Battle-tested general gives Neuqua students history lesson

Neuqua Valley students learned firsthand Wednesday about the evolution of war and what it means to be a citizen from one of the Army's most decorated soldiers.

Retired Army Gen. David Grange, 61, spoke with more than 100 students in Neuqua's military history and advanced placement world history classes.

Grange spent 30 years in the Army, culminating with his post as commanding general of the First Infantry Division, known as the "Big Red One." While in that position, he served in Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo.

During his military career, Grange served as a Ranger, Green Beret, aviator, infantryman and as a member of Delta Force. Assignments and conflicts took him to Vietnam, Korea, Grenada, Russia, Africa, former Warsaw Pact countries, Central and South America, and the Middle East.

Teacher Andy Voller said students in his elective military history class are studying modern warfare, making Grange's visit a perfect fit.

"The man has an amazing war resume and is an expert on leadership issues, contemporary warfare and some of this country's larger, pivotal battles," Voller said.

Grange, served two tours in Vietnam, has been on missions to rescue hostages in Kosovo and located SCUD missiles in Iraq.

But he told students today's military life is "much harder" than when he served.

"There was a day when armies fought armies but that doesn't happen anymore," Grange said. "Today's opponents don't necessarily wear uniforms or fight according to the Geneva Convention and they have very innovative networks."

Today's armed forces also are up against more intense weapons, including mortar rounds, trained snipers and the rocket-propelled grenade.

"Any idiot can fire an RPG, yet the thing can take out a 70-ton tank with a decent hit," he said. "Today's soldiers have it much harder."

Despite that, he said recruiters are hitting their goals and keeping a high retention rate.

"No doubt the propensity to serve is down, but recruiters are meeting the challenge to get the numbers up," said Grange, who served in both a draft-era and volunteer-era Army. "So I don't support another draft because I think we have the numbers we need and we wouldn't be able to train that many people anyway."

Instead, Grange says he has a proposal he believes would raise the country's morale and instill a sense of patriotism and responsibility.

Grange said he thinks every citizen owes at least one year of their lives to the nation in some service capacity, be it volunteering to cook meals in a local VA hospital or actually serving in the armed forces.

"For every year you give, we should give you something back, like a year of college or something just as valuable," he said, "And maybe we give you two years of something for every year of military service. I think a program like that would be much more valuable than reinstating the draft."

In addition to his military career, Grange began serving as president and chief executive officer of the McCormick Foundation in September 2005. He was the foundation's executive vice president and chief operating officer from 1999 to 2005.

He also serves as the chairman of the Board of Visitors at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. He is on the board of directors of the National Strategy Forum, the Society of the First Infantry Division, the Three Fires Council Boy Scouts, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Corporate Council. He is a trustee for the First Infantry Division Foundation and Marmion Academy.