When General Douglas MacArthur ended his military career he closed his farewell speech with a line from an army ballad: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” I think about that line more often as my military career comes to an end within a few months.
I started my career as an officer training at Crowder Hall at the University of Missouri 20 years ago. I came from a military family where my father, brother and sister all served as enlisted. I was the first in our family to achieve membership into the officer corps and felt proud as my father and wife pinned on my gold bars as the rest of my family looked on.
As a young man, I wanted to serve my country, see different places, and meet new cultures. I was honored to do all three. I have served in four different career fields, been to many countries, and have made friends in each. As time went on my desire to see new places waned and my desire to go home to Missouri grew. As a reminder of my love of home, I would swap out my wing patch from my flight suit and replace it with the state flag of Missouri during missions onboard the Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft.
I appreciate being an American where I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve my nation while simultaneously achieving my personal goals. I am also fortunate to be working as cadre at Crowder Hall at this institution of higher learning where I started my career many years ago. I feel the strength of our military is the people and the training they receive. While our technological advances are many, some of the lessons we teach today, integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do, and situational style leadership, are no different than when I was a cadet.
My career has come full circle and brought me back to where I started; now it is time for me to fade away. Rest assured, the young men and women we are training at Crowder Hall will be more than ready to take my place.
Major Charles Dennison
Education Officer
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies
