Back to Gettysburg
“That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. A. Lincoln, November 19, 1863
Four years and two months ago, I drove up to Gettysburg, Pa, to tour that famous battlefield with my friend Doug and several others. It was three days after an election that rocked our world, an election result that most deemed impossible, an election which was aided by foreign interference, a fact since proven by numerous investigations and reports.
However it came about, whatever shenanigans tainted the result in favor of the one who won (the one who shall not be named here), we all accepted the result. The loser conceded and bowed out gracefully, even though she knew it wasn’t right. It’s what we do, here in America — part of honoring and protecting the democratic process, even when it was under attack by a foreign power.
That individual showed true character in the sudden, unexpected defeat. She showed true courage and carried on with her life, knowing that she’d done everything in her power, but had been up against forces well beyond her control. She’d mistakenly thought she was fighting on a level playing field.
While many of my colleagues in government bailed and got out shortly thereafter, I made a solemn vow to myself to stand strong, to continue to do what I know to be the right thing, to fight for the cause of food safety, to continue to support the mission of my agency, regardless of who was in charge above. I have continued to do this, to the best of my ability, for 4 long years.
It wasn’t easy to stay and watch my department of the government plunge from a standing of 7th out of 17 large government departments in the Best Places to Work in Government the last year of the previous administration, to 16th out of 17, in the first year of the new administration. We had worked hard for many years to achieve that number 7 standing. When they first started measuring such things, we’d been number 13 out of 16. It was a big deal to make it all the way up to number 7.
Not only did I stay, but I volunteered to go work directly for the new secretary, hoping to have a positive impact on things at that level. They could only afford me for 3 months, then had to send me back to my agency before I could make a significant impact there. My agency head knew of my passion for making the most of the employee experience in this agency, and so created a new executive position for me upon my return, as I became the first Executive Associate for the Employee Experience.
Despite the best efforts I could muster, my department of government remained mired in the number 16 spot throughout this administration. Decisions were made on a whim, with no forethought or impact on the employee experience, at the highest levels, while we were left with trying in vain to overcome those ill-thought out decisions. We had to try to find other ways to improve that experience, but our efforts could only go so far.
Now, as there are only 3 days left in the administration that we’d first learned would be the next one, on that trip to Gettysburg 4 years and 2 months ago, I will make my way back to those hallowed grounds where my own Great Grandfather once walked across the field where Picket had made his ill-fated charge and wrote in his diary — “crossed the battlefield as we embarked on chasing the Rebs south — WHAT A SICKENING SITE!”
Martin rarely emoted such words in his diary, so when this is read, it really stands out. He’d seen a lot in 2 long years at that point, and would see a lot more over the next year and a half. One can only imagine how bad it was, on that day, to elicit that statement. Ten months after that, he would save his older brother’s life after Gust got shot on the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness, down in Virginia, less than 10 miles from where I live, today. He’d stay by Gust’s side, staunching his wound, until the surgeons could get to him. They told him he’d saved his brother’s life.
Tomorrow, I will walk across the same field, at Gettysburg, that Martin wrote about so long ago. I will wonder if we are in the first days of a new Civil War, with so much uncertainty about, after the events of last week at our nation’s capital, and all the rumors of new attacks on Inauguration Day, in 3 days. I will stand in the spot that many consider the high point of the confederate’s invasion, with the knowledge that, never during that Civil War did the confederate flag make its way into our nation’s capital building. Last week, it did.
I’ll want to believe, and pray, that the worst is behind us. That as he who shall not be named shrinks back into a shell of the powerful man he wanted everyone to believe he was, and cowers away into the darkness from whence he came, we can all get on with the good work of this country, and get back to the democracy we came this close to losing, just last week. Maybe I’ll even be able to help impact making my agency a better place to work in the government, than it’s been for the past 4 years.
I have a Gettysburg address in my GPS on my phone — 36 Seminary Ridge Ave, Gettysburg, Pa 17325 — where I will meet my friend Doug and several other friends for a socially-distanced walking tour of the battlefield that has more than a little meaning to me. As I make my way up there, early tomorrow morning, I will ponder the final words of another Gettysburg Address, a two minute speech that followed a nearly two-hour speech, but which will be forever remembered for capturing in words what we all hoped would come out of the horrible calamity that was the American Civil War (hopefully without ever getting a number after it, i.e., Civil War I).
“that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.
We’ve had a very close call, people, and I hope to God it is all behind us now.
