Lucas,
My mom never wanted me to join the military. As a mother, she was concerned for my safety and had a different life path in mind for her eldest son. She recently shared her memory of our first visit to West Point, saying the long gray halls didn’t do a thing for her, but she recognized how they called to me. She accepted my choice to step into a life of military service and she supported me at every major milestone along the journey.
My mom always encouraged my brother, sister, and me to learn about different cultures — to appreciate the differences in people. Early in life, before I could even talk, my mom instilled in me the value of communication. She served a long and fulfilling career as a speech language pathologist, eventually retiring from CVPH in Plattsburgh. She recalls bringing me to work with her where she allowed me, as a toddler, to explore my own methods of communication with deaf children.As my brother, sister, and I grew up, our parents continued to encourage open communication. I remember meals around the dinner table in Peru where each evening, we three kids had to share one thing we learned that day. Nobody got a pass. My parents would comment on each of our discoveries (sometimes taking far too long — especially when we were anxious to finish and leave dinner.) Although my mother said nothing out loud, she taught me to practice a life of listening and learning, all through her example.
Today, I reflect on those subtle life lessons and the foundation they provided for my own role as a husband and father, for my career as a combat commander, teacher, and senior Army officer. Thank you, Mom, for equipping me with the skills necessary to listen to and appreciate those who hold different values and ideas than me. Those simple lessons, learned so early in life and fostered through continuous support, have allowed me to sit at the table with enemies and allies alike, to negotiate, to stand back and provide a clear-headed framework to meet shared goals — skills that are desperately lacking in our government today.
To all the devoted mothers out there, especially Virginia Derrick, thank you. You have the hardest job in the world.
Thank you,
Mike Derrick