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ICYMI: ‘Brothers Forever’: A book forum and Memorial Day discussion featuring General John Allen (ret.)

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Memorial Day challenges the American people to ask whether the sacrifices made in defense of the country entail any correlating duty on their part. On Thursday, May 22, 2014,  scholars gathered with author Tom Sileo and General John Allen, USMC (Ret.), at AEI to discuss this question in the context of “Brothers Forever,” a book about a fallen US Marine and a fallen US Navy SEAL who lie buried side by side in Arlington National Cemetery.

As AEI’s Leon Kass noted in his introduction, individual citizens ought to learn the stories of the men and women who sacrificed their lives for their country and then be inspired to action in their own lives. Sileo detailed the story of these two men, whose heroic actions came from their sense of personal responsibility and dedication to their country. “If not us, then who?” was their motto in all things.

Invoking his decades in uniform, Gen. Allen observed that the current generation of soldiers is “the new ‘Greatest Generation,’” arguing that today’s warfare requires the same courage that it took for soldiers in WWI to emerge from the trenches. Allen contended that this courage, character, and heroism can bring about only positive effects in society and politics when military personnel exchange the uniform for civilian life.

‘Brothers Forever’: A book forum and Memorial Day discussion