Meek tells Culver students war should always be the last option

Bob Meek ’61 told Culver Academies students he volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War because he felt it was his generation’s responsibility and duty, he had concerns about fairness in the draft system and he also thought it would be an adventure and an opportunity to test himself. 

But in reflecting on the lasting lessons and human cost of his service in Vietnam, Meek told the students during the school’s annual Memorial Day Gold Star observance that war should always be the last resort. 

“War is an ugly, terrible business. I saw firsthand the death, injury and destruction it causes. There’s no question that some wars are necessary. But even wars that need to occur and that make the world a better place, have an appalling cost,” he said during the service at Memorial Chapel.  

It was the fourth time Meek, who served as CMA’s commandant of cadets from 1983 to 1988 and Culver Academies’ wellness department chairman from 1989 to 1998, gave the Gold Star address.  

The ceremony remains one of Culver Academies’ most solemn traditions, honoring alumni who gave their lives in military service while reinforcing lessons of duty, leadership and character. Culver is an elite leadership-oriented boarding school in Indiana.

Meek drew on his experiences as both a cadet leader and a Navy officer. He told students his year in Vietnam reinforced lessons he first learned at Culver, particularly about duty, courage and leadership. 

After graduating from Denison University and completing Officer Candidate School, Meek deployed to Vietnam in 1968 as a 26-year-old ensign. He served with River Assault Division 131 in the Mekong Delta, where his unit transported and supported infantry troops in a region defined by narrow waterways and frequent ambushes. 

During his deployment, Meek served as both an operations officer and a division officer responsible for roughly 175 sailors. He described how riverine units often came under sudden attack while navigating canals and rivers, relying on teamwork and coordinated firepower to survive. 

His experiences, he said, confirmed that while war can bring out courage and selflessness, it can also have the opposite effect. 

“War gives those fighting it an opportunity to demonstrate some of humankind’s finest qualities -- courage, resilience, sacrifice for others, and compassion to name just a few -- but it can also overturn a person’s humanity and values,” Meek said. 

He emphasized the importance of the bonds formed in combat, often referred to as the “band of brothers” effect, in which service members fight primarily for one another. 

“People in combat fight for a mix of reasons, the most important of which is a desire for acceptance and approval by those they fight beside – their comrades in arms,” he said. 

Meek also spoke about courage, describing it not as the absence of fear but as the ability to act despite it. 

“Courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s doing what needs to be done despite your fear,” he said. 

To illustrate the personal cost of war, Meek shared the story of Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class James A. Myers, a 23-year-old sailor he met during a nighttime operation. The two quickly formed a connection while discussing their lives, backgrounds and views on the war. 

Meek said Myers “had an honesty, sincerity and quiet strength I really admired.”  

Their paths crossed again two months later when he was in Dong Tam to pick up two boats out of the Navy’s repair facility when a helicopter brought in the body of an American killed that morning – James A. Myers. 

“Death was an all-too-frequent occurrence in Vietnam and James Myers’ death was just one I experienced, but it has stayed with me longer than all of the others,” Meek said. “In addition, it has become for me a lasting reminder of war’s most basic reality:  whatever war may accomplish, it comes at a terrible price.” 
 

He encouraged students to remember Myers and others who died in service, noting that Myers’ name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

Meek closed by reminding students that they would soon hear the names of the 429 Culver alumni who lost their lives in service to the country. Every Memorial Day, Culver recognizes alumni who have made the ultimate sacrifice, reading the names of Culver alumni who died during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the War on Terror. 

Meek urged the students to honor both their sacrifice and the values they represent. 

“They earned and richly deserve the honor we pay them on Memorial Day, and like James Myers, they should always remind us of the price we pay when we go to war,” he said.