Katherine Kersten has a wonderful article up at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Recruits are undaunted by danger, Mom and Dad.
But while the recruits at the Hopkins station seek to build character and become part of a team, something larger is at work. Dodge -- like the other recruits -- explains that he's joining the Army to defend America's freedom. "I'm here because I want to show my respect for all the people who served and are serving," he says. "I know what I owe them."
The recruits chatting at the Hopkins station are little different from their predecessors of centuries past. Since Valley Forge, those who have chosen to enter America's armed forces have understood the importance of vigilance in the defense of freedom and gratitude to those who have won it for us.
Like their predecessors, the new soldiers shipping out from Hopkins will live and breathe the Soldiers' Creed:
"I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat ...
Go read it, it's excellent!
I will never leave a fallen comrade ...
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American soldier."
