While battling Boards is a personal struggle of considerable magnitude, it's obviously not a "war" in any true sense of the word. We have to work hard, demonstrate great discipline, face adversity, and not accept defeat but in our "battle", no one dies, no one is seriously injured or maimed, lives are not shattered, children don't lose parents, and the great courage and countless sacrifices required of real soldiers are not called for nor made.

War merits study, there are many lessons, but it should never be glamorized. While we honor real soldiers by studying and trying to understand what they did, by it's very nature real war is hellish, often beyond anything civilians can comprehend. Unfortunately, "Only the dead have seen the end of war." (Plato)

Since 1962, the Marine College Scholarship Fund has helped support children of "the loved lost." (Lincoln) I first became aware of the organization a decade ago while teaching a course in Chicago. About noon, there was an influx of soldiers into the hotel in dress uniforms-- the Marine Corps Marching band. That night, they performed a benefit concert which I attended for the Marine College Scholarship Fund--an unforgettably moving and patriotic experience.

We all know first hand the value, importance, and transforming power of education. What, for a young person, is more important? When true heroes die or are incapacitated, others must step up to support critical endeavors undertaken by young and vulnerable dependents.

 In this spirit, I hope you'll help me contribute to this very worthy cause for real soldiers and their struggling families as we battle the Beast of Boards.