Who will pick up the torch?

America

As certain as the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, each generation worries that the next will fail. Well, it hasn't nor will it.

“...Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”​

In Flanders Field, by LTC John McCrae

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McCrae had reason to despair. He had just lost a friend when he penned his famous poem and was sitting in a quagmire of a battlefield. The future, if there was to be one, appeared bleak. And yet the sun did shine again, and those who suffered and died in Flanders Field now rest in peace.
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Casting eyes over the quagmire that suffuses America today, especially in Washington, state capitols, college campuses, and inner cities, some despair. The media amplifies the antics of a vocal minorities and it becomes tempting to believe that the end times are upon the nation. However, turning away from the bad news, rays of hope can be found. One such ray shined on a tiny community in California this past Veterans Day.

Six young boys aged eleven and twelve, conceived, organized, and lead a community celebration in an unincorporated corner of Orange County known as Ladera Ranch. Tucked between San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, and Rancho Santa Margarita, the community is easy to miss. Unheralded in the media, their Veterans Day celebration was virtually unknown outside the community limits.

These young boys were not inspired by Scouting or school to launch this effort. They were simply volunteers using the Lion's Heart organization to track hours, earn leadership awards, and export their service portfolio to use on scholarship, college, and career applications.

With help from parents, they hosted a celebration with all the dignity and honor as seen in others hosted in larger venues by seasoned veterans. They raised funds to advertise their event and purchase bunting to decorate a gazebo in the community park. Flags of each branch of the services were borrowed from local military recruiters and veterans, and were displayed in accordance with proper flag etiquette. A nearby VFW Post contributed a POW flag to add to the display and Buddy Poppies for all attendees as well as patriotically decorated pinwheels for all children in attendance. They enlisted Girl Scouts to Post the Colors. A pair of twin girls, Morgan and Justine Beaver, sang a rousing rendition of the National Anthem acapella. Refreshments were served and American Flag pins gifted to every veteran in attendance.

Speakers included opening remarks by Dr. George Duarte, US Army Reserve, Retired; benediction by Deacon Randy McMahon, US Marine Corps, Retired; and keynote address by Colonel Chris Gideons, US Marine Corps, [current post]. The boys themselves spoke of the five major branches of the United States Armed Services, their history and mission, and then invited veterans of those services to stand and be recognized by the audience. The sixth boy spoke of the POW/MIA organization.
It is not just coincidental that Frances Scott Key shared the same worries as LTC John McCrae and most veterans when he penned his poem asking...

“Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave,
O'er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.”

With young men such as these anchoring Generation Z, all may rest assured that it still waved on Veterans Day 2018, that it still waves today, and that it will continue to wave as they grasp the torch from our failing hands.

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