Honor

Ford's Theater, late 1890's

     On the night of April 14th, 1865 a simple bodyguard sat on the other side of a door from the man he was protecting. It was a day like any other for John F. Parker, a less than average member of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He arrived late, to duty as was his fashion, reeking of alcohol and cigar smoke from a long day of frivolities that would have made any proper lady cringe at the mention of such activities. In truth there wasn’t much required from an officer in his position but he still approached it with such a lack of respect that he failed to even reach the minimum requirements. Once he had finished escorting his man to the proper spot and had sat for about a half an hour he began to feel the effects of his earlier drinking subside and the craving for some more peaked his interest. 

     He left his post assuring himself that his man would be busy behind that door for another hour or two and that it couldn’t hurt to get a drink and return before it was time for them to leave. Grabbing the footman and coachman from out front they walked next door to the tavern for a drink. It is likely that the following events of that night held little importance to Mr. Parker neither does it show in the history books that he made any efforts to change what was about to take place but on that night the President of the United States of America was going to die. 

     Abraham Lincoln had been attending the play, “Our American Cousin” at the request of his wife and although he’d seen it before he obliged and was carted off to the state box in the Ford’s Theater on the evening of April 14th, 1865. John F. Parker was the officer assigned to watch over President Lincoln that night but due to his dereliction he was absent when John Wilkes Booth cowardly entered the state box and shot the President in the back of the head. 

     In reality the assassination cannot be blamed completely on one man for failing his job. There were so many more plans and secret doings that led up to the attack that even one more man might not have changed anything but could it have changed something? Would Mr. Parker in his disorderly state have been able to stop Booth? What if Mr. Parker had taken his job seriously, trained himself regularly and took pride and satisfaction for a job well done? Could he have made a difference? I submit that had Mr. Parker been more dedicated to his job by training, preparing and actively working towards protecting his assigned man then President Lincoln might have survived the attack to fill the rest of his last term as President. 

     This story is tragic for a lot of reasons but the one point that bothers me the most is that Mr. Parker was found in the arms of a prostitute at a well-known brothel the following day with little idea as to what happened to President Lincoln. His disinterest to the consequences of his actions is infuriating. With only some honor in his heart and a little more dedication to his job the life of one of the greatest Americans could have been spared.

     The nation was plunged into squabbling and in-fighting between the Vice-President turned President and other members of the administration but by the time Ulysses S. Grant is elected the country was coming to its senses and the United States had solidified the Union again. I admire greatly President Lincoln for everything he stood for, fought for and ached over. He remains my favorite president and continues to be a font of inspiration when times get tough. I find it almost ironic that a man of such honor and integrity would be failed but such an ignominious man. 

 

John Wilkes Booth moments before the fatal shot.

    I apply the example of John F. Parker to the Jack of All Spades regularly because it is such a vivid description of what happens when you fail to act. It’s a vivid example of what happens when you don’t hold honor in high regard. Everyday Jacks should hold honor as the greatest and most influential power in their lives. Honorable men are better fathers, friends, neighbors, coworkers, relatives and citizens. They are harder working, better trained and more reliable than their ignominious counterparts. In turn, an honorable man’s actions have drastic effects on the lives of those around them as seen by the lack of honor that Mr. Parker had on the night of April 14th, 1865. 

     As a member of the U.S. Armed Forces you often find yourself being tasked with things that are unappealing. Usually the lower ranks are tasked to “do their time” so that the other, more senior members can do other jobs and not have to worry about cleaning the bathrooms or taking out the trash. I spent nearly 3 years responsible for the cleanliness of the bathroom on the ship I was first assigned to. Between toilet overflows, careless sailors and a multitude of other unmentionable filth I had cleaned through nearly everything you could imagine and hated every minute of it but every time I was on my hands and knees cleaning toilets or clearing drains I thought back to some of the wisest advice I’ve ever been told. A good friend once told me that the secret to success is, “to do whatever job you’re assigned to do to the best of your ability. When given a job to clean toilets you scrub and clean those better than anyone else. That work ethic and that responsibility to duty is what will set you apart and open doors for you.” 

     What my friend said is what I hold as the definition of honor. To be assigned a task, responsibility, a duty and you do it with all your ability because you were given it. Don’t whine about the task, don’t shirk the responsibility and don’t neglect the duty, it was assigned to you. You never know what might happen if you fail in your duties. Work ethic is what keeps you going, loyalty is what keeps you there but honor is what holds everything together. We encourage all of our members to invoke that sense of honor and remember the people that they represent. Everyone represents a family name and most represent friends, churches and communities but the ones that really stand out are the honorable men and women that are held with such high esteem. These are those who do exactly the opposite of John F. Parker and are ready to act. 

     I don’t expect everyone to be in positions to protect important people but I do expect that you take pride in your work and live up to the expectations people have in you. Do not fail them no matter how menial the task might appear. Most of us are simple people with simple jobs but do we approach our daily jobs with the same dedication, with the same honor as we would in protecting the President of the United States?