The End of our Year, Part I
Some might wonder where JINSA Reports has been – others, not. Well, in the past six weeks, JINSA has done two conferences of our Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP), a LEEP trip to Israel for American law enforcement personnel, a meeting of our Board of Directors and JINSA’s 23rd Annual Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award Dinner. Working backwards:
Some might wonder where JINSA Reports has been – others, not. Well, in the past six weeks, JINSA has done two conferences of our Law Enforcement Exchange Program (LEEP), a LEEP trip to Israel for American law enforcement personnel, a meeting of our Board of Directors and JINSA’s 23rd Annual Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award Dinner. Working backwards:
In 1982, JINSA was proud to honor Senator Henry M. Jackson with the first JINSA Security Award. After his death, in cooperation with Mrs. Helen Jackson, JINSA renamed the award in the Senator’s memory, enabling us to recognize and thank leaders whose careers have been distinguished by the principle that is the foundation of JINSA’s work: the United States requires a strong military capability both for its own security and for that of its friends and allies around the world. That was the cornerstone of the late Senator Jackson’s philosophy and still guides JINSA today.
The 2005 recipient was Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In presenting the award, Dr. Stephen Bryen, president of Finmeccanica, Inc., an aerospace firm and the dinner’s major corporate sponsor, called Pace’s job “a hard one that requires clarity, acuity and decisiveness… Taking the burden is not easy, but such leadership is readily recognized by the men and women of our armed forces, who are justly proud of Gen. Pace. From beginning to end, his career in the Marines has been exemplary and magnificent.”
JINSA established the Grateful Nation Award three years ago to express our appreciation to the men and women of our armed forces. Each military branch and U.S. Special Operations Command chooses one person to be honored for distinguishing him/herself by exceptional service and an outstanding demonstration of the values of their service branches. Their citations are read and each receives a gift from JINSA. The 2005 recipients included a posthumous award to Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, who earned the Medal of Honor after being killed defending his troops outside Baghdad in the first weeks of the war. His widow, Birgit, accepted the award on his behalf.
More than 600 people gathered in Washington for the occasion.
David Steinmann, Chairman of JINSA’s Board of Advisors, reminded us, “Our country is at war. It may not feel like it here tonight or most days for many of us, but we are… We just have to have the national will to fight to success. One of the ways our country generates and maintains that national will is by embodying in real people all of the characteristics needed to fight and win. Courage. Steadfastness. Commitment. Loyalty. Bravery under fire. And a willingness to do whatever it takes to win. In short, America needs heroes.”
And that evening, we had heroes and had an opportunity to thank them for their service in defense of freedom and liberty – not only for Americans, but for Iraqis, Afghans and others who see in Iraq’s liberation and subsequent political development hope for their own future.