President George H.W. Bush once shared how, as a young Navy pilot in World War II, he wrestled with a question that would shape the rest of his life.

After being shot down over the Pacific near Chichi Jima, he was one of only three to survive — and the only one rescued. The USS Finback surfaced through the waves and pulled him from the sea. It was an act of providence changing the course of history.

That night, after his rescue, he looked up at the stars, the ocean stretching endlessly around him, and quietly asked God, “Why me?”

I know this story because it was shared with me by his longtime chief of staff — and my dear friend — Jean Becker. She told me President Bush often still asked the same question, even decades later.

But it was never a cry of self-pity. It was a question of gratitude — and of purpose.

He came to understand his life had been spared for a reason: not to serve himself, but to serve others. He lived out that purpose every single day — with humility, compassion, and love for his fellow human beings.

That same spirit of humble service reminds me of another leader — one who never wore a uniform, but often a red sweater, who served on a different battlefield: the human heart.

Fred Rogers (also known as Mister Rogers) once said, “Love and success, always in that order — it’s that simple and that difficult.”

When he passed away, a small note was found tucked inside his wallet with these simple words: Life is for service.

Rogers, who graduated from Rollins College in 1951, first saw those words engraved on a marble plaque at the College, where they still inspire students today. He believed God put each of us on this earth for one purpose: to serve others. When we discover that purpose, the wholeness and joy we feel are undeniable.

That same spirit drives the men and women of our armed forces — past and present — who choose service over self, day after day.

The strength of our military isn’t found in steel or technology — it’s found in our veterans and active-duty service members.

From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, from the depths of the Pacific to the skies above Europe, generations have stood the watch. They remind us the soul of our country is its people — their courage, their sacrifice, and their love for one another.

Veterans Day isn’t just about remembering battles fought or victories won; it’s about honoring a promise: freedom is worth protecting, our neighbors are worth serving, and love of country is inseparable from love of people.

This same philosophy — life is for service — is one Rollins College has embodied for generations.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest-running study on human happiness, found that a good life — one filled with meaning, fulfillment, and joy — comes down to two things: building strong relationships and finding purpose.

Rollins does both. It creates a community rooted in connection and equips students to discover their purpose through service. It teaches what President Bush lived, what Fred Rogers believed, and what every veteran knows in their heart — a meaningful life is one lived for others.

This Veterans Day, may we honor our heroes not only with parades and speeches but by following their example.

Let’s live lives of service — of gratitude and purpose — and find our own answer to “Why me?” in serving others.

Let’s teach our children love is not weakness but strength and the measure of a life well lived isn’t in what we achieve for ourselves, but how we care for those around us.

Robert “Navy Bob” Roncska is a retired U.S. Navy veteran and has a doctorate from Rollins College’s Crummer School of Business.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/11/commentary-life-is-for-service/