Thomas was ponding with a rock while I was working on the van. I finally decided to look and see what he was doing and noticed he had made mincemeat of a piece of plastic. I asked him what he was doing and he said "stupid airplane is broken". I finally realized the plastic had been a toy airplane Marylin had bought him while they were at the museum in Liberal Kansas.
I told him "Thomas what are you doing? You know your mother really was proud she had bought you a present you really enjoyed playing with. Now you've broken it into pieces we will have to throw it away."
He looked at the pieces for a little while then he got an anquished look on his face. "Lets not tell momma about this OK. I don't want to make her sad"
Four year olds can be so perceptive.
"Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men's minds. But serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the nation's war guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiator in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded, and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice.
Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government: whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing indulged in too long, by federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be.
These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a tenfold beacon in the night: duty, honor, country."
