Spring Break
While I Run
An RC reflects on his experience running the Marine Corps Marathon.
Andrew J. Wylie (NI), Associate Editor
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Viewpoints
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My training began on the beaches of Oman, a beautiful country. That there is a warzone involving the United States a thousand miles in either direction is hard to believe. Oman is a model of stability and civility. I learned a lesson in foreign policy while living in Oman: Democracy is not necessarily the only means to good governance. How do you measure happiness? Economic stability? Freedom of movement? Education and job opportunities? As I ran across the sands in the mornings and evenings I saw thousands of people (of all race and color) playing football together just out of reach of the surf. In the bustling mall and hotel complexes I enjoyed cuisine of diverse nations and immersed myself in an environment as multilingual and multicultural as any cosmopolitan city better known to western tourists.
The next stop on my marathon journey was Japan, where I stayed with family. This was perhaps a sentimentally appropriate place to train because the finish line of the marathon is at the base of the Iwo Jima Memorial - commemorative of that infamous battle ground for US and Japanese forces in World War Two. My brother's landlord was a young boy during the war, and now the two of them are friends. This period of my training gave me hope: that the horrors of war can be replaced with finer things given time and diligence.
With business school matriculation approaching I made my way back home to the United States and immediately became immersed in the main stream media issues of the day. Campaigning for the Presidential Election was in full swing and if I were to take front line articles at face value, the most important thing facing Americans was the price of gas. Would you believe that it cost me about ten US dollars (equivalent) to top off my rental SUV in Oman at the same time that gas was over $4 a gallon here in the US?
During this stage of my training I ran along portions of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. I reveled in the beauty of my country, and was inspired by the people I encountered who were continuing their way north for another 1069 miles. I had walked these trails years ago with my father when we learned I would be going to war. Returning here reminded me that being a citizen means being part of something larger than yourself. These hills were unchanged since the last time I tread their paths, but in the interim I had been overseas and gone through a profound maturation. Citizens have a responsibility to serve when called upon by their nation, the government in turn should take care to exercise that call to arms with care.
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