Truly serving means “willingness to set aside our personal agenda and serve others on their terms,” and an “eagerness to (…) take proactive steps to find opportunities to serve” (Soper, 1) Service has many layers, including giving up “the normal progression of life-high school, college, work-to do something whose end was civic” (Mangone). However, service generally boils down to four main categories: giving a part of yourself, committing yourself to a cause, believing in something greater than yourself, and asking for help. The men and women of the United States military exemplify each of these categories through their dedication and sacrifice. They are the epitome of service, sacrificing life and limb to protect our freedom. The Wounded Warrior Project offers a number of programs, including Warriors to Work, Peer Support, Family Retreats, and many others to serve veterans after they have returned from the line of duty.
Service means giving a part of yourself. For Army Staff Sergeant Chris Gordon this was literal; Chris lost his right leg while serving in Iraq. On March 13, 2005, he was participating in a routine patrol in the Iraqi city of Tal-Afiar. According to Chris,
“They said we were going to take part in a search. By that time, we’d been in Iraq for six months, and we had done a lot of searches like that. Then on that morning, we found some contraband, confiscated it, and then we were consolidating around a mosque. Each Stryker came up and lined up before we got the
People may think of service as being in a war or being part of our government. While these are very high positions of service there are also many small ways service can make an impact. Some of the service activities I have been included in are: Singing at a senior center, participating in Girl Scouts, adopting and caring for a humane society dog, donating clothes or toys to goodwill, and biking/walking places to save gas. Service is very important to me because it really helps me visualize the difference you can make by doing several small acts of kindness.
During his last year of service with the Marines, Christopher Lee Boyd was sent to Iraq. Boyd was a driver in the fourth combat engineer battalion. In Iraq, Boyd’s unit swept for land mines and escorted convoys. When
While I wish I was strong enough, honorable enough, and brave enough to serve the United States, I know that I will find a way to contribute to the success of those who do.
When I was asked to speak about service, the first thing I had to ponder was what exactly is service. In the world we live in today, there is so many different ways to serve those around you. Whether it is giving back to your school, local community, or even across borders the goal is always the same. Give a little piece of yourself for a greater good while expecting nothing in return.
Serving others is a down deep way of learning more about yourself and helping others to see past themselves. Our Business and Professional Communication class participated in several service projects, which were interesting and exciting to be involved with helping others. As I am studying the major courses of Early Childhood/Special Education, our group project with the “Big Brothers Big Sister” program was very memorable to me. It was wonderful to have fun and participate in various activities with the kids. The environment was caring due to everyone helping each other accomplish different tasks. It was a great feeling to be able to share our time, talents, and hearts with the kids.
serve, saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”
Service brings me great joy, and I continually seek ways that I can help those around me. The day after school gets out, my youth group and I are leaving for Mexico City to serve with an organization, Niños de Mexico, that provides a safe house for orphans and children from broken homes. I also recently committed to volunteering my time each Sunday with the kids at my church. My efforts to serve extend through my daily life as well, for example, when sister has had a rough day, I make her tea or brownies. I take care of my neighbor’s kids for free when they’re having a busy week. None of these tasks feel like work to me, I love to help people as much as possible. I look forward to the new service opportunities National Honor Society will provide.
To me “Not To be served, but to serve” means to put others needs before your own. Service seems to almost be necessary once someone appreciates all that has been done for them. In my case, I have already begun to give back to community which has already given me so much to me. Three years ago I joined a club called the Jr. Civitans. Junior Civitan is a student-led service organization for middle and high school students. The club has a special focus on helping people with developmental disabilities. Throughout the year, we do multiple fundraisers that benefit the special education students at my high school. Some of these events include a Haunted Forest, a Spaghetti Dinner, and a Prom Dress fashion show. The club really emphasizes the focus
I myself have the most respect for those who are serving in the military, but when someone say that they are doing it for their country, I want to know what is the country doing for them. When you’re serving for your country you’re being placed in a foreign land away from your
Why we serve directly affects how we serve. We serve ethically with character, we take pride in honorably serving the Nation with integrity and demonstration character in all aspects of
I want to talk about not necessarily my service but my experiences overseas. I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to see Colombia and Costa Rica. I remember vividly driving through Colombia and seeing people owning only the clothes on their back, but the incredible thing was how happy they were. They didn’t value material possessions like we do , all they asked for was some food and water.
My military service reshaped who I am. My training stripped away any sense of entitlement and I learned more about myself in four months than I’d ever known before. It not only gave me discipline and taught me to perform under pressure, but everything I did wasn’t just for me anymore. I was working hard for the marines next to me in my platoon. The time came when each of us hit a breaking point physically or mentally.
Throughout my life I have taken pride in my caring for others. I believe I got this gift from my parents who are both ministers. I love working not only with children but also with elderly and the less fortunate. I have put in hundreds of hours of volunteer work, varying from manual labor to playing games in a nursing home. Something else I inherited from my parents is the gene of competitiveness. In everything I do I am competitive and must win. For example, it is only the 3rd week of college at Northwestern and I already like to see my grades higher than my friend’s. In sports, particularly team sports, I must win. To tie this trait of mine with my love of serving others ends up in a mess of being the
In the essay, “What You Can Do For Your Country,” James Herbert Bushman speaks of instituting a mandatory military service requirement of three years, starting before the age of twenty-four. Bushman states his belief that as a requisite of citizenship, you must serve in a branch of the military. He claims that a necessary service will benefit more than only the military, but will benefit individual people as well by increasing the feeling of unity, the knowledge and skillset of the individual, and will grant equal pay and benefits for all in service. Bushman suggests that everyone who is unwilling to serve their country is no better than a freeloader or a beggar on a street corner, mooching off others’ efforts and earnings. Similarly, he repeats the old phrase ‘freedom is not free,’ and insinuates that everyone must work equally for their share of freedom.
Many people don’t understand how important serving is. I have found that at some schools, serving is important and is required to graduate. Service is the action of helping or doing work for someone. Serving can help others learn more about the world and help them position into a mature adult. Although service is required sometimes, people should serve by choice. Service hours are designed to help students grow in a relationship with God as well as discovering new ways to serve and help others.