John Robertson says he joined the Peace Corps to serve his fellow man, not his country. But he'll be doing both in Thailand



Maria Lee, spokeswoman for the Corps' northwest region, said the number of over-50 volunteers is growing. She thinks many of them remember Kennedy's famous words and have reached a stage in life where they can accept the challenge. In Robertson's case, that's about half right. He remembers the speech, although he isn't sure if it's a direct recollection or if it's something he's heard repeated so many times that it feels like one. "But the 'ask what you can do for your country' -- I'm not doing this for my country. I'm doing this for people," Robertson said. "I'm very disenchanted with my country at the present time, like a lot of Americans are, but I have no idea what the answer is."

John Robertson says he joined the Peace Corps to serve his fellow man, not his country. But he'll be doing both in Thailand

Beth Bragg: Baby Boomers serve both country and world in the Peace Corps

BETH BRAGG
COMMENT Beth Bragg
Comment

Published: November 10, 2006
Last Modified: November 10, 2006 at 02:00 AM

The oldest of the Baby Boomers were in their teens when John F. Kennedy made his famous call to action: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Forty-five years later, Baby Boomers are heeding that call in growing numbers by joining Kennedy's greatest legacy -- the Peace Corps, which embodies the concept of service the late president embraced in his inaugural address.

Among them is former Chugiak attorney John Robertson, who at age 55 will try to become fluent in a language he knows nothing about so he can work in a developing rural village in Thailand.

Robertson will join an army of 7,810 volunteers -- about 500 of whom are older than 50. The oldest is 79, and last year an 80-something couple wrapped up a stint.

Maria Lee, spokeswoman for the Corps' northwest region, said the number of over-50 volunteers is growing. She thinks many of them remember Kennedy's famous words and have reached a stage in life where they can accept the challenge.

In Robertson's case, that's about half right.

He remembers the speech, although he isn't sure if it's a direct recollection or if it's something he's heard repeated so many times that it feels like one.

"But the 'ask what you can do for your country' -- I'm not doing this for my country. I'm doing this for people," Robertson said. "I'm very disenchanted with my country at the present time, like a lot of Americans are, but I have no idea what the answer is."

As a prelude to his service, which begins early next year, Robertson went on a cross-country motorcycle tour of America. He's currently in California, his 49th state since April.

He traveled during the primary and general election seasons, and although the candidates and ballot propositions changed from state to state, the mood of the people he met did not.

"I talked to people all over, and they're all singing the same song: They're disenchanted with the exporting of jobs and the lowering of salaries," he said. "There's a feeling of helplessness I see all over the country. And people don't know what to do about it."

Well, they did something quite dramatic at voting booths on Tuesday, putting Democrats in charge of Congress for the first time in forever.

And the president did something quite dramatic in response, replacing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld just days before Veterans Day, a day when we can and should celebrate the contributions and sacrifices of troops from all wars despite growing dissent and disillusionment over the current war.

Peace Corps veterans don't get much attention on Veterans Day. They don't fight wars or die on battlefields.

But there are many ways to serve our country, something the Alaska Legislature finally recognized last session when extending a Permanent Fund exemption to Peace Corps volunteers, an exemption that's long been given to members of the armed services. They too make contributions and sacrifices, and we need their kind of service if we are to live up to our duty as a global leader.

That duty means being as benevolent to ill-fated farmers and HIV-infected infants throughout the world as we are malevolent to terrorists. It means behaving in a way the rest of the world will admire, rather than in a way that invites its scorn and threatens our leadership role. Each time a Peace Corps volunteer helps create irrigation ponds in Kenya or fights erosion in Nepal, he or she helps shape the world's perception of us, and almost always in a good way.

Robertson says he joined the Peace Corps to serve his fellow man, not his country. But he'll be doing both in Thailand.

Beth Bragg's opinion column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Her e-mail address is bbragg@adn.com.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: November, 2006; Recruitment; COS - Thailand; Directory of Thailand RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Thailand RPCVs; Baby Boomers; Alaska

When this story was posted in December 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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