SpeakerNotes

strong>The 4th of July is American Independence Day — a national holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It’s a day commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, concerts and all sorts of celebrations. As we do every year, my family will be celebrating with our traditional, always stupendous cookout and fireworks display in Summit, New Jersey.

But this year, our celebration will be taking on a different focus. You see, over the past several months I’ve been consulting with the U.S. Department of the Army. While most of my work has been with civilians, participants often include retired soldiers or those currently on active duty.

Simply stated, the experience has been a humbling one.