LU honors Skelton on Veterans Day

Members of the Blue Tiger ROTC Battalion fire a 21-gun salute at the close of Lincoln University's  Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2014.
Members of the Blue Tiger ROTC Battalion fire a 21-gun salute at the close of Lincoln University's Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2014.

Lincoln University observed Veteran's Day this year with special remembrances of former U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton - who was 81 when he died just over a year ago, was a believer in education for all, a long-time friend of LU and a long-time student of military history.

Skelton represented west-central Missouri in Congress for 34 years and - for the last 25 of those years, he began his Veterans Day observances at the LU ROTC Blue Tiger Battalion's breakfast as the annual speaker.

LU remembered that long friendship by proclaiming Tuesday as "Congressman Ike Skelton Day" on the Lincoln campus, and by unveiling a plaque at the edge of the Soldiers Memorial on the LU Quadrangle, reminding visitors of Skelton's love for Canadian physician John McCrae's World War I poem, "In Flanders Field."

Curator Greg Gaffke noted Skelton often adjusted his schedule in Washington, D.C., for visitors making business trips to the nation's capital, and that he always "listened attentively to my concerns about proposed legislation or federal regulations."

None of Skelton's family was able to attend Tuesday's ceremonies, but Gaffke read a letter from Skelton's oldest son, U.S. Navy Capt. Ike Skelton V, thanking the school for the honors.

"Dad would be absolutely thrilled to know that you remembered him today," the son wrote. "As we looked back over Dad's notes and the talks that he had here, we saw that he shared some pretty powerful thoughts at Lincoln.

"And what really jumped out was his fight to keep America close to those who were defending her."

That theme was echoed in the afternoon ceremony's keynote address by retired Army Maj. Gen. Hank Stratman - a 1973 graduate of Lincoln and its ROTC program.

"Your service and personal sacrifices have insured the survival of this country," Stratman told the veterans in the audience, "and inspired other nations to emulate our form of representative government, that recognizes people's civil liberties and and freedoms, and is governed by the rule of law."

His 15-minute address focused on U.S. military successes - and failures - during the past 70 years.

One of the successes, Stratman said, was the nation's post-Vietnam conversion from a military based mainly on the draft to an all-volunteer force that is "professional and highly educated officer and non-commissioned officer corps (that is) the envy of the other military forces in the world."

The biggest mistakes that have been made, he said, largely were by civilian, not military, leaders.

"If only our political leaders were as learned, we would have a lot fewer reports of intelligence failures," Stratman said, in one of several "political sound/bite" comments he made to encourage people to think.

He noted that military service includes many kinds of sacrifice, including the possibility of death or serious injury, but always, "multiple family separations, missed children's events and, all too frequently, strained marriages."

Lincoln's ROTC program honored Skelton Tuesday by adding his name and a photograph to the main floor lounge in Soldiers Hall.

"Congressman Skelton was a leader in the U.S. House on defense issues," Lt. Col. Ray Ferguson, the ROTC commander, reminded the cadets and others gathered in the main hallway outside the lounge early Tuesday afternoon. "He served as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee ... (And) his dedication and encouragement to the future leadership of our country was invaluable to our cadets."

LU Curator Cindy Blosser noted Skelton's annual speeches were delivered not just to students, but to many area "veterans who regularly attended the breakfast."

And, she said, he didn't back out of his last speech, which came just over a week after he lost his 2010 re-election bid for an 18th term in Congress.

"In his autobiography, he told of that last breakfast," Blosser said, quoting from Skelton's book, "Achieve the Honorable" - "I told my audience they must not just think of the men and women who serve in uniform - but also thank them at every opportunity."