America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great

by Ben Carson, M. D.

  My fascination with the military and its relationship to governing powers, along with my desire to wear the uniform, played a major role in my joining the ROTC back in high school. My brother, Curtis, who was a couple of years ahead of me, was a captain and company commander of our school unit when I joined, and his many ribbons and medals gave him universal respect both inside and outside of the ROTC world. I already had a great love for reading before involving myself in ROTC, so I was absolutely thrilled with all the books and manuals available to cadets — books on military strategy, martial law, explosives, map reading, and a myriad of other topics. I quickly rose through the ranks because of my acquisition of knowledge and observance of military protocol and dedication.

  Because Baltimore is located so close to Washington, DC, the Pentagon, several military bases, and the Department of Defense, my wife and I have had the opportunity to befriend many military families. I love to play pool (billiards) and consider myself a pretty good player, but one day we were playing in the basement of my home when General Krulak, Commandant of the Marine Corps from the mid- to late 1990s, arrived. “What is that game you guys are playing?” he asked innocently. He then proceeded to clear the table without missing a single shot. He is an extremely bright, tactical, compassionate, and practical individual. He served in various commanding positions from Counter Guerilla Warfare School in Okinawa to Combat Development Command in Quantico, and after retiring from the Marine Corps, he successfully led the European division of MBNA, the nation’s largest credit card company. He and his wife, Zandy, are great supporters of our Carson Scholars Fund and are wonderful role models for our young people. With leadership of his caliber, I am greatly comforted knowing our country is in great hands.

  I first met General Colin Powell at a national conference in Detroit for which we were both keynote speakers. At that time, he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and was already quite well known throughout the world. He was alert in noticing every detail about his environment and the people around him at every moment. His dignified but relaxed demeanor, and ability to speak competently to anyone on a wide range of subjects, inspired awe in everyone around him. I subsequently became a board member of his “America’s Promise” organization and became even more impressed with his organizational skills and vision for our nation. Many of our former presidents, including George Washington, made their initial contributions to our society through their military participation, and I believe Colin Powell could probably have become the first African-American president of the United States.

  Another admirable leader I’ve had the privilege to get to know, General Clara Adams-Ender, is a nurse who became the first African-American female to command a major Army base.1 She may be short in stature, but she was a giant presiding over ceremonies at Fort Belvoir just outside of Washington, DC, a premier installation whose duties include entertaining visiting international dignitaries, such as Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan. It was thrilling to see this young woman review the troops, especially when her second-in-command was a young man appearing to be twice her height! When she retired from the military, she and her husband went on to establish their own successful business, and she continues to make her presence known. General Adams-Ender is yet another example of excellence at the helm of our military establishment.

  One experience I lived through captures the clash in America regarding attitudes toward our military. In 1967, during my high school years in ROTC, the Detroit riots erupted, which were among the worst our nation has ever seen. Tanks rumbled down the street and squadrons of heavily armed soldiers stood guard on street corners to prevent looting. Some of the soldiers were even attacked and shot at. I, on the other hand, was delighted to see the military, because they were able to restore a semblance of peace and calm to the area. For those who wanted to continue looting and rioting, the soldiers stood in their way and were therefore seen as bad. For the citizens who desired restoration of law and order, the soldiers were seen as good. The former group began to characterize the latter group as racist, and for many the term law and order became synonymous with racist attitudes. This is what happens when people begin to polarize themselves based on phrases used by rabble-rousers who for the most part are only interested in their own positions. I think in the long run almost everyone was happy with the performance of the National Guard and with the return to normalcy on the streets of Detroit.

  Although racial tensions were explosive in 1967, just one year later the city was a picture of harmony, not because of great political leadership, but rather because the Detroit Tigers were about to win the World Series for the first time in nearly four decades. Everyone was so caught up in the excitement, they forgot their differences and reveled in their common pride. What an incredible testimony to the power of creating common goals and desires — which is, of course, a hallmark of outstanding leadership.

  THE STING OF HUMAN NATURE: WHY CAN

  WE NOT PEACEFULLY COEXIST?

  When I was a college student at Yale, the military draft for the Vietnam War was still in effect. People felt that favoritism played a large role in who was selected; therefore, a system was implemented in which a lottery determined who was drafted. All eligible men were assigned a number between 1 and 365, depending on the date of their birth. The lowest numbers were drafted first and the higher numbers were drafted last or not at all. My brother, Curtis, got a very low number and realistically assumed he was going to be drafted, even though he was in college at the time. He decided to at least apply for the military branch of his choice, so he enlisted in the Navy, where he trained as a nuclear atomic submarine operator. I, on the other hand, was dealt lottery number 333, which virtually assured I would not be drafted.

  Although I would have readily accepted my responsibility to fight had I been drafted, I found myself wondering why in modern times we are still running around killing each other. Over the course of thousands of years, why has the human race failed to make meaningful strides toward peaceful coexistence? I think the answer is contained in the story of “The Scorpion and the Frog”:

  A scorpion was trying desperately to reach the opposite bank of a river, but he could not swim. Then he saw a frog swimming leisurely along the shore. He implored the frog to give him a ride on his back to the other side of the river.

  “Are you crazy?” the frog said. “Or maybe you think I’m crazy. What would keep you from stinging me, causing me to drown?”

  The scorpion answered, “If I sting you while we’re in the river, and I cannot swim, I will also drown. Therefore, I have great incentive for keeping you alive.”

  The frog saw the logic in the scorpion’s argument and he agreed to shuttle him across the river on his back. When they reached the deepest part of the river, the frog felt a painful sting on his back. As sensation began to leave his body and he began to sink he asked the scorpion, “Why did you sting me? Now we’re both going to die!”

  “I’m sorry,” the scorpion answered, “but I couldn’t help it. You see, it’s my nature.”

  Throughout history, mankind has behaved like the scorpion, and, unfortunately, we can assume that our natural, pugilistic tendencies will persist into the foreseeable future. For that reason, it is important to fortify ourselves against attack and maintain a state-of-the-art military apparatus. Many pacifists among us would strongly disagree, believing that if we are nice to everyone, that everyone will in turn be nice to us, and that peace will reign supreme throughout the world. I would love for that to be true, but in our world pragmatism generally wins out over idealism. I do, however, believe we should continue to work toward the goal of world peace. If we don’t set a target, we certainly will not hit it.

  Being prepared to protect ourselves does not mean endless expansion of the military budget or insinuating ourselves into every conflict around the globe. One only need look to the history of the Roman Empire to learn significant lessons about what happens when military forces are stretched too thin. The Romans suffered many
humiliating losses as a result, which affected the esprit de corps, leading to further erosion of a once fierce fighting force. Also, their need for ever-increasing funding led to burdensome taxes and trumped-up reasons to confiscate private property, particularly that belonging to the wealthy. The loss of a national vision, erosion of morality, and totally irresponsible fiscal policies led to the destruction of what was perhaps the greatest empire the world had ever known. Our nation should keep this in mind when evaluating trouble spots around the world and considering our level of involvement.

  There are ways to affect outcomes of such conflicts without investing large amounts of money or engaging the military overtly. I believe it is unwise, however, for us to talk too openly about our political and military objectives because it unnecessarily constrains us and provides our opponents with early warning and the opportunity to prepare. I’m talking about things that have unwisely been criminalized or demonized that are better left undiscussed in a public forum. When dealing with corrupt and evil forces that are bent upon the destruction of our nation, we would be wise to keep them in the dark regarding our intentions and capabilities. For quite some time now, it seems we’ve lost our grasp on the simple logic in this as we pay too much attention to a vocal, well-meaning, but naïve group of people who insist on transparency in all of our policies. Others will agree with me that integrity and morality are considerably more important than transparency when engaging in military conflicts.

  But, some may ask, how are the people to know there is integrity without transparency? Do I have logical, mutually agreeable solutions to satisfy both sides? No. But if the American people know our goals and philosophy, I would expect that they would agree that relating all the details also alerts our enemies. For the sake of our military strategists, soldiers, and the common good, I believe most would be willing to give up a few public details for the sake of better protection.

  OUR NATION’S HISTORY FROM ISOLATION

  TO GLOBAL PARTICIPATION

  From the time of its inception until now, the United States has been involved in many military conflicts, but by the early 1900s, we were beginning to be wary of the consequences of war, particularly when there was no direct threat to our nation. While World War I raged, President Woodrow Wilson was determined to maintain US neutrality and allow our economic prosperity to continue. He was strongly supported by his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, many other government officials, and public opinion. But on May 7, 1915, the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, killing almost 1,200 people, more than 10 percent of whom were Americans. People around the world expressed great outrage, but particularly in Great Britain and America. Nevertheless, despite sending a series of semi-threatening letters to Germany, President Wilson tried to maintain calm, and discouraged our entry into the war. Although the Germans moderated their U-boat attack policies, US commercial business interests eventually prevailed in advocating war on Germany. America was not prepared for war and contributed little to the effort when we entered in 1917, but by the spring of 1918, very successful recruitment efforts led to the influx of hundreds of thousands of American troops, with more than one million American troops in France by early fall of that year. The Germans, who had been in the driver’s seat before the entrance of America, could not match those numbers; therefore, they backed down, and in November of 1918 the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the war. Although America was a fledgling superpower in the first part of the twentieth century, it demonstrated great flexibility and cunning military prowess that altered the rest of the world’s perception of the US as an isolationist nation, changing the global power dynamics.

  After World War I, spurred on by confidence and the tremendous industrial stimulus the war had provided, America enjoyed a thriving business community and unparalleled expansion of the manufacturing sector. We got heavily involved with the international business community, but had little desire to engage in international geopolitical squabbles. Once again, an isolationist mind-set began to prevail, while political tensions throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa began to mount. Our military preparedness had dwindled, even though large conflicts in Asia and Europe were beginning to take place. The Germans were determined to regain their status as a world power, and in 1936 entered into a treaty with Japan, forming the basis for the Axis powers. As the various international conflicts increased, the politically neutral United States sold military, industrial, and nutritional products to supply the war, greatly bolstering its coffers.

  There was not unanimous agreement, however, that we should stay out of the war, which had pulled in virtually every world power except the United States. It appears that Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to get involved, particularly given the friendship he had with Winston Churchill, but our nation’s isolationist faction was still too strong. However, on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, and more than two thousand American servicemen lost their lives. Four days later, the Germans declared war on the United States, and an amazing thing occurred. A spirit of unity encompassed the entire nation, and we went from neutral to strongly committed to the Allied forces overnight.2

  Prior to our entrance into World War II, many nations of the world had been falling like dominoes before the tyrannical Axis powers, but the Japanese made a strategic error when they awakened the sleeping giant of America. Ours was a nation with the ability to send its young men from the cities, suburbs, and countryside to fight around the world, while sending its young women into factories to build more airplanes, tanks, and mortars than anyone could imagine. Through our industrial might and determination, we became a nation that changed the course of history and delivered the world from brutal tyranny.

  The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from World War II as the two superpowers of the world with markedly different philosophies regarding freedom, economics, and geopolitical strategies, which eventually led to the strategic standoff known as the “Cold War.” Although it is true that many nations that are free today owe their freedom to the United States, it is also true that we would most likely not have prevailed in our quest for freedom from Great Britain in the late 1700s without the help of the French and other nations.

  THE FOG OF WAR

  In spite of the obvious horrors of World War II for a generation around the world, there were also a number of green shoots that emerged for the United States following that war. National unity and pride was at an all-time high, and our infrastructure for production of industrial goods continued to function very well, leading to a booming post-war economy. The war even helped provide an impetus for the civil rights movement because African-American soldiers had performed so valiantly throughout the conflict. They boasted many heroic ground units as well as the famous Tuskegee Airmen, whose impressive list of successful combat missions is unparalleled. In 1948 President Truman outlawed segregation in the armed forces, paving the way for the abolition of this abominable practice throughout America.

  We experienced a similar groundswell of unity after the 9/11 crisis in New York City. Political rancor ceased and almost everyone united behind President George W. Bush for a season. Whether America’s ensuing steps into war in Afghanistan and Iraq will be seen as positive or negative remains to be seen, but I can’t help thinking there may have been a better way to react that would not have cost us so many lives and financial capital. I believe that if the president had seized the moment and declared that we would become petroleum independent within the next ten years as part of our effort to strip terrorism of its resources, that business, industry, academia, and everyone else would have been foursquare behind him, and we would have been much further ahead in the fight against terrorism than we are today.

  First of all, the moderate Arab states would have been terrified about losing their economic base and would most probably have turned Osama bin Laden and anyone else we wanted over on a silver platter immediately. Second, an enormous number of jobs would likely have
been created in the process of switching over to a new energy source, and Wall Street would have been booming. Third, the environmentalists would have been ecstatic; and fourth, but most importantly, the terrorists would have been deprived of much-needed funding, which would have gradually strangled their efforts. Oil prices would have fallen dramatically in an attempt to soften our resolve, but good leadership would hopefully have recognized and compensated for such a ploy. The point, of course, is that in some cases clever tactics can be employed outside of military action to respond to hostile actions. A strong military, coupled with wise leadership, will go a long way toward establishing and maintaining peace in the world.

  While World War I and World War II had very positive effects on the American economy, subsequent wars have had a neutral effect at best. The Iraq war should certainly have put an end to the myth that war is good for our economy. It is true that the demand for war products gave the economy a giant boost during our wars largely subsidized by other nations, but today the expense of modern warfare far outweighs any economic benefits it achieves. War is bad on all accounts and should be the very last resort for our nation.

  The horrors of war are probably best illustrated by what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Not only was there massive destruction of life and property, but the residual effects of radiation after the atomic blast were felt for decades. Although the dropping of atomic weapons certainly hastened the end of the war, the Axis powers were already on the run and their defeat was certain. Nevertheless, the advent of the atomic era forever changed the landscape of large-scale international conflict. One can only imagine what would have happened to the world if the Axis powers had been first to acquire atomic weapons — and one can only imagine what will happen in the future if terrorists are armed with such weapons. A grave responsibility rests with those who are in possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the entire world should endeavor to keep them from rogue nations.