Have you ever walked by a memorial plaque and wonder about the story behind it? Why did people spend the time, money and effort to erect it? Or like most of us, you walked by without even noticing it. This story is about a memorial plaque with name Theodore Westwood Miller affixed to it. He was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. He was the epitome of the “golden boy.” What he did next may surprise you.
Many people view George Washington as the American example of an accomplished military and political leader. Washington’s many accomplishments are well known. George Washington was mostly self-taught. He read to accomplish goals. John Adams said that a real revolution is in the minds of people. It is through the formation of George Washington’s mind that helped the American Revolution come to pass.
Have you ever heard a story and thought about how that person got through their life with the extreme circumstances they faced? There are many fantastic stories out there, but sometimes one of them grabs your soul. Stories grab your soul when we connect with them in some way. For some people, a simple tug of a heart string is enough. For others, it is a connection with a family member, friend or personal experience. This story is about how love heals. It is about Connie Spinks Ross who was a typical American woman who went to war, faced a horrific event and survived it.
Imagine being born in a concentration camp. Now imagine your family being placed there by your government only because of your cultural heritage. How would you prove your loyalty to the country that put you there? That is what happened to Vincent Okamoto and his family in 1943 at the outbreak of World War II.
On a crisp morning of an Autumn solstice, Julius led his men towards their adversary not knowing how the next day would unfold. Under intense pressure from the enemy, Julius and his men battled fiercely while forging up steep hills. It was a strange, dangerous place. Julius aimed to do what’s right when everything around him told him to do the opposite. The battle forced him to confront his fears. He was faced with hard moral choices in the circumstances without the usual external restraints. Julius relied on his inner resources to not quit and to continue.
2nd Infantry Division north of the Chongchon River, Sergeant First Class Cleveland, weapons squad leader, points out North Korean positions to his machine gun crew. November 20, 1950.
There are fantastic examples of people who demonstrated the virtue of compassion over their lifetime. Stories like these are a reminder of our humanity. They help us put our own lives in context with other people we share our world. One story is the life of Clara Barton. Her story is well told with her role in helping the wounded during the American Civil War and forming the American Red Cross. Every person can learn about the virtue of compassion from the life of Clara Barton. Here are a few highlights of her story.
The power of story helps us understand what it means to be human.
Stories of virtue inspire us. They are a reminder that we aren’t the first person to experience a challenge. I recently re-read the timeless story of Benjamin Franklin to understand the challenges he faced to achieve his success. Benjamin Franklin is known for his role in forming a new country, but his life continues to inspire people today.
Sometimes life can be a challenge. People who overcome adversity inspire us to face our challenges. The power of perseverance is an essential ingredient in facing challenges and for human progress. Sydney Shachnow is an inspirational example of a man who demonstrated the power of perseverance over a lifetime.
Sidney Shachnow was born in Kaunas, Lithuania and raised in a Jewish family. From the ages of seven to ten, Nazis imprisoned him in the Kovno concentration camp during World War II. The camp was a ghetto initially housing over 40,000 Jewish families. Only 5% of the people survived the camp once it was liberated by the Russians in 1944.
Major General Sidney Shachnow
Navajo Code Talker, Chester Nez
Chester Nez, Navajo Code Talker, relied on his native language to develop the code, which helped to turn the course of World War II in the favor of the Allies. “I was very proud to say that the Japanese did everything in their power to break that code but they never did,” Chester Nez said in an interview with Stars and Stripes. If any Navajo Code Talker was caught, he said, they would be tortured and their tongues cut out. They risked everything for the United States, even though they were raised in military boarding schools that prohibited them from speaking their native language.
Chester Nez in uniform
That didn’t stop them from whispering Navajo to each other in secret, said Latham Nez, who travels with his grandfather helping him tell his story. Their language, however, would serve the United States well later, in 1942, when Americans were dying in rising numbers overseas, especially in the Pacific. The Japanese seemed to know what the U.S. military was planning well before it took place.
Find more stories of virtue tested in battle at MitchSchmidtke.com.
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