By Cadet Trevor Waliszewski, ND '12
By design, so it seems, college is one of the most selfish times in
our lives. Our thoughts are constantly occupied with our classes, our grades,
our internships, and our life plans. And yet at the same time, Notre Dame is built around the assumption
that life cannot be lived exclusively for ourselves, that we must fight for the
greater good of all. One solution is service projects, and there is no shortage
of ways to serve on campus--only a shortage of time.
Hand-in-hand with service, college ought to be a time for us
to find heroes for our lives. One lesser known campus hero is First Lieutenant Patrick Dixon.
A beloved leader on campus, Lieutenant Dixon went to Vietnam soon after graduation. On his last mission in Vietnam before coming home, a mission he did not have to lead, Lieutenant Dixon’s Reconnaissance
Platoon came under intense fire. He was last seen alive with a stretcher on his back,
running to save a wounded soldier.
Every year, the Fightin' Irish Army ROTC Battalion holds a Platoon competition
and gives a distinguished cadet an award in honor of Lieutenant Dixon. We hope to
imitate his leadership, his fearless spirit, and above all, his selfless
service to his comrades in arms, and his country. As I prepare to graduate, Lieutenant Dixon is a prime example
of how to look beyond myself towards the needs of others.
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