BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Maybe the extraordinary begins with the ordinary.
That was the message that Mahomet-Seymour High School students heard as they listened to O’Fallon’s Marc Eccher, a Civil Engineer in the United States Air Force, during Monday morning’s Veterans Day program.
“There’s a perception out there that the military is all about doing extraordinary things: flying fighter planes, driving a Humvee through fire, killing terrorists,” Eccher said.
According to Eccher, that is about one-percent of the work the United States Armed Forces does.
“I’m up here because I’m not extraordinary,” Eccher said. “I’m up here because I have a privilege to serve with extraordinary people, who together as a team have accomplished some very extraordinary things: constructing homes in Hawaii for people with developmental disabilities, cleaning up debris in Puerto Rico, constructing a wall in Yuma, AZ.
“I have witnessed several of these construction projects. People took great pride in what they did. It took dedication.”
Eccher said it is important to have a day like Veterans Day so that Americans can reflect on the sacrifices servicemen and women and their families have made to ensure freedom while also remembering those they leave behind: parents, siblings, spouses and children.
Instead of persuading high school students to join a military branch, Eccher thanked those who are already enlisting in the service.
“You’ll gain valuable skills, you’ll develop friendships that will last a lifetime and you will understand the true meaning what it means to serve,” he said.
Then he turned to the other students, the vast majority of whom did not plan on enlisting, and told them that they, too, can serve their nation and communities.
Eccher encouraged students to take their free and public education seriously.
“I almost didn’t take it seriously,” he said.
Eccher failed two courses at the University of Illinois during the second semester of his senior year.
“I started doubting myself. Am I good enough? Am I smart enough?” he asked.
With his eyes set on joining the Air Force, Eccher went back for another semester in the civil engineering program at the U of I to finish his degree.
He told students that their determination to become better people “will make this country stronger.”
He also told them that the minutes they spend saying the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the National Anthem is a great time to reflect.
“It is one or two minutes out of your life where you can reflect on the big picture of what our country stands for. Those words are powerful,” he said.
Having traveled to more than 20 countries, Eccher has seen that all countries do not live by the same standards of freedom and opportunity.
His father, an Italian immigrant, who traveled to the United States at age 15, put himself through high school before being drafted. He then raised his family in the Chicago suburbs while working in law enforcement.
“That’s hard work, that’s passion, that’s finding our American Dream,” he said.
Eccher said that children and adults chasing their dreams make the country stronger.
He also encouraged students to volunteer as a way to serve.
“Find your strengths, know what you are passionate about and volunteer for those organizations where you can put your strengths to work,” he said.
“Your strengths will help those who aren’t as strong and make your community better.”
In all his travels Eccher said he has learned that America is not perfect.
“It’s far from perfect,” he said. “But with all the opportunities we have to offer here, it is without a doubt one of the greatest countries in the world.”
