25 Years of the George C. Marshall ROTC Award Seminar An Introduction by Albert J. Beveridge, III,
Former President, Marshall Foundation The first George C. Marshall ROTC Award Seminar took place in Lexington, Virginia, April 20-22, 1978. Cadets from 274 schools participated in twelve roundtable discussions which included such topics as "Nuclear Weapons: Prospects and Problems of Proliferation;" "Terrorism and US Foreign Policy;" and "What Should US Policy Be in the Middle East?" These topics seem no less daunting today than they were twenty-five years ago. The principal speakers were former Secretary of State Dean Rusk and General Bernard W. Rogers, Army Chief of Staff. The Seminar was the outcome of a three-way collaboration among Fred L. Hadsel, then Director of the Marshall Foundation, General Maxwell D. Taylor, former Chief of Staff, Ambassador, and a Marshall Foundation Trustee, and General Bernard W. Rogers, then Army Chief of Staff and former aide to Taylor. Hadsel had the idea, Taylor the influence, and Rogers the authority. As Hadsel recounts the meeting between the three, "Taylor would make a suggestion and Rogers, who had already staffed the proposal and made up his mind, would simply reply, ‘Yes, General Taylor.'" Although details have changed, the overall structure of the Seminar has remained the same throughout its first twenty-five years. Cadets participate in roundtable discussions on major national security issues with a leader, usually with an academic, military, or diplomatic background. Those topics have remained depressingly constant. "Terrorism" is not a new topic. It has been part of the roundtable discussions since the program's inception. Other perennial topics are "The Middle East," "NATO and Defense of Europe," "Nuclear Proliferation," and "The USSR," now Russia. The other major aspect of the program is the opportunity for the cadets to hear from the leaders of the Army and Department of Defense, either about current national security policy or what the Army expects from them as junior officers and leaders of the future. Both the Army and Defense Department have strongly supported the Seminar. Every Chief of Staff since the program began has spoken to the cadets at least once, and many of them annually during their tour of duty. The Secretary of the Army usually gives an address, as does the Commanding General of TRADOC. When the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is an Army officer, he has attended at least one Seminar. Finally, there has been remarkable administrative continuity in the program. Although there have been five commanding generals of Cadet Command, and four presidents of the Foundation over the past fifteen years, there has been only one director of the seminar - Linda Maini. She has been assisted by Deborah Stump and virtually every member of the Foundation staff. For nearly two decades, Jeanne Pedersen and Joellen Bland have produced the published Seminar Report. Virginia Military Institute has supplied facilities, faculty, and other cadet support, and Washington and Lee University has also been generous with its facilities. There is one standard which the Marshall Foundation applies to each of its programs: What would General Marshall think of it? We are confident about what he would think of the ROTC Award Seminar. He would approve. Excerpts from the speech by President Bush
to the George C. Marshall
ROTC Award Seminar on National Security A majority of the Army's current officers started out in the ROTC. For nearly ninety years, this great program has developed leaders and shaped character. Those looking for idealism on the college campuses of America will find it in the men and women of the ROTC. ROTC's traditions and values are a contribution and a credit to every college and every university where they're found. Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the ROTC at City College of New York, an experience that helped set the course of his life. In his own words, he said this: "The order, the self-discipline, the pride that had been instilled in me by our ROTC prepared me well for my Army career or, for that matter, any career I might have chosen." Colin Powell's career has taken him from service in Vietnam to the top rank in the military, and now on a peace mission to the Middle East. America is fortunate and I am proud to have ROTC graduate Colin Powell serving our country. Only one other Army general has gone on to serve as Secretary of State, and that was George Marshall, himself - VMI's highest-ranking cadet in the Class of 1901. As Army Chief of Staff, General Marshall became the architect of America's victory in the Second World War. He fought tenaciously against our enemies, and then worked just as hard to secure the peace. President Truman considered George C. Marshall the greatest man he knew. "Above all," said Winston Churchill, "Marshall always fought victoriously against defeatism, discouragement, and disillusionment." "The key to morale and to victory," Marshall said, "is steadfastness and courage and hope." Today, we are called to defend freedom against ruthless enemies, and, once again, we need steadfastness, courage, and hope. The war against terror will be long, and, as George Marshall so clearly understood, it will not be enough to make the world safer. We must also work to make the world better. In the days just after September 11, I told the American people that this would be a different war, fought on many fronts. Today, around the world, we make progress on the many fronts. In some cases, we use military force. In others, we're fighting through diplomacy, financial pressure, or special operations. In every case, we will defeat the threats against our country and the civilized world. By helping to build an Afghanistan that is free from evil and is a better place in which to live, we are working in the best traditions of George Marshall. Marshall knew that our military victory against enemies in World War II had to be followed by a moral victory that resulted in better lives for individual human beings. After 1945, the United States of America was the only nation in the world strong enough to help rebuild a Europe and a Japan that had been decimated by World War II. Today, our former enemies are our friends, and Europe and Japan are strong partners in the rebuilding of Afghanistan. This transformation is a powerful testimony to the success of Marshall's vision, and a beacon to light the path that we, too, must follow. . . . . A better world can seem very distant when children are sent to kill other children, and old hatreds are stoked and carefully passed from one generation to another, and a violent few love death more than life. Yet hatred and fanaticism are not the way of the future, because the hopes of humanity are always stronger than its hatreds. These hopes are universal in every country, in every culture. Men and women everywhere want to live in dignity, to create and build and own, to raise their children in peace and security. Sixty years ago, few would have predicted the triumph of these values in Germany and Japan. Fifteen years ago, few would have predicted the advance of these values in Russia. Yet, Americans are not surprised. We know that the demands of human dignity are written in every heart. The demands have a power and momentum of their own, defying all pessimism, and they are destined to change lives and nations on every continent. America has acted on these hopes throughout our history. General George Marshall is admired for the war he fought, yet best remembered for the peace he secured. The Marshall Plan, rebuilding Europe and lifting up former enemies, showed that America is not content with military victory alone. Americans always see a greater hope and a better day, and America sees a just and hopeful world beyond the war on terror. Many of you will help achieve this better world. At a young age, you've taken up a great calling. You'll serve your country and our values. You'll protect your fellow citizens. By your effort and example, you will advance the cause of freedom around the world. I'm here to thank you for your commitment and congratulate you on the high honor you have received. May God bless you all, and may God bless America. |
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