Showing posts with label Dr. Terry Barrett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Terry Barrett. Show all posts

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Our Core Curriculum Must Value Valor



". . . the demonstration of bravery is a reflection of personal character." Major General James Livingston, USMC (ret.) fgrom the Preface to The Search For The Forgotten Thirty-Four , Terence Barrett
 Everything that is done by reason of ignorance is not voluntary; it is only what produces pain and repentance that is involuntary. For the man who has done something owing to ignorance, and feels not the least vexation at his action, has not acted voluntarily, since he did not know what he was doing, nor yet involuntarily, since he is not pained. Of people, then, who act by reason of ignorance he who repents is thought an involuntary agent, and the man who does not repent may, since he is different, be called a not voluntary agent; for, since he differs from the other, it is better that he should have a name of his own.  Aristotle -Nichomachean Ethics

If I were to plan a school for young men in 2015, it would be important to make sure that every lesson and every objective meet the test of Valor.

I am not a particularly brave person, but I know bravery and honor bravery, not in some crypto-Rahmbo homage to cruelty and acts of violence, but the underlying gentleness required of any brave act. My Dad, God rest him, fought in three brutal campaigns of the south Pacific, but bravest thing he ever did was hang laundry in the yard, when my Mom was laid up in the hospital with kidney failure in 1960.  He worked three jobs and took care of three little kids which meant laundry, cooking and cleaning during the Ozzie and Harriet epoch, when real men had dens, volumes of Playboys and 'the liitle woman' for such deeds.

My Dad, who was generally as combative as an old nun going through change of life, took the taunts from the Dads over fences. All but old man, Phil Bellina

Aristotle made the distinction between a brave man and crazy man, "   We ought presumably to call not what a fool or a madman would deliberate about, but what a sensible man would deliberate about, a subject of deliberation.: NE Book III.

We must deliberate.  Not always a possibility. How then do we act and how do we train generations of young men to act with grace, dignity, piety and deliberation if possible. Terence Barrett explains:
Brave acts occur every day. Great numbers of humans possess qualities of moral strength, purpose of mind, and courage. Finding themselves in the right difficult circumstances they demonstrate bravery. Most brave individuals go unheralded because their lives seem unremarkable or because they perform unwitnessed acts of bravery. Sometimes the witnesses to their bravery do not survive the circumstances.
Bravery is a personal quality, usually understood to be an inner core of strength and courage. Bravery is demonstrated by a deliberate and conscious choice to quickly, perhaps immediately, initiate an action in a difficult and challenging situation. That action will be in a manner uncommon (perhaps) to most people and performed in a socially accepted and respected way. Put simply, bravery is the demonstration of courage.  

Dr. Barrett's wonderful book The Search for the Forgotten Thirty Four examines the lives thirty four men who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of conspicuous bravery.and who died in relative obscurity even in their own home towns. Barrett write, "  Examination of Medal of Honor Citations suggests that Marines repeatedly perform in certain ways in their demonstration of heroic bravery."

He goes on with this  tem[late of brave actions "Nine general actions were identified to be ways in which Marines earned the nation’s highest award for bravery in battle:
1) Do what is asked for or required and more.
2) Fend off an enemy assault, especially one of unequal odds.
3) Volunteer for a challenging task potentially dangerous to oneself.
4) Turn the outcome of an engagement with the enemy by initiating an assault.
5) Demonstrate leadership that inspires others to take action despite imminent danger.
6) Sustain deliberateness of purpose despite extended duress.
7) Carry on one’s duty in spite of grievous, debilitating, and life-threatening wounds.
8) Put self in harm’s way, disregarding danger, to rescue others.
9) Act in defense of fellow combatants, even to the risk of one’s self.

A hero’s age at the time of action does not determine bravery."

If we graduate a student with Honors, but without an understanding of the nature of valor, I believe we might as well not teach at all.

Bravery is observable and self-evident and requires no parsing, or context management.  To do what is virtuous requires brave deliberation.  This is a cross-disciplinary imperative for a good school. Every book, every essay, every quiz and every activity should be dedicated to giving young men the outlet for bravery. Lessons should focus on examples of valor : in Geometry and Mathematics the Bravery of Archimedes;
Biology and Physics the Self Sacrifice of Pierre Currie and intellectual courage of Gregor Mendel and the Internet can provide halls of learning beyond the walls of the school.

All students come to school with fears. Those should be addressed and Barrett does a wonderful job of it -

Bravery does not mean fearlessness.
American author Mark Twain had traveled, worked on the Mississippi steamboats, and watched the Civil War nearly tear the nation apart. When he wrote the following comment, he was 59-years-old. He was not trying to be funny; he was serious when he said; “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear–not absence of fear.” 6
Mark Twain and others have long understood that fear and bravery go hand-in-hand.
Acting with bravery means that a person must perceive a danger or threat, real or imagined. Bravery is then demonstrated by an admirable human action, an indifference to fear, and a disregard for the personal danger. Note, however, that indifference to fear does not mean the absence of it. A person recognized to possess bravery consciously rises to meet a challenge that triggers fear, draws upon this personal quality, and takes an initiative few might endeavor.
The award Citations for the recipients repeatedly describe their heroic actions with specific words: included among these are admirable, bold, courageous, daring, dauntless, fearless, gallant, honorable, indomitable, intrepid, resolute, stout hearted, tenacious, unfaltering, unwavering, valiant, and valorous. The words impart a certain sense to the actions of these men.
Can we accept the implied meaning as accurate? Is dauntless a measurable and quantifiable personal quality? How might courage best be defined? A person described to be dauntless is believed to be without fear, unintimidated by danger. The words dauntless and courageous are often used interchangeably. Both are considered synonymous with brave. Yet, dauntless and courageous do not mean the same thing.
There can be no question that the Marines described in this book acted courageously. That they acted without fear at the same time is not accurate. A person does not have to be dauntless to be brave.
Dare I work toward this?  

Just a thought.



Friday, November 04, 2011

Leo Veterans Observance Today - Dr. Barrett on Valor and Resilience

Teenaged Marine in Chosin Reservoir 1950 - 35 degrees below zero and surrounded by twenty Red Chinese Divisions - Resilience?

"Fall seven times and get up eight."

In Dr. Terence W. Barrett's recently published book The Search for the Forgotten thirty-four:Honored by the U.S.Marines, Forgotten in their Hometowns?, the final pages sum up Valor as the ability to bounce back - to face the slings and arrows of outrageous Fortune.

Think of police officers hitting a door; firemen rushing up the stairs of every flaming building, a young mother in the throes of labor, any ER nurse, a Com Ed high wire electrician up a utility pole in an electrical storm and think of what most of us call stress. The cable's out. Gas is $ 3.65. Take another good look at that photo above. That kid, if he lived, is now approaching 80 years of living. That boy, frozen, scared, without sleep, and very hungry is resilient. He's on his feet. I believe that he handled the balance of his life with grace and dignity, if he lived past the days ahead of him.

The Outrage of combat is the ultimate test of human resilience. I used to tell my wrestlers that toughness was not determined by how much pain one could dish out, but how much one could endure in order to win. It is so much more than that.

In his study of the lives and the heroic action of American heroes, Dr. Barrett presents human resilience and the psychology of dealing with stress. Fear is merely an adjunct of stress. Resilience, the ability to get back into the fight has a psychology all its own. Barrett explains "resilience is more than managing encounters with stress or harsh experience. Resilience is the ability to adapt in spite of it, to adapt positively in spite of it, and to grow from it. Resilience is identified . . . as part attitude(or thought),and part ability: a blending of strength, endurance and adaptibilty. Resilience develops over time, likely associated to the encounters with realistic and reasonable stresses, and what might be called diligent striving. A persons learns to manage. And once a child learns to manage, he or she will tend to remain resilient across a lifetme."

Barrett goes on to study diligent striving and notes that those men studied in this book demonstrated extraordinary resiliency. They did not wait for events to shape them.

Today, Leo High School will be graced with presence of scores of WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan heroes. Resilient men and women.

Our students will witness what it takes from those how most surely did.

If they fall, they will get up again. The alternative is unacceptable. Facta Non Verba - Deeds Not Words.

God Bless Our Veterans.


Click my post title to link to the pages on Resilience by Dr. Barrett

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Remembering a Hero - Dr. Terry Barrett, The Leo Alumni, Veterans Everywhere and Cpl. John Fardy, Medal of Honor Hero

I scanned in haste - apologies all around - click on the photo and zoom in for a better view.
On Monday, I received a treasure. Miss Adams, the executive secretary for Leo High School handed me a package from Dr. Terry Barrett. It was his book The Search for the Forgotten Thirty-four: Honored by the U.S. Marines, Unheralded in their Hometowns?

The back cover of this book features the grave marker that was replaced by Dr. Barrett, The Marine Corps, The Medal of Honor Foundation and especially the Leo Alumni Association behind the leadership of Vietnam U.S. Army Hero - Jim Furlong ( Leo '65). Until August 15, 2011, passersby had no idea that beneath the well-managed sod of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in south suburban Alsip, lay the bones of a Medal of Honor Marine - John Peter Fardy. With a heads up from Dr. Barrett, Jim Furlong and Mark Lee ( Leo '85) sparked the energy to do honors long overdue.

It was Terry Barrett's research on heroes forgotten here at home, though their actions in defense of America were the highest and most noble sources for a study of valor, that brought all of us together and offer some fair tribute.

Dr. Barrett's book is now available to us all. I read the entire 612 pages over two nights and re-read Chapter 18 several times. Beginning on page 255, the story of Cpl. John Peter Fardy is laid out with painstaking attention to detail. Dr. Barrett unearthed records and family members to capture some of John Fardy's soul. That soul is magnificent. John Fardy smothered a Japanese grenade with his body in order to protect the squad of Marines he was leading in the fight for Okinawa. Barrett notes early in the book that of the 82 Marines awarded the Medal of Honor during WWII, 27 hurled themselves on live grenades, like Leo's John Fardy (Barrett 155).

A psychologist, as well as a Marine, Dr. Barrett explains that there is no training in the Marin Corps Manual for throwing one's self on a grenade. He explains with exacting detail how a Marine in combat might react to a grenade tossed into his foxhole - he might try and throw back, or he might leap from the hole, or in the worst scenario, keep fighting if he cannot reach the missile.

Psychologist Barret details the five steps necessary in taking any action ( Sensation, Perception, Recognition, Conclusion, Decision and Action). Jim Furlong and Mark Lee were made aware of John Fardy, recognized that his valor was unheralded, concluded that this would not stand, decided to get into the fight and honored John Fardy. Leo's motto is Deeds Not Words - Facta Non Verba.

In Chapter 18 there is a great subheading to some beautiful paragraphs - it is a quote from a man who lost some of leg to a Viet Cong grenade, Jim Furlong -" We Will Get This Done" ( Barrett, 282).

Click my post title and get this book.

Monday, August 08, 2011

My Photos of The Cpl. John Fardy Memorial at Holy Sepulchre

And where is MacArthur? Well, we don't like to tell
But he's in a place that Marines all know very well
For he's now down in Dago and trying hard to be
Promoted from a general to a Jarhead PFC
author unknown


Marine Corps 2011 and The Old Corps - this spry be-medaled Full Colonel was everywhere at the Memorial.
Two Korean War Marines Avoiding the Shade.
Marine League and Patriot Riders inspected by the Colonel.
America's Most Exclusive and Precious Fraternity -The Purple Heart Veterans - Jim Furlong who conducted this tribute to Valor is a fully paid up member of the Purple Heart Warriors.
Vietnam Marine and 11th Ward Alderman Jim Balcer pays tribute to the family of Cpl. John Fardy and inspects the Medal of Honor bestowed upon Cpl.John P. Fardy.
Leo Football Coach Mike Holmes and author of the forthcoming book on John Fardy and thirty three fellow Medal of Honor Marines, Dr. Terry Barrett -the event's keynote speaker flank our Leo Lions who helped provide comfort and care. Thanks Men!
Chicago's Own the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Marines Present the Colors and begin the tribute to Cpl. John Peter Fardy, CMOH and Leo Class of 1940 - Semper Fidelis and Facta Non Verba!

These Old Hands by Cpl. Robert L. Cook
Jan. 42~Sept. 45

These old hands
Have gone the distance,
These old hands
Have felt the pain.
They have borne
The heat of jungles,
They have caught
The falling rain.

They have held
An issued rifle
Given to me by
The Corps.
They have pushed
And pulled
And hoisted,
And they seldom
E'er complained.

They have built
And have destroyed,
They have worked
For war and peace.
And when 'tis all
Said and done
And they are laid away,
They have served me
And the nation.
What more
Can I say?

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Leo High School's Medal of Honor Recipient Cpl. Fardy -One of Two South Side Heroes at Holy Sepulchre Cemetary



I wish to thank Detective Shaved for helping to find relatives of Cpl. John P. Fardy, USMC ( dec.) a Leo High School Graduate and WWII hero.

Cpl. Fardy saved the lives of his Marines during the horrific fighting to take Okinawa in 1945. A veteran of two bloody campaigns ( Cape Glouchester and Peliliu, Cpl. Fardy smothered a Japanese grenade; thus, sacrificing his own life for others.

The Leo Alumni was contacted by a Marine and professional psychologist Terrence Barrett of University of North Dakota at Fargo. Mr. Barrett is writing a book on Valor and John Fardy is a key focus among other CMH Marines.

The Leo High School Alums Vietnam Hero Jim Furlong and the brother of fallen Chicago Police Officer/Marine and Leo Man Eric Lee, Mr. Mark Lee, are heading up a search for any relatives of Cpl. John Fardy.

This morning I received an e-mail from Dr. Barrett informing me that Holy Sepulchre is the home to two south side Chicago Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients.
April 30, 2011


To: Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation


Hello CMOH Foundation Staff,

Writing to alert you. Two Medal of Honor recipients are interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Aslip, IL, both from WWII. U.S. Army Anton L Krotiak is buried in Section 23, and his flat stone marker bears the Medal of Honor inscription. Corporal John P. Fardy USMC, from South Chicago, is also buried in Section 23. A passerby would not know that he had earned a Medal of Honor; there is no insignia or inscription detailing his medals on his flat, military marker. I am attaching a recent photo of his marker.

Marine Corps League Detachment 73 and Marine Corps League Detachment 553 have been contacted about this. Alumni from Corporal Fardy’s high school are looking into the possibility of replacing that headstone with a new marker or having the insignia added to the existing marker. Would the Foundation be interested in assisting in this effort?

Kind regards and Semper Fi,

Terry Barrett

Terence W. Barrett, PhD
Licensed Psychologist



Any reader who might know the whereabouts of any relative of Cpl. John Fardy please contact:

Pat Hickey
Leo High School
7910 S. Sangamon Street
Chicago, IL

(773) 208-8067

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