Today, an old student of mine who'd served in the Marines after graduation came back to school for a presentation on American veterans. He’d served his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom, undergone training and come back alive to tell his story and keep a national perspective in mind for the younger generation. After the presentation, he shook my hand, said he was doing good and offered to tell me more about his experiences.
I wanted to tell him how proud I was about how far he’d come, about how hard he’d worked, and about how well he’d conducted himself in what must have been a beyond-harrowing experience. I wanted to tell him he did his high school, and his country proud.
Instead, I said, “Joe, you’re doing well, not good. Your grammar sucks.” And I wrote him up and kicked him out of the building.
"Yeah, you're a hero. Now sit up straight."
