Wisconsin Lawyer
Vol. 84, No. 1, January 2011

President's Message

Remembering Our Military and State Bar Members

by Jim Boll

As the holiday season comes to an end and family and friends depart for home, I want to take a moment on behalf of the State Bar of Wisconsin to extend my warmest wishes to all our members and to their families. We are thankful for the many ways in which members have supported and offered leadership to the State Bar during this past year. I especially want to thank our members who are serving in the armed forces. Those who serve the law, including those who have established and defended our system of government and our way of life, are a significant part of the greater institutions of the United States.

During the holiday season, we count our blessings and take comfort in the joys of home and family. As we start the new year and dedicate ourselves to new goals and aspirations, please take a moment to remember our members who are serving our country in the armed forces at home and abroad.

Our nation is blessed by enduring freedoms and liberties, which our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines defend. These men and women voluntarily risk their lives for the country of which they are so proud. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” At a time when our country was experiencing enormous division, President Lincoln understood that the love of our home and the admiration of our neighbors help bind us together.

We all know a relative, friend, or neighbor who is serving in our armed forces. Some are State Bar members. All exhibit the qualities of loyalty, sacrifice, hard work, and expending themselves in a cause that is greater than self. These are qualities we should all admire and try to emulate. As President Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter the words but to live them.”

To those veterans who have served this great nation and to the families of those who have lost loved ones in that service, I express my heartfelt gratitude. During a eulogy of a lost soldier, President Kennedy said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it
remembers.”

To all our members in uniform, to all members of the military and our veterans, especially my grandfather and father, and to their families, I want to say we remember you and we appreciate all your sacrifices for us.

As we start a new year, may God bless all State Bar members and may God bless the United States of America.  

Wisconsin Lawyer