When many people think of monuments dedicated to fallen heroes, most think about the larger-than-life buildings of Washington DC such as the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials. Monuments are lasting reminders of someone or something notable, and those at our nation’s capital are nothing less than spectacular. The great thing about these places of honor is that they allow people to pay homage to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life, indeed our freedom. These places mean different things to different people. For school children many of the granite, limestone, and marble buildings help reinforce that which was studied in classrooms across America. For veterans, such as me, war monuments are places to bond with the spirits of the dead.

 

I remember the first time I visited the Vietnam Memorial. I had just returned from a six-month deployment aboard the USS Saratoga. At that point, I felt an obligation to visit the names of those who served before me because I wanted to feel the presence of kindred souls, but also, I wanted to visit the name of my uncle, Curtis Breedlove, who was killed in Vietnam in 1969 and whose name appears on the wall. Mere words will never express the overwhelming emotional power of that place. As I was trying to locate his name, I saw all the other names listed alongside his, and the reality that all these men were forever silent was almost too much to bear. I couldn’t help myself; the moment I found Uncle Curtis’s name, I began to sob because I felt the pain of so many families who lost sons, husbands, brothers, uncles, and friends. I had never experienced that kind of sorrow before, and I will never forget it.

 

The unfortunate truth of these places is that one must travel to Washington DC in order to fully appreciate their majesty. Not every American will able to see for themselves the grandeur of Washington DC, and what I think is interesting is that there are local alternatives people can visit in lieu of visiting the most famous monuments. Many communities have erected their own monuments to fallen heroes. One of the most impressive I have seen was established in Newport News, Virginia in 1919. The Victory Arch is a beautiful monument dedicated to those who served during World War I, and the way it was built is in a similar fashion as the monuments of Washington DC. The Victory Arch is almost a small replica of the Arc de Triomphe of Paris, France. So, if you are ever in the Newport News, Virginia area, you should take a couple of minutes to enjoy their Victory Arch; you’ll be glad you did.

As an administrator for a local community college, it is often my duty to occasionally review job applications for educational positions. Over the years, my experience has taught me that finding a great job is a skill, which begins with the all-important résumé. In addition to the regular application, the résumé is the first impression companies have of prospective candidates. This brief document establishes in a nutshell a person’s entire professional life, so it is no exaggeration that it carries a lot of weight. And, in this age of global competition, the need to stand out positively is essential. I cannot overemphasize enough how important it is to create a substantive document that will capture the attention of someone like me. The résumé is a metaphorical rite of passage.

 

You would think that with so much riding on the résumé, people would spend more time sculpting it. When I applied for my position with Tidewater Community College, I must have written my résumé twenty times before I decided which one I would use with my job application. Now that I am on the other side of the job-finding process, I am bewildered at the number of mediocre and lackluster applications people send to professional organizations believing what they submitted is worthy of an interview. The unfortunate truth is that after reviewing, let’s say, fifty résumés forty-four applicants will not be considered for an interview merely because they did not stand out professionally. There is nothing personal about the process because it’s all business.

 

So, recently while I was getting ready for work, I was listening to the morning television news program Good Morning America with Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Chris Cuomo, and Sam Champion. One topic they covered was five tips for landing a job interview. I was captivated because more people should pay better attention to how they present themselves to the business world. The following link will take you to the ABC video clip. I hope you find it informative.

 

Those who know me can attest that I love comic book superheroes, though my desire to follow the serials isn’t as strong as it once was. As a kid, I was captivated by the action stories generated by Detective Comics (DC). This company created such legendary heroes as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash to name a few. Each character had special powers which set him apart from others. For instance, Superman’s power was generated from the yellow rays of Earth’s sun, which gave him such abilities as flight and x-ray vision; Batman’s powers are derived from his amazing intellect as well as access to the vast fortune of his deceased parents’ company: Wayne Enterprises; the source of Green Lantern’s power comes from the ring bestowed on him by an advanced race of people sworn to protect the universe; and the Flash’s power comes from his costume that allows him to run almost at the speed of light.

 

While each superhero has his own comic book series, respectively, they all come together to form the Justice League of America (JLA). Here, they use their powers collectively to combat evil. Beyond the above mentioned supermen, there are a host of other characters (mostly male) who form the JLA. Surprisingly enough, the male characters do not impress me near as much as the heroines do. As in real life men are physically stronger than women. When we see images of firefighters, policemen, and service personnel, it is 9 times out of 10 men we will see. And, traditionally, it is the women who stay at home to raise children and take care of the housework. (However, this will be different when John McCain is elected our next president, and Todd Palin will have to stay at home and raise the children of his wife, Vice President Sarah.)

 

Two of my favorite female protagonists are the famous Wonder Woman and the not so well-known Goddess Isis. In the 1970s these two superwomen were each created as a children’s television series. I remember watching in awe as Diana Prince and Andrea Thomas would transform themselves from mild-mannered, unassuming, ordinary women to the demigoddess Wonder Woman and the Goddess Isis! After their transformation, each woman would in turn invoke and use their powers to combat evil and save the day. I was captivated by Wonder Woman especially because in order for her to conjure her powers, she would have to spin around until a light changed her from fully clothed to half naked!

 

The bad part of my fascination came one day when my sister busted me, a boy, for spinning around pretending to be like Wonder Woman. Like most siblings she told everyone in my family, and after almost thirty years, I still haven’t been able to live that one down. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the embedded clips. One comes from The New Adventures of Wonder Woman and the other comes from The Secrets of Isis.

 

 

Recently, I was observing an argument between two of my good friends, Coley and Jefferey. The basis of their disagreement was over the relevance of Jesus and the distinctions between ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality.’ The friendly quarrel between Coley, a Christian, and Jeff, an agnostic, began with Coley saying how blessed he was in his life, with Jeff in turn giving a repugnant response stating that Christ had nothing to do with Coley’s good fortune. The ensuing conversation was an intelligent attempt for each man to dominate the other by using logic to make his own opinion heard.

 

I will be the first to tell you that I am not an authority on God, but after spending a year studying religion and the quest for meaning with the University of Virginia, I have surmised that the pursuit of faith and spirituality is simply one person’s attempt to find balance. The core principle of any faith is essentially harmony, and, more importantly, to love one another. Jesus is right for those who believe in him as Buddha is right for those who believe in his teachings. Moreover, in my studies, I’ve learned that the divine seems to help only those people who are willing to help themselves.

 

The best common sense approach, regardless of faith and in my opinion, comes from Matthew 7: 7 – 8 of the New Testament. It reads:

 

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Jesus “blessed” Coley only because Coley chose to help himself by taking practical steps to do what needed to be done, rather than just waiting for things to happen to him. By saying, “I am blessed,” this is an expression of humility. It is his way of taking responsibility but without taking the credit.

So, for what it’s worth, this is how I feel; both of their arguments have merit.