OPINION: A Former Military Man Turned University President Welcomes Student Protest and Dissent

"And yet there is a significant difference between the military and academia, one worth discussing and actively preserving. My goal in the military was to accomplish our mission while protecting my soldiers and our partners from enemy fire. For a university president, there are also bullets (metaphorically speaking, thankfully) -- but you must be willing to take those bullets and even, paradoxically, vigorously encourage them. To put it mildly, that's not something I was used to in the military."

Friendly Encounter with War Veteran in Greater Minnesota is a Reminder Of Empathy's Power

"I trailed him on our way to a local grocery store, where he and a dozen other World War II veterans convened at 2:15 p.m. every day. 'The Last Man Club' met at the former Glen's Bakery and Deli. Herreid told me they did not allow many folks into those gatherings but they had made an exception that day.

I was 22 years old and those veterans, then in their 80s, told me about the day they all hopped onto a train that carried them to a world they did not know. Most of them were teenagers. One of the men at the table told me he'd slipped onto the field at 15 or 16. They were boys fighting a war."

Article Topics