Dr. Shon Neyland - The Courage to Stand: a New America

THE
COURAGE
TO STAND:
A NEW AMERICA

DR. SHON NEYLAND

AuthorHouse

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2017 Dr. Shon Neyland. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , niv. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Cover photo by James Little

Published by AuthorHouse 10/25/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-0789-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-0790-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-0788-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017913927

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The views, illustrations, or photos in this book do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Defense, or the United States Air Force, or the Air Force Chaplain Corps. All photos are used with permission or from public domain. The illustrations in this book do not represent any particular person unless otherwise noted. All interviews, pictures, and personal examples are included with the permission of the persons involved.

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CONTENTS

To my lovely wife, Madeline, to whom I am eternally grateful for being with me on this journey called life. I also dedicate this book to my loving children: Ashley, Shontae, and Shon II. I am proud of each of their successes in life, and they motivate me to continue serving our nation.

America is at a crossroads in its history, and I believe there is an opportunity to go forward and shape the future. I am convinced this is a message that is needed for America, perhaps now more than ever. We have an opportunity to turn a pivotal corner in our society. In my estimation, the United States is the greatest nation on earth, but there are times when the nation seems irretrievably broken. Our leaders seem to make decisions that erode the fabric of society. All too often, the country seems to respond to issues across racial, religious, or political lines rather than basing decisions on what is right, moral, legal, and ethical. A divided nation cannot stand, and one individual or group of people is not enough to repair its cracks. It will take a nation coming together to stand. As a military veteran of more than thirty-three years at the publishing of this book, I understand what it means to sacrifice in service to others. I know about giving oneself to great causes, such as participating in the defense of our nation, serving in wars away from family, and putting the needs of the nation before personal gain. My view of America as the greatest nation on earth may sound like American exceptionalism, but in this instance, I believe America, along with other nations that espouse democracy, honor, moral courage, and justice, is a special nation. I know that other people believe their country is the greatest nation on earth, but when you think of the opportunities available in America and its contributions to the world, one simply has to acknowledge that America is indeed among the greatest nations in the history of the civilized world, if not the greatest. I know this comment will cause some controversy, but I believe in America, and I hope you do as well. This is without a doubt the land of opportunity, the home of the brave, and the land of the free. As we say in the military, America is the land of the free because of the bravethose who fight for freedom. But we are also the land of the free because of great political and religious leaders who have sacrificed much to ensure America would be great. Further, we are the land of the free because of all Americans who make the nation great. Each person in America makes an invaluable contribution to society and to the well-being of this nation, with each person doing his or her part, big and small. The world looks to America because the nation is special and unique and plays a major role in the future of our world. The United States leads the world in humanitarian outreach, democracy, and financial aid and supports the worlds largest economy and most powerful military. We make no excuses, and America is not perfect, but it is a nation that strives to grow and develop, and its citizens are grateful for that. We are a nation of destiny born out of purpose in that the United States is unique for its opportunities and social mobility.

However, I and many would argue that our nation is not where it needs to be in terms of equality, fairness, and prosperity for all. Many point to the ethnic divide, the hatred, and the heinous crimes we sometimes commit against one another. There is still much evidence that covert discrimination and unfair treatment exist, and these realities hinder the growth of America. These grievances happen in all walks of life; they happen to the rich and the poor alike, to people of all colors and ethnicities, and to all genders. The impact affects all economic, educational, physical, and emotional facets of life and well-being. A case can be made that our nation can improve in many areas. As the leader of the free world, America must now move even further up the moral plane toward harmony and respect for all. Many might say this is an arrogant statement, but I do not believe it to be so. America has done much to overcome discrimination, prejudice, and racism. I am convinced that America has grown tremendously in many areas of equality, fairness, and prosperity for all, yet there is more work to be done.

Even though America is a great nation, there is incredible violence in America, and the path our nation is on appears to be antireligious. Why would we attack religion, when it was the quest for freedom of the right to practice religion that birthed our great nation? This is akin to saying we believe Americans should have the right to trample or burn the American flag or not honor it even though it is the flag that represents the very freedom for which so many died. Recently, some professional athletes have not honored the American flag or the national anthem before the start of a game. I believe it is wrong and disrespectful to our nation and all it stands for not to honor the American flag. I support peaceful protests for what may be considered injustices, but do not dishonor the flag or national anthem. Believe it or not, it has been reported in the news that some are offended because the American flag is being flown in their neighborhoods. Homeowner associations across America have begun to institute strict guidelines for flag flying. Recently, I saw an article that stated the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on wearing US American flag shirts at a high school during Cinco de Mayo in order to create a more positive environment. Evidently, there had been disciplinary issues between whites and Mexicans, with approximately thirty fights between the ethnicities. Due to the discipline issues, we ban the wearing of the American flag, or because of a homeowner associations newly established rules, we cant show American pride and fly the flag, because it doesnt fit within the rules. Does this make sense? Is this what we have becomea place where the very rights of freedom can be erased by an outcry or judgment of a few?