Letters to the Editor

I wish to commend the efforts of the students and faculty in charge of student activities. The recent events that have been put on by Norwich have somewhat increased the student relationships to at least the point of social, even if it is for one day.

The new activities that have already been put on, such as the music video bingo and the foam/western party, were big hits and gathered corps and civilian students alike. In the past, activities, with the exception of intramurals, have been very corps or civilian oriented, though not meaning to be, but the new ideas coming about have somehow brought together the two sides .

Sincerely,
Kara Swarbrick

Something very interesting was brought to my attention just recently. It concerns something that I have very much taken for granted in the security of my upbringing and the way I was schooled. Some students, especially Corps and military personnel, feel that once they were accepted into this school, or took an oath to a branch of the military, they lost their first amendment right. This shocked and upset me because I have always known that as long as I am an upstanding American citizen (meaning no felonies, no criminal record, etc.), I have the right to speak freely about whatever I want. Granted, there are things that are not allowed to be spoken about and are considered treason, but as long as one stays within the laws of the country, then you are free to speak your mind.

Students seem to feel that once they enter the Corps or the military, that right is taken away and you have to be the puppet of whoever is your higher. This is not right. No, you cannot talk about how you want to kill everyone or how you hate America. But if you have a difference of opinion with someone, then you are free to go to him or her and speak to them about it. No, it is not a good idea to stop the Commandant in the middle of his speech and tell them that he or she is wrong. Use simple military courtesy; address them in the privacy of their office and with all the respect that their rank is due them.

No, students and military personnel have not lost their right to free speech. As long as you are an American citizen and on American soil, no one can contest with your right to speak freely.

Kathleen Donovan

What is leadership? It is the demonstration of courage under fire. What is fire? Fire can be any sort of challenge that a person may have to face. Fire is hot and uncontrollable. It burns and blisters and forces men and women to run or fight it. Fire is that which tests our moral fiber, emotional stability, and physical ability. A leader is the one that steps into the fire and, taking it head on, decides whether or not to fight it or to evacuate. A leader will never send his or her troops into the heat unless he or she is ready to burn with them. A leader would take on the blaze alone before watching his or her people get scorched by it. In this day and age it is hard to find a person willing to take on the fire alone, and in an institution such as Norwich we look to pass the flame to those below us. Not everyone is like that, but in a place where leadership is most important and the fire rages out of control, there are those of us that would push our fellow students into the fire instead of grabbing their hand and jumping in with them.

It is true that we all have our own embers burning everyday, but this country was founded by a mountainous rage capable of torching the coasts of every continent on the planet. Those men and women, who fought for our independence, did so regardless of whatever fires burned in their back yards. They were willing to smother the flames with their own bodies and that kind of courage is not found, on a regular basis, today. If we want to support the document that these firefighting heroes wrote, and defend the lands that they vowed to protect, then we must now step up and swallow our fears. We must take action and stop throwing our own to the hungry blaze. It is now that we have to take our turn fighting the fire, and like our fathers, take the lead so that those who follow us are not afraid to be burned.

A fellow firefighter,
Cadet Clayton Couitt

Dear President Schneider:

This is somewhat belated, but I wanted to say thank you for the ceremony that NU held last week in remembrance of those who perished one year ago on September 11, 2001. I think it was important for us, as a community, to unite. Although personally I did not lose anyone I knew, having lost two NU alumni and having alumni there on the scene (as you read the email from the newly commissioned police officer) made the tragedy seem more personal. As I sat at my desk on the morning of 9-11 this year, at exactly 8:46 a.m., the sky opened up and it down poured. To me, the message was perfectly clear ... God was crying along with all of us. Thank you again for putting everything into perspective.

Laura (Sweeney) Amell
Class of '89

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