This weekend I had the incredible opportunity to go home to Virginia Beach to welcome home the soldiers from the 2-183d Cavalry Unit of the US Army from their deployment in Kuwait/Iraq, my brother being one of the soldiers. Never in my life have I been so in touch with a feeling of loyalty and pride in my fellow human beings. I was taken away by so many things, but one thought kept running through my head and still resonates with me right now: Diversity.
I preface this by saying that I realize my perspective on diversity is privileged. I am shaped by my experiences, and I am fortunate that those experiences have caused me to dissect my privilege and what that means in this society. I have, though, pledged to reach my hand over the divide whenever possible. I think this guy has a lot of good stuff to say that relates to what I'm attempting to articulate.
Without straying too far from the point here (which I've already done, highlighted, and deleted), I want to acknowledge and celebrate what I would consider the most real example of diversity I've seen in my life. Let me paint the picture:
I'm driving my car to Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, VA to meet my family and others who are gathered to see their loved ones arrive from a one year deployment. As we enter the base, active duty soldiers direct us to the lot to park our cars. The first realization of "difference" enters my mind as I consider the fact that somewhere they probably had a ceremony just like this to see another Unit off to Iraq to replace 2-183d. Those emotions replicated what I felt a year ago...very different than today. Those feelings began to come full circle. I get out of my car and walk towards the field where the soldiers are supposed to arrive. There are dozens of boxes of small American Flags on 2 ft. long wooden dowels. Every person (~300) on the field is holding an American Flag. On the field, there's a stage, podium, and taped off area where families aren't supposed to stand.
Once we find our "spot," I look around this field and come to this insane appreciate for the different kind of people there. It is so unspokenly clear that all of these people are assuming nothing but good about each other. Nothing else matters besides that their brother, father, son, uncle, nephew, husband, or boyfriend is minutes away. There's country music on the sound system, with a playlist of songs that have the word "America" somewhere in them. There's white women with tattoos sitting on a blanket next to us with tattoos all over their body. There's a little black boy kicking a ball into the "don't stand" zone who laughs every time he has to run out to get it. Others standing around smile because he has this joy about him...so care-free. There's elderly men and women sitting in wheelchairs throughout the field, mustering up the strength to waive the flag in the air for an hour straight while we wait. Colonel Chase, USMC (my grandfather and hero) stands 50 yds. away from the field and crowd because he is too strong to be seen amongst the masses with his oxygen tank-on-wheels and tubes in his nose. His presence is there ahead of everyone else's, though.
The crowd gets excited by the site of charter buses off in the distance. Fifteen minutes later, the sound of Harley-Davidson motorcycles pierces the silence. The motorcycles proceed slowly towards the crowd and soldiers can be seen faintly walking behind them. The demographic of the motorcyclists add another population to the mix.
Hundreds of family and friends line the street and yell greetings and thanks to the soldiers as they walk by us, stone faced as ever. I've never been a part of anything like it. These men that just served our country in the Middle East are walking up the street and for a split second all differences are merged, forgotten, and simplified by one thought: we are ONE. I recognize and appreciate the importance of how we are all different...and those components of difference allow us to learn from each other. I do not disregard the aspects of our culture that make us unique (i.e., ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, etc.), but instead want to emphasize how much I appreciated this moment in time where I believe all of us were proud about the exact same thing. The women with the tattoos, the boy playing with the ball, the wheelchair-bound folks, Col. Chase...bonded over a unique moment.
It is with thanks to the soldiers of the US Army that I write this post. Their service has gone further than they realize, and I believe it provided a glimpse into how we are intended to co-exist as humans. That moment set the bar for what I will measure all diversity efforts. If we can recreate those feelings of mutuality and loyalty in our daily lives as leaders and collaborators, we will undoubtedly change the society in which we live. We can be bold, be conscious of ourselves and others, and educate our friends, family, and colleagues. Some of that may even require that we follow the advice of the closing screen of "Higher Learning," which simply says UNLEARN.
ONE love.
