250
Living in Washington, D.C., one could be inclined to let Donald Trump spoil the official 250th anniversary of the United States celebrations and 4th of July holidays, as he spoils much of what he seizes for personal glory and self-enrichment. See the Kennedy Center, now covered by a tarp since his name was ordered removed (after Trump’s unlawful seizure of the arts institution led to plummeting ticket sales, artist boycotts, layoffs of many staff, and its virtual ruin); the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, now algae-blooming and patrolled by federalized troops preventing tourists from “loitering” to take videos of the site Trump had painted but now baselessly accuses leftist saboteurs of having vandalized; the crater where Trump had the White House East Room leveled to build his ballroom/underground command bunker, whose price tag has now grown to almost half a billion dollars; the tacky gold flourishes he has spattered around the White House; the public DC municipal golf courses he is seizing for redevelopment and profiteering; the towering ‘arch de Trump’ (Triumph) he is planning to build overshadowing Arlington National Cemetery and potentially endangering air traffic into nearby National airport; etc.
Media reports and videos on social media show very few people attending the 250th anniversary hoopla and “great American state fair” in downtown DC. As the capital like much of the country is expecting a string of 100+ degree days, one is even less tempted to head down to the mall. Much of the city continues to cope day to day with Trump by avoidance.
So I was pleasantly surprised when we attended a U.S. service academy graduation last week at which a Trump cabinet secretary and the Army Secretary spoke, that it was entirely appropriate and non-partisan.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll gave an excellent, humble, inspiring keynote address to the 2026 graduating class of the US Merchant Marine Academy, in beautiful Kings Point, New York, on Long Island. (We were honored to attend in recognition of the college graduation of a family friend, who will be joining the Air Force.)
Driscoll honored the mission of the merchant marines, in delivering supplies to the army and joint force in theaters around the globe. When he spoke of himself, he did so to offer life advice to the graduates as they move forward in their careers, with humor, humility and no trace of macho self-aggrandizement—quite a contrast with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who reportedly considers Driscoll a competitor for his job. Driscoll notably praised colleagues and aides who had significantly more military experience whom he relies upon, several of whom Hegseth has recently ousted.
The key life lesson part:
Looking back, here are three lessons on how to live a life of meaning. Seek challenges that humble you, apply that humility to your leadership, and realize that the people with whom you serve are the ones who will truly enrich the rest of your life.
First, do hard things in life, because they will pay dividends long after the difficulty passes. President Theodore Roosevelt once said that nothing in this world is worth doing unless it means pain and difficulty. And Herman Melville said, ‘in order to know warmth, some part of you must be cold.’ And they are both right for very, very different reasons. Hardships are like forging steel; they build the resilience and durability to withstand challenges. But forging steel requires immense heat and a hammer to pound it into shape.
In the Army, Ranger School is our forge and our hammer; it’s over 60 days of exhaustion, sleeplessness, and hunger. It is an incredibly humbling experience, and to be honest, it absolutely and utterly broke me. Fifteen years ago we were marching all night in the freezing cold mountains of North Georgia, and I slipped and I fell. I physically could not get up. I just couldn’t move anymore. I was completely and utterly vulnerable. My weaknesses were laid bare, and I was done in that moment. But my Ranger buddies, they picked me up, they carried my gear, and they helped me start moving again. They got me to the patrol base, and they literally hugged me, so I would stop shivering. And they were the main reason I earned my Ranger badge. It was hard, and it was miserable, but it prepared me for every single challenge that has followed. […]
My message of hope to you is this: the difficulties from my time in the army made me the man, father, and husband that I am today. The challenges my wife and I have faced together have made us closer than we ever could have imagined. And without those hardships, I would not be standing on this stage addressing you today, which is an absolute honor. …
So pursue challenges while you are young, because they will pay dividends for the rest of your life. And there is a second benefit to doing difficult things and discovering your breaking point. It gives you perspective, which leads to my second lesson: be humble. The degrees, the licenses, the commissions you receive today will give you authority, but humility will earn you respect. I learned this lesson early and very, very, very painfully. I was in UNC [the University of North Carolina] during the height of the Iraq War. So, I rushed through college to get into the fight as quickly as possible. I graduated, enlisted in the army, and went to basic training. A few days in, my drill instructor chose a class leader who wasn’t [me]. I didn’t agree, because obviously I was the better choice. So, Private Driscoll approached the drill instructor to calmly and passionately explain the mistake that she had made, and how they could remedy it by just simply switching me in. Whether you’ve ever been to Army Basic Training, or just seen it in the movies, as you can probably imagine, Private Driscoll’s input was not well received. And it turned out the drill instructors are evil masterminds in using exercise as punishment. But more importantly, basic training taught me there are times to lead and there are times to follow, and I just simply wasn’t as good as I thought.
Those lessons paid off when I arrived at my first unit as a lieutenant, because schools alone cannot prepare you to lead men and women in combat. For the first few months, I would give an order, but the platoon would wait to get a quiet nod of approval from the platoon sergeant. He had 15 years of service, and mine was measured in a matter of days and months. But he made sure I didn’t fail, because I was humble enough to realize I wasn’t necessarily always the best choice, and I led with him and not over him. Fast forward to today, as Secretary of the Army, I still rely on those around me who have far more experience in the army than I do.
Instead of 15 years of experience, some have served for 40 or more years, like our Sergeant Major of the Army, who has spent over 10 years deployed to combat zones. Think about that. Ten years deployed and fighting the enemies of our nation. It would be crazy if I didn’t honor and tap into that experience, because as leaders, our job is to humbly accept what we have. We don’t know everything, we simply can’t, and our duty to the nation is far more important than our ego, and that brings me to my final lesson: people and relationships.
The wealth of my life has not come from finance, studying the law, or even the position I hold today. It comes from relationships forged in service to this day, my closest friends and confidants are those with whom I adored hardships. The Deputy Under Secretary of the Army, which is our third highest civilian position, is my best buddy Dave, whom I met in Officer Candidate School. We suffered through OCS together and have been Ranger buddies for decades. When I asked him to help run the army, Dave immediately quit his job and drove from North Carolina to DC. … When I needed him, he was there for me, and he is still suffering on my behalf. […]
I simply couldn’t do it without them. Similarly, you will need help throughout your entire career and long after you separate from service, your peers, your loved ones, and your crews will be the true wealth of your life…..”
Feeling hope that our nation will survive Trump’s endless self-aggrandizement, self-dealing and lawlessness, because of the people, the young people willing to face hardship to serve, all of you working to the make the world a better place.
Happy fourth to all who celebrate.
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