.png)
 |
| Eli Graft ('21) |
Going
to the US Naval Academy, I did not know what to expect. All I
knew about the military I had heard from TV and friends from school. None of my
immediate family is in the military and my grandfather that fought in WWII,
Korea, and Vietnam had died before I was even born. My little brother had told
me he has plans to join the Navy and I thought it was very admirable, but it
was difficult for me to envision someone so similar to me joining the military.
However, this Naval Academy experience changed the way I think about the
military as both a student and an American citizen.
One
of my first realizations throughout was how the Naval Academy Leadership
Conference and the speakers there emphasized many of the same values of the Boy
Scouts of America. Working my way up to Eagle Scout, I was heavily devoted to
the values that the program consisted of. I consistently noticed honesty,
reverence, obedience, loyalty, etc. in nearly every speech and discussion I had
while I was there. The Naval Academy itself also reminded me quite a bit of my
times at summer camp as a kid: The mess halls, the chain of command, and the
commitment to a universal set of values. Many of the
takeaways from the variety of speakers left us with echoed the tenets of the Scout Law. Leadership requires a commitment to being honest, kind,
humble, and honorable. The rich tradition of honor was ingrained in everything
from the people, to the buildings, to the uniforms.
When
we would walk across (the incredibly cold) campus from
one hall to another, I felt like I had been transported back to the 1940’s. The
uniforms, reminiscent of World War II, made me feel like I was on the set of an
Indiana Jones movie. All I could think about was the overpowering feeling that
each person there with a uniform had an enormous sense of duty and purpose.
Their drive for leadership was just as strong as mine if not more, and they did
it in the most glorious and heroic of fashions. The buildings, magnificent in
stature, all conveyed a sense of power, belonging, and respect. Outside the
main rotunda on campus, there is a massive statue of Tecumseh that struck me with its gravitas. Tecumseh commanded my respect and attention even as a piece of
metal, and that was humbling.
Getting
the chance to go through their library and academic halls showed me just how
focused the institution was on the whole man. Their emphasis on academics was complemented with an emphasis on athletics. Nearly everyone I
met was intensely physically fit and participated in sports or intramurals in
some way. The Navy was preparing men for not only service, but for a balanced
life.
The
most poignant statement that I heard that really adjusted the way I thought
about my actions was “don’t do something that would embarrass your mother,”
brought up by Gordan England, former Secretary of the Navy. He also heavily
emphasized that no matter how important your position of leadership is, no
person is more important than another. The lessons I gathered from his speech
were the ones I took most to heart when it comes to being a better leader.
During
our breakout sessions into small groups, one of my groupmates was an enlisted
Marine who was studying to become a commissioned officer in Georgia. He was
older than the rest of us, maybe 25 years old, but the way he spoke made him
sound like he was 50. With poise and humility, he shared so much knowledge with
our group; one leadership lesson he taught us I will never forget. He had a
friend who was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, the fancy term for a
bomb defuser, who shared with him how he treats conflict. He said he treats
every situation like it is a bomb. If there’s a live bomb, fix it right then
and there; it’ll either blow up in your face or be defused, but it won’t be
pushed aside and not dealt with. If it’s a dud, move past it. It’s analogous to
many of the situations we face in our everyday life. If you don’t deal with a
situation that could explode and only get worse, then it’s best to deal with it
right away, but if it’s a situation that doesn’t require you, then forget about
it and move on.
The
Naval Academy inspired similar sentiments to my time at the Pentagon this past
summer with the McConnell Scholars. I had the underlying feeling that I was
missing out on something big. America’s armed forces work for the greater good
of this nation and I couldn’t shake the idea that I needed to do my part as
well. I don’t know what that will be yet, but one day I want to be a part of
something bigger than myself and I look forward to that day. Until then, I will
continue to gather experiences like this one to learn more about myself, the
world around me, and how to be a leader in every facet of my life.
Eli Graft, of Hebron, Ky., is a sophomore McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville, where he studies business and political science.