HONOR DUTY RESPECT - The Citadel

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By Ensign Jordan Smith, ’12As The Citadel expands its third annual Leadership Day (originally called Heroism Day), we reflect onthe heroism of one alumnus whose lifetime of service and smaller selfless choices prepared him tomake the ultimate sacrifice. On Jan. 13, 1982, Air Florida flight 90 took off from Washington NationalAirport heading for Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The flight would not reach its destination.As the plane took off, ice buildup and pilot error caused it tocrash into the 14th Street Bridge and sink into the icy PotomacRiver, killing 73 people aboard. A helicopter arrived on the scene,lowering a lifeline to the six survivors. When the line reached thewater, one survivor took it. But instead of hooking himself up toit, he passed it to a fellow survivor. The survivor was lifted out ofthe frigid water, and the process was repeated four more times.Each time, the same man passed the lifeline to another survivor.By the time the helicopter came back for him, both the planeand the man who had selflessly put the lives of others beforehimself had slipped beneath the icy Potomac. It took several daysto determine that the man who gave his life for his unknownfellow passengers was Arland D. Williams, ’57.370 cadets participating, platoons of 30 cadets left campus forPatriots Point and the U.S.S. Yorktown. The road march took thecadets through the neighborhoods surrounding the campus, overthe Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, and to Patriots Point, where theyhad lunch and were free to tour the ship and visit the Medal ofHonor Museum. After a period of reflection, the cadets marchedback to campus, this time with a deeper appreciation of what themilitary members before them endured.On the same day, 634 freshmen guided by 134 trained juniorand senior cadet leaders participated in a program through theCharleston County School District to thank a hero. The cadetstraveled to 13 schools to engage in conversations with studentsIn Williams’s memory and to celebrate heroism as a virtueof principled leaders, The Citadel and the Krause Center forLeadership and Ethics hosted the first Arland D. WilliamsHeroism Day on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2010, with 150 cadetsparticipating in community service. Building on the success ofthe first endeavor, the following Heroism Day expanded intoan event of stunning scale, engaging almost the entire Corps ofCadets in a variety of service projects across the Lowcountry. Themotto—Remember a Hero, Thank a Hero, Be a Hero—challengedcadets, graduate students, faculty and staff to take part in one ofthe 26 service learning, remembrance or training opportunitiesavailable on campus and in the community.To remember a hero, members of ROTC departments organizeda road march and physical fitness challenge to honor the servicemen and women who had served before them. With more thanabout what heroism means to both the school children and thecadets. While there serving as mentors, the cadets asked theyounger students to identify their own heroes, then helped thestudents create more than 3,000 thank-you cards, which othercadets later distributed to veterans, police officers, firefightersand heroes around Charleston.“It was a great way for us to get off campus, work with childrenand learn a little about ourselves through interacting withpeople. It is also important to realize that heroes are foundnot only in the military but everywhere around us,” said CadetThomas Clark, now a sophomore.Cadets had the opportunity to be a hero by participating in anassortment of community service projects in the area. Frombuilding houses for families in need to volunteering at localanimal shelters, cadets engaged in a wide range of service18
activities throughout Charleston. In Mt. Pleasant, they workedwith Habitat for Humanity to build an eco-friendly green homewhere they painted, worked on the construction of a porch andcleaned up construction materials from around the work site.At two animal shelters in Charleston County, cadets lent a handto take care of the animals and their kennels as well as performother maintenance tasks in the shelters. For fun, they had achance to take the animals outside to play.In all, cadet volunteers provided more than 8,000 hours ofservice on this one day, with an estimated economic impact tothe Charleston community of more than $170,000. In addition,more than 200 cadets took advantage of the occasion to trainfor and serve in leadership roles. To reflect the opportunitiespresented for cadets to learn to lead by serving others, and torecognize the benefit that a day of service contributes to thefour-year leadership development model, this annual initiativewas renamed Leadership Day this year.None of this would have been possible without the extraordinaryefforts of Col. Conway Saylor. A professor of psychology and aninstrumental player in service learning in the Krause Center,Saylor was the driving force that made the event a reality.And now, through The Citadel’sannual Leadership Day, Williams’sacrifice and the memory of so manyindividuals who put the needs ofothers ahead of their own willinspire cadets to continue theirdevelopment as selfless contributorsand principled leaders.“We wanted to extend our service learning and communityservice to be available to all cadets,” Saylor said. “I have had manystudents come to me who want to volunteer their time but can’tbecause of their busy schedules.”Saylor’s passion for service learning has not gone unrecognized.In February, she was named the 2012 Governor’s Professor ofthe Year for four-year colleges and universities by the SouthCarolina Commission on Higher Education.“Leadership Day isn’t only about community service, though thatis an important emphasis. It’s about developing and practicing ahost of moral and ethical values through targeted step-by-steptraining, service and reflection,” said Saylor. “We believe thatservice learning and getting the out-of-the-classroom experienceis an important part of how cadets can develop into principledleaders. The service learning project is a two-way street—thecadets learn about leadership through service, and the nonprofitorganizations get motivated young men and women to help withtasks that the other volunteers, normally older men and women,cannot do.”Through his selfless actions, Arland D. Williams has come toembody heroism. Recognized along with two Coast Guard officerson scene that tragic day, Williams was posthumously awarded theU.S. Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal by President RonaldReagan. The 14th Street Bridge was renamed in his honor by theDistrict of Columbia. In 2000, The Citadel created the Arland D.Williams Society, paying tribute to those who have distinguishedthemselves through community service.19
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