Imagine walking into a high school classroom early in the morning and 16 teenage students are already huddled in a semi-circle anxiously awaiting the start of a leadership session. Yes, a lesson on leadership.  The students are dressed in oxford shirts, school ties, skirts, and khakis while posing studiously for the picture. A widescreen television is directly in front of the group with a picture of Robert E. Lee High School students from the toughest part of Jacksonville, Florida. These students are sporting t-shirts, jeans, and creative hair styles while positioned in fun poses for the picture.

Most in the Mount Paran Christian School community are aware that our MPC cheerleaders recently won consecutive State competition cheer title number SIX. What an accomplishment! As did many of you, I had the privilege of watching their practice routine before they left, and I was blown away! After witnessing the endless tumbles, flips, and tosses, one thing was very clear -- these girls were ready. Their preparation, discipline, and trust in each other was evident in their performance. It was clear to all who were watching.

I want to tell you about one of my first memories of a veteran. When I was about six years old, I remember watching my father labor to meticulously build 40 picnic tables as one of his side jobs. He had to work these extra jobs because he took a pay cut when his company moved him to working a desk job. You see, my father served as a munitions specialist in the Air Force and was stationed in Germany around 1960. His job was to reach his arm into a nuclear warhead to arm it for daily practice runs. This exposure to radiation caused my father to lose that arm (and later his shoulder) to cancer. However, he went ahead and built those 40 picnic tables with one arm.