Kevin Joseph Smith

West Point, 2002

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dave on May 22, 2007:

I earnestly believe that the one of the most eloquent beginnings for this eulogy can be found in General Douglas MacArthur's Thayer Award Speech, (The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps) given at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, May 12, 1962. This passage is often quoted, and his words truly describe my nephew Kevin "KJ" Smith.... "Duty - Honor - Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean. The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule. But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character, they mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense, they make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, nor to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman." My thoughts, words and feelings fall far short of this amazing description of the young man I knew I loved as a son. His life was short, but long in accomplishments. He was strong, brave and good. My sadness at his loss is only calmed by the knowledge of his victory in Christ. My heart aches at times, yet it is filled with joy when I put my faith in God and his will. Kevin lived a full life, to a standard that many can only aspire to achieve. He is an inspiration to me and to all who knew him. Peace, Joy and Blessings, Uncle Dave

admin