West Point Graduation Week – Day Four

Today was all about our relatives meeting my son’s friends.  The relatives aren’t just any relatives – one is our own VIP, George Callahan.  George is a retired Chief Warrant Officer Four who served from 1940-1970 in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam.  George mentored me as he’s mentored my son.  My son’s friends aren’t just any friends.  West Point has a way making friends for life through shared adversity unlike any other college experience.   You may not be able to choose your family, but as George advised me many years ago, “Pick your friends very carefully.”  They say you learn a lot about someone by the company they keep, and I couldn’t be prouder of my son for the friends he chose.  It’s also good to know that our nation’s future isn’t as dire as some might predict.  If you’re in need of some national hope, just talk to the young men and women serving in our military.  The business world could learn a lot about what engagement and personal responsibility look like in the form of how military culture is adapting to a new age while maintaining time honored traditions.