A Just and Lasting Peace
Reflecting on Lincoln's Second Inaugural
The plan for today was to write about the 54th Massachusetts Regiment and the Second Battle of Fort Wager, where 161 years ago this week, the heroic actions of so many soldiers changed the national narrative about Black Americans and military service, and where Sergeant William Carney became the first Black American to earn the Medal of Honor. That story will still come this week.
But in light of the horrific attack on former President Donald Trump, an attack which by its nature was an attack on our nation, I changed course. Like all Americans, I am still grappling with both the attack itself and what it might mean for the days and weeks to come.
I was in Washington DC last week, and on a run around the National Mall I walked up into the Lincoln Memorial, where the full text of his second inaugural address is imprinted on the North wall. Its closing words, “to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations” have more urgent meaning today.
So for Army 250, today we share a rendition of God Bless America from the West Point Band. Irving Berlin drafted the original lyrics in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army, but it was not made into a song until 20 years later. Let its words inspire today.
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