Last week I was sent to Arlington National Cemetery to cover a briefing the Army was conducting for Sen. Claire McCaskill. She was there to get an update on the progress that's been made at Arlington one year after revelations of gross mismanagement and negligence at the cemetery. You may remember the reports of mixed up records, veterans not being buried where they were supposed to be buried, caskets mistakenly placed in the same grave, the discovery of multiple unidentified urns dumped in one grave and inadvertently dug up with a backhoe---the kind of thing that just makes your blood boil.
After the briefing, we followed Sen. McCaskill out to a section of the cemetery where the most recent war dead are being buried. Arlington Cemetery officials were showing her (and the press) what steps are being taken at each grave site to ensure that each veteran's grave is marked with multiple identifiers to prevent future mix ups.
While the demonstration was going on, I turned to glance at the headstones behind me and noticed one belonging to Sgt. Robert Tenney, Jr., who died on June 29, 2011 at the age of 29.
Wow, so young, family must still be grieving, that's so sad, I thought, then turned back to watch the briefing.
But for some reason I kept being drawn to look back at his grave, each time reading another line on the headstone: Purple Heart, Bronze Star. This guy must really be brave. Wonder how he died.
Again, I turned back to the briefing but kept wondering about Sgt. Tenney and how he died. I decided to jot down his name and google it later. I looked back at the headstone to get additional information and that's when I noticed the final line on the marker. It said simply, "Oh The Places."
Oh! The Places You'll Go! is the name of a popular Dr. Seuss book and one of my favorites. It's the kind of book parents read to their children or give to them for graduation. In the parent-child context, it's all about the hopes and dreams one has of their child growing up and setting off to see the world, to accomplish great things. It acknowledges that there will be bumps in the road and the going won't always be easy, but ultimately, the child will find spectacular success and move mountains in the process.
Perhaps Sgt. Tenney's parents read this book to him when he was young and imagined all the places he would go and the great things he would do. I'm sure they were filled with the same hopes and expectations many parents have for their children. Losing their son at age 29 to enemy fire in Iraq, I'm sure, wasn't among them. The book obviously meant something to them--or to him; enough so that they found it fitting for his headstone.
When I got back to the office, I looked up Oh! The Places You'll Go! online and reread it, this time in the context of a soldier at war. It gave me chills. Take this section, for example:
"...when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are."
So on this Veterans Day, I'm going to drink a toast to Sgt. Robert Tenney, who served in the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, and died June 29th in Badrah, Iraq of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit. Rest in peace, Sgt. Tenney.
Oh! The Places You'll Go!
by: Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
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