Behind the long, gray line that begins at West Point lies the all-important and much, much longer green line. It is a line made up of soldiers, punctuated by officers, but held together by non-commissioned officers who are like the vowels found in every word, making sense of it all. Together they all make things happen. They make the Army. Every citizen of our Republic would do well to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women of their Armed Forces.
Nothing can be nobler than to voluntary serve.
There is no greater privilege than to be a part of the long green line. American soldiers have been, and will continue to be, all that they can possibly be. The U.S. Army spends millions of dollars each year trying to entice young people to join up. There are even people who dedicate their entire professional careers to studying what things influence people the most in joining the military. Every soldier probably can recall what motivated him or her to join the service.