Courtesy Photo | York High School NJROTC, Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Himagowri Prasad, reads her 1st Place essay...... read more read more
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YORKTOWN, Va. -- On Thursday, 17 December 2021, the Commanding Officer of the York High School NJROTC, Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Himagowri Prasad, read her 1st Place essay to the VFW Post 824 veterans. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, she is a senior who wishes to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering from either Northwestern or the University of Michigan. Her essay below will now move on to the Virginia VFW District 1 for consideration.
The following is Cadet Himagowri’s essay:
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
Thomas Paine, the author of American Crisis (and previously quoted), identified the destiny of America from the birth of this nation. Since the beginning of this great country, America has always struggled. Never a utopian society, America has continuously fought hard and withstood every obstacle thrown at the fifty gleaming stars that contrast against the red, white, and blue on the flag that stands for more than the stitches that hold our history together, and as Paine stated, during the country’s most challenging times, the only course of action the American people can, and must, take is standing together. The harder the conflict the Americans go through, persevere from, the more glorious our triumphs are.
Moreover, there is a drastic difference between America and the United States of America. While one often refers to a body of land consisting of two continents-- North America and South America; a massive plot of land containing a diverse group of people, ideas, cultures, and governments. The other, the United States of America, refers to the people of a country that formed the world’s first democracy. A group of people that banded together and fought for what they believed in over the course of history, even if that meant forming a volunteer militia with little to no supplies.
From that momentous event in 1776, the United States of America went from the trenches of a revolution to building a nation from scraps, and even over two centuries later, we are still remodeling the basis that our Founding Fathers outlined for us. Through it all, the fight or flight response of U.S. citizens has constantly been provoked. Yet, the United States of America drew more support for the cause of strength and unity as immigration rates have skyrocketed over time and more people have joined our country, our fight, to become one.
Being united, as stated in our country’s great name, refers to being “joined together politically, for a common purpose, or by common feelings.” While feelings and politics can become controversial, a purpose is more than what meets the eye. Joining together for a common purpose consists of objective means, not subjective.
Admiral McRaven, a notable retired Navy SEAL and author of the book, Make Your Bed, emphasizes in chapter two of his book, “If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.” When sailing, crew members and skippers have different jobs, yet have a common goal in mind: finish first and be the best. Despite personal feelings or methods, they must work together to get across the finish line first. Similarly, the citizens of the United States of America have to work together, paddle together, to get through every hardship thrown at our nation. Put aside personal feelings and controversies. We are one team, one fight. If we want to change the world and be the best nation there is, we have to be united, not divided. The United States of America has been divided before, which has ended in Civil Wars, riots, and discord between our own friends and family.
Therefore, division does not further improve our country, it simply puts us in irons when we try to sail forward as one. From the irons which we have sailed ourselves into for the past decade, we must work together to change our course. Despite the different roles we may have in our individualistic lives, the citizens of the United States of America must join hands and move in a new direction together, a better direction to help us achieve our fulfillment as a country, as parents, as the working class, and as one human race.
The NJROTC and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) are part of the Navy’s Citizenship program. They are overseen by the Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered on Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. The program seeks to instill in participating high school students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment. NJROTC and NNDCC strive to build a strong foundation of citizenship within America’s future leaders.
NJROTC and NNDCC units operate at more than 600 high schools around the world with more than 90,000 cadets participating.
For more information about NJROTC, visit www.njrotc.navy.mil/.
For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.21.2021 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 411676 |
| Location: | YORKTOWN, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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