Stepping Back: Appreciating History

If you’re a bit of a history nerd, like me, you appreciate a good museum. It’s encouraging that so many of you take time to appreciate and support efforts to preserve history. I come from a world steeped in history. Often this history is enlightening and inspiring. Join Colonel Candid and walk back in time to rejoice in where we’ve come from and to inspire you in the direction you are going.
Ideally, you can complete these reflections during some of the federal holidays in the United States. To appreciate history look at the following three areas and tie them to our federal holidays.


First, appreciating the men and women who’ve served, both past and present, in the Armed Forces and the sacrifices made by them and their families is captured all across America. Almost every military post, fort, camp, station or installation has a museum. Both Veteran’s Day, taken to appreciate those who’ve severed and Memorial Day, honored to remember those who’ve sacrificed the last full measure and gave their lives for their nation both provide days to inspire all Americans to think about service.  Each of you can take a step forward into a military museum to learn from those who selflessly served the nation.


Second, social progress in America occurred across the mighty arch of our nation’s history and you can gain an appreciation of what our brave citizens did through history by diving into the written word.  We have a multitude of great American literature that accounts for our social justice warriors. Some of these accounts were mandatory reading in middle and high schools across the country.  It’d invite each of you to take up the challenge of reading outside of your genre and read books of historical significance to our country’s history. Books like Letter from the Birmingham Jail, Rosa Parks: My Story, and The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist are fantastic examples of books that deserve diving into. You’ll gain new eyes to understanding the challenges faced by minorities in America. Taking time during the federal holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr Day.


Lastly, our President’s Day is a great reminder to honor the federal and local leaders in America. As this country has captured the spoken word of our elected leaders it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of some of these phenomenal speeches. By reading past speeches or listening to oratory bouts of genius, you gain a perspective of the country rarely appreciated. Time spend reading or listening to:  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address, Dwight Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Speech to the United Nations, or John F. Kennedy’s Address on the Space Effort increases your knowledge about how change came about in our country and the impact leaders had on the history of America.


I appreciate each of you joining Colonel Candid during this walk down memory lane. As we focus on leadership and mentorship here, there are so many ways to learn from others experiences. Take time to appreciate history by looking back to the past, while stepping forward to finding your greatness.