Blogs
My blog about my internship in Peru and interesting tidbits about both Peru and Chile
My political rant blog
A blog about rival BYU and University of Utah football programs that I co-write with my friend
My blog posts/multimedia stories on the Brigham Young University student blog, "Beyond the Universe"
Submitted By Jason Sweat
I am proud to be an American. More than just because of geographical location, or the affluent comforts that have been afforded to me by merely being born here: I am proud in large part because of the amazing history that we have had. I don’t want to bore you, and heaven knows that our generation is easily bored, but I feel strongly that we should respect and pay homage to the great heroes of our past.
I’m not one for displaying emotion, but I am currently sitting at my night watch job where I have all night to sit, meditate, read, and study (and do my job, of course). I am sitting on a comfortable chair, in a warm building, with the obituaries of the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News spread out on the floor around me. As I look in to the square mug shots of wrinkled and worn faces, and the uniform blocks of gray text surrounding them, I realize that each of these represents a life-
A life that is no more.
I don’t wish to be overly dramatic, but I do wish to impress upon you that we should acknowledge and be moved with this passing of a generation. These are the men and women who served in the Great struggles, WWI, WWII, Korea, and even Vietnam. One doesn’t have to agree philosophically with any or all of these conflicts to tip a hat in recognition of the great sacrifice and service performed willingly on our behalf, and that of our country. I would love to put the names of those on from the obituaries in this blog, with a description, however brief, of the way in which they served the country- but it would be too little. Any attempt to do them justice would lack mention of the millions of others that have passed away during the wars themselves, or since then.
It was a different time in the United States. People saw military service as a patriotic duty, and served willingly. Even those who didn’t go abroad in uniform supported and served their country. My own family has several veterans and I look to them with pride and value their insights. These are the people who got a firsthand look at the horrors of global war, and fought not just to preserve their freedom, but that of people around the world. This experience changed them, and nothing was too much to be asked for the good of the country.
This patriotic norm has began declining, sadly, beginning during the Korean and especially the Vietnam War. I know that unless we can internalize the importance of the service that the members of this dying generation performed, we cannot possible be a wise nation. A few years ago, I felt that I should talk more with my last living grandparent, my grandmother on my father’s side, about her life and family. I wished to record this and thought that it would be a valuable resource. I put off the project for too long, and now she has passed away and with her, all of the valuable knowledge that might have been preserved.
Being sponsored to attend Boy’s State, when I was 16, was an impacting experience for me. I was impressed to see how many grizzled old farmers and regular folk proudly donned their old service caps and carefully scraped together funds to send a rambunctious and irreverent youth to learn of duty, government, and liberty. I never knew before then that these people had served in the armed forces. They had invested much in their country, and continued to do so even as their bodies failed them in hopes that this was what was necessary to further the success of the country. I only hope that after they are passed from this sphere, their efforts bear the fruits they had hoped.
Retirement and nursing homes are sometimes sad places. I have gone to visit people in Orem Nursing and Rehab on many occasions and the feeling that I get is of people forgotten. Don’t do this as an individual; don’t do this as a country. In 5… 10… 15 years time, there will be none of these people left. This Veterans Day, (which doesn’t even secure time off from work or school), remember that had it not been for those that are currently quietly living out their lives in anonymity, or already dead, we would not have the freedoms that we enjoy so much and take for granted.
Here are some photos and video of a few good people who should not be forgotten. Our generation is obsessed with the quick, instant, and massive connectivity- please don’t get so drawn in that you forget to look back and appreciate.
Joseph (Glenn) and Emma Slagowski offer BYU students some advice.
P.S. There is a documentary by the name, “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw that would be good to watch about this very topic.
Submitted By Jason Sweat
“Y” Mountain. From the first day that students set foot on campus, “entering to learn”, until the day of graduation, where they “go forth to serve”, it is a visible reminder of tradition. I remember that the first time I hiked the “Y”, I was surprised at how many turns the trail has- apparently turn twelve is more than 6,000 feet above sea level. The history of the construction of this landmark is interesting and is well worth a quick read if you don’t already know it. I think that every student should find time to hike the “Y” at least a few times during their university experience to satisfy their nostalgic side and to enjoy the view. I would recommend sunrise or sunset in the early fall because the temperature is nice and there are some beautiful colors to be seen in the sky and on the trees.