In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F.Kennedy's challenge to "ask not what your country can do for you, but whatyou can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college inVirginia and voluntarily joined the Marines. In 1963, this man, havingcompleted his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again tobecome a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines aswell as to Navy personnel.)The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian andbecame a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned tothe Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member ofthe commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President LyndonB. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which heleft in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice PresidentDick Cheney, who was the same age, received five deferments, four for beingan undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospectivefather. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger,used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then usedfamily connections to avoid active duty.Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to servehis country for six years? Or our political leaders who beat the system? Arethe patriots the people who actually sacrifice something - or those whomerely talk about it?After leaving the service of his country, the young African-Americanfinished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as aminister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America'sbiggest cities. This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor ofTrinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments hemade over the last three decades.Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations,denouncements and rejections of his comments and him. We've seen ontelevision, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev.Wright's many sermons. Some of Wright's comments may be inappropriate, butbefore calling him "unpatriotic," let us remember that this is a man whogave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.-- by Lawrence Korb and Ian MossWatch Bill Moyers' interview with Jeremiah Wright athttp://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/watch.html
And Wright's speech to the NAACP at http://www.hiphopmusic.com/2008/04/rev_wright_naacp_speech_video.html Interesting note #1: Bill Moyers and Jeremiah Wright first met in 1966 whenMoyers was covering the White House, and Wright was on Lyndon Johnson'smedical team.Interesting note #2: Rev. Wright was invited to the White House by Bill andHillary Clinton for spiritual counseling in the wake of the Monica Lewinskyaffair.
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