl Harbor Photos (#7 in a 20-part series)
Book: Pacific Crucible (has gotten great reviews)
New York Times – Salvaging the Pacific Fleet
Firsthand account of events from Survivor Lou Gore (Reuters)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I’d share some of my favorite Thanksgiving-themed quotations. I hope you enjoy, and have a very happy Thanksgiving!
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. - Cicero
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. - W.J. Cameron
Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. - Theodore Roosevelt
Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. – Seneca
Veterans Day Keynote at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library 11/11/11
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There are many generations of veterans here today, and I am reminded of the ancient saying: “There is one thing that never grows old, and that is honor.”
Today, it is an honor to be with all of you.
On this day, Veterans Day, It is also fitting for us to come together here.
We remember what a library represents. A library is a testament. It is a testament to the faith that we can learn from the past and become wiser, and a testament to our belief that -- in the struggles of those who have gone before us -- we may find some strength to guide us in the present day.
It is particularly fitting that we should be here, for it was President Reagan, on the last Veterans Day that he was in office, who said that Veterans represent what we all aspire to be: “giving, unselfish, the epitome of human love”—willing to sacrifice all in their service to others.
The question before us today is: how do we honor those who have served?
First, we must remember them. We remember veterans who we have known. We also remember that every veteran forms part of a long and unbroken line of men and women who have stepped forward to serve our country in its moments of greatest danger.
We remember the first generation of citizen soldiers—called from their farms and their families.
We remember, in December of 1776, the time when Washington’s forces were a beleaguered rump army -- a few thousand men, on retreat. Charles Wilson Peale, then serving with the Pennsylvania militia, called the retreat "the most hellish scene I ever beheld." As Continental soldiers filed past him he recalled, "A man staggered out of line and came toward me. He had lost all his clothes. He was in an old dirty blanket jacket, his beard long and his face full of sores... which so disfigured him that he was not known by me on first sight. Only when he spoke did I recognize my brother James."
Every generation has endured sacrifice.
We remember the stories of my grandfather’s generation, carrying the cause of freedom in World War II—as they rode on an uncertain sea, towards uncertain shores, at times when victory itself was uncertain, their stomachs full of fear, waiting for the door to drop, knowing that day that some of them would be called to give their lives.
Every generation has stepped forward with courage.
Today, another great generation has stepped forward. I have been privileged to serve with them.
In the Spring of 2007, serving in Iraq, my team was hit by a suicide truck bomb. I was treated and returned to duty quickly. My friends, however -- some of them standing an arms length from me -- were hurt far worse than I was. When I returned home, I saw them, and I visited Bethesda Naval Hospital. As those of you who have met with our recently returned wounded Soldiers and Sailors and Airmen and Marines will know, when you walk through those hospital doors, you are often talking with very young men or women, the balance of their lives still before them.
We spoke about their units, their hometowns, their deployments, and I asked them, “What do you want to do when you recover?” Each one of them said, “I want to return to my unit.”
Through The Mission Continues, we have worked with men and women who have lost eyesight, lost hearing, lost limbs. Yet they have never lost the desire to serve.
And through their work with The Mission Continues, they have turned their pain into wisdom, their suffering into strength -- and those who once served as our citizen warriors abroad are now our citizen leaders at home.
These men and women are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters, if not in blood, then in spirit. For each of them represent what we know is true about ourselves as Americans: that when we understand who we are and what we offer to our fellow citizens and the world, there is no fear so daunting, no challenge so great that it can keep us from fulfilling our promise of securing the blessings of prosperity, security, and liberty for those who will inherit tomorrow.
Those who have served know two things.
We know that America is an exceptional country. Indeed, it is the most free, most strong, most prosperous nation in history.
We also know that for us, nothing is guaranteed.
Every freedom that we enjoy, every blessing and benefit that we have secured, every right that we cherish, is ours only because in every generation, men and women step forward to serve.
We honor those who have served by living their values, by rededicating ourselves to the service of our country.
Today, we can look back with pride and forward with confidence, knowing that we step into the future with a great generation by our side.
So today, as we look forward, let us call on strength from the past, and let us recall the words of our 40th President, who said:
“We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.”
Thank you. God Bless You, and God Bless America.
Welcome Home: How Will You Serve Again?
“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Mr. Obama declared in the White House briefing room shortly before 1 p.m. “Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home.” Those soldiers, numbering nearly 50,000, will be joining approximately 100,000 others who have already been withdrawn." –The New York Times
This announcement marks a historic moment for our nation, especially for these servicemen and women and their families.
Below please read this statement from The Mission Continues, whose work will continue to support and empower this generation of veterans as we welcome them home:
Today’s announcement by President Obama that 39,000 troops in Iraq will be home by year end is significant news for our country, for the men and women in uniform who serve with valor and dignity, and for their families at home who have awaited this day with great anticipation. As many of these service members will join the veteran ranks in the coming years, it is paramount that America double down on its commitment to support and empower those making the challenging transition from military to civilian life.
At The Mission Continues, we see every day how veterans are rebuilding a sense of purpose here at home through acts of service and volunteerism in their communities. These men and women are applying their desire to serve - which they displayed so strongly in the military and in combat - to their community. In turn, they are strengthening their commitment to leadership, personal growth, and achievement. In the process, they are having stronger transitions home, and building stronger communities through their service. On behalf of the entire Mission Continues team and its' Fellows nationwide, we salute those who will be returning from Iraq, and look forward to asking them: “how will you serve again?”
Communicating with Power
My guidance to my team about how to communicate with power:
[A] talent for speaking differently, rather than for arguing well, is the chief instrument of cultural change.
I like this quotation, because it captures so well what we must do when we communicate. We are not principally making an argument--though c ertainly we have a case to make--but speaking differently. We align words and actions in a way that is unique. Our words are simple--challenge, charity, generation, asset--yet when they are combined in the right way and delivered by the right messenger, we help others to see themselves and the world differently.
This is part of what every great organization must do; we help others to see new possibilities for themselves.
One of the best examples of this is King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail. If you haven't read it recently, you should read it again when you have the time and the space to sit with his letter. It is one of the most well-crafted, persuasive pieces of writing in American history. All of King's work in philosophy and theology is woven into the letter--he makes a case based on Aquinas' ideas of justice--yet because King lived his philosophy, he could communicate powerful concepts in simple language.
"In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed."
There is no fancy talk here, nothing that requires any specialized knowledge. These words are all what my teacher Barb Osburg used to call 'simple nickel' words.
It's important to keep in mind that people had been arguing for equality since the founding of the Republic, yet there are very few recorded instances in which people were persuaded to the cause of equality by an argument. What King did, what you can do, is to lay simple words down one next to another, and then take simple actions, one next to another, until you have, in total, created a new way for people to look at the world. The intention is not to win an argument, but to open a door.
In his day, there were many people that King failed to persuade. But there is a power in his words that, to this day, shapes the way that Americans live.
You all have the power, in words written and spoken, and in deed, to be instruments of cultural change.
Best,
Eric
236th Anniversary of the United States Navy
Today the United States Navy celebrates 236 years since its founding in 1775.
"The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on 13 October 1775, by authorizing the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. The legislation also established a Naval Committee to supervise the work. All together, the Continental Navy numbered some fifty ships over the course of the war, with approximately twenty warships active at its maximum strength." (Naval History and Heritage Command)
In Commanding Naval Officer Admiral Jonathan Greenert's message today, he offered the following sentiment to honor the 237th anniversary of the US Navy:
"Our long and illustrious history makes clear that we can overcome any obstacle, seize any opportunity, and ultimately prevail no matter how difficult the challenges we face. As a result of unwavering contributions of every member of our Navy team – our Sailors, our civilians, our reservists, our Navy veterans, and our families at home, we are the finest maritime force the world has ever seen."
Today I reflect on my decision to join the Navy after graduating from Oxford. I'd like to share a passage from The Heart and the Fist in which I describe the moment I made my choice:
Here was everything Oxford offered: luxury, rest, time, freedom, wealth.
Yet in the rotunda, I looked up and saw that the stone walls were etched with the names of Rhodes scholars who had died during the two world wars. Seeing those names reminded me that the intention of the scholarship was to create public servants who would "fight the world's fight." Many had left the comfort of Oxford for the trenches of Europe in World War I, or for combat across the globe in World War II. If they had chosen to stay at home rather than to serve, I knew that I wouldn't be standing in Rhodes House, looking up at them.
The philosopher John Stuart Mill once wrote, "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
I had no desire to see my name etched into any wall anywhere. But I felt a sense of obligation. My family was not wealthy. My parents had worked every day of their lives to support me as a kid. People before me had endowed scholarships that allowed me to pursue eight years of higher education and never have to pay one penny. What was all of that investment for?
Oxford could give me time. The consulting firm could give me money. The SEAL teams would give me little, but make me more. I thought, I might fail at BUD/S; I might find myself miserable; but I'd live with no regrets.
I signed the papers as soon as they were set in front of me.
Enlisting in the Navy was one of the best decisions I’ve made, and I’ve lived with no regrets since that day. Happy 236th Anniversary to the finest maritime force in the world: The United States Navy.
Announcing: The Warrior's Heart
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN BOOKS FOR CHILDREN TO PUBLISH ADAPTATION OF BEST SELLING BOOK THE HEART AND THE FIST, AIMED AT TEEN READERS
We are pleased to announce that in Fall 2012, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of the HMH Children’s Book Group, will publish The Warrior's Heart, an adaptation of The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL. “In this work of nonfiction aimed at teen readers, Greitens shares his experiences as a teen and as a young man that led him to a life of service, both as a humanitarian and as a Navy SEAL.” Editor Julia Richardson acquired; the deal was agented by E. J. McCarthy of the McCarthy Agency for World rights.
This is a very exciting moment for Eric, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the entire team that has worked to make The Heart and the Fist a success. Many parents have reached out to us in the months since the April 2011 release of The Heart and the Fist to communicate how well the book’s message resonated with their teen-aged children. With the release of The Warrior's Heart, we hope that Eric can touch the lives of many more young adults for whom the central message is especially important:
To win any war, even one that we wage against ourselves, to create a lasting peace, to save a life, even simply to live with purpose, requires us—every one of us—to be both good and strong.
We are thrilled to embark on this phase of the project.
We will follow up with more information shortly, please check back with us for updates!
By: Katie Ricks, Communications Associate
Become Part of a Story that People are Proud to Tell
A lot has been written about Steve Jobs’s passing.
This link below, however, is to the best column ever written in history by anyone, ever, in the great span of time since the beginning of writing (the author also happens to be my wife).
It is running online in the Daily Beast, and in print in Newsweek.
Enjoy the column, and, perhaps most importantly, accept the central message:
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” - Jobs’ comments after he received his cancer diagnosis
Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, often also reflected--as did most Stoics--on the basic fact that we are all going to die one day. Rather than find this depressing, the Stoics--and Steve Jobs--actually found it liberating. It helped them to put aside their fear, and, in Aurelius' words, to "Every hour be firmly resolved to accomplish the work at hand with fitting and unaffected dignity, goodwill, freedom, and justice."
Death is, like the sun, not something that you can or should stare at. Yet it is always there. And just as the sun fuels all life, the recognition that our life is finite can and should propel us to be grateful, gracious, and to make great use of the limited time we have.
Our time is precious. If we use it well, then when we're gone, we'll have become part of a story that people are proud to tell.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/09/what-jobs-taught-me.html
(I have also--I should note--found this author to be particularly insightful on a host of topics beyond just this column.)
The joy that comes from fatigue in a great undertaking; reflection on Samuel Johnson
I have a wonderful team at The Mission Continues. We're working very hard at the beginning of our two month campaign of service from 9/11 to 11/11 and I shared this note with my team this morning:
9/19/2011
Good morning, The Mission Continues:
For those of you who were together when we talked about the different kinds of happiness in life, and especially the happiness that one achieves through activity along lines of excellence, I want to share a quotation below from Samuel Johnson.
Before you read it know this:
Samuel Johnson is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of Western literature, and he has played a role in all of your lives, whether you know his name or not. If you have read a biography--Johnson shaped the way that biography was written in English. If you have opened a dictionary--you owe your knowledge in part to Johnson. If you have read Jane Austen, or any of a number of other English authors, you've been influenced by Johnson. If you've ever read an insightful commentary on a piece of literature, you have been, in part, influenced by Johnson who shaped the entire field of literary criticism. This is a man who profoundly shaped the very way that we think about language and about the stories of people's lives.
Now, how did he do this? Well, he did many things, but for one, he wrote the most authoritative dictionary of the English language.
Stop for a minute and think about that.
The man wrote a dictionary.
It took him nine years, which sounds like a long time, but was in fact indicative of an incredible pace of work and output of energy over that time. Really, stop to think about that. He wrote a dictionary at a time when no good, authoritative dictionary was available. He did it for nine years, and now we're all the better for it.
Not only did Johnson work hard, he also overcame significant obstacles in his own life including what doctor's now think was probably Tourette's syndrome, and--though these diagnoses are made in retrospect, he probably also had cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, heart problems, gout, and depression. Overcoming these health obstacles was difficult in their own right, and on account of his Tourette's he was rejected for jobs for which he was qualified.
Still, he endured. And, not only did he endure, but he endured with joy. He had a remarkable group of friends whose lives he enriched, he was personally generous to those in need, and he even had a few cats that he loved like crazy.
This is the quotation,
"Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes, and seeing them gratified. He that labors in any great or laudable undertaking has his fatigues first supported by hope, and afterwards rewarded by joy. . . To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity."
--Samuel Johnson
...fatigues first supported by hope, and afterward rewarded by joy.
Let's make a great week,
Eric