A young man who works on the staff at Greensboro College recently went with his wife to see "Saving Private Ryan." The two are in their mid-20s. Of course, they reacted to the movie the way audiences reacted to it worldwide -- as a fine piece of filmmaking that gives civilians a new glimpse into some of the realities of war.

But these two people were moved more than most. Right before the movie started, an elderly man in uniform walked into the theatre. He was ramrod straight. During the movie, my staff members would occasionally steal a glance at the man sitting alone on the row behind them. At the very end of the movie, they were crying slightly. But as they peeked over at the old soldier they could see rivers of tears streaming down his face.

That's why this powerful movie made such an impact on them. The war that took place so many years ago was brought home to them. That war was given a real face -- not just one on film -- and it was a face bathed in tears. War, like most of life, is most meaningful in individual terms. It is individuals who matter, it is individuals who make up the large numbers of dead and wounded, one at a time. It is individuals who struggle to overcome the personal disasters resulting from flooding waters, raging fires, gun-slinging children and drug using Olympians. And it is individuals who must find the courage to act honorably.

General Sir James Glover said: "A man of character in peace is a man of courage in war. Character is a habit. It is the daily choice of right and wrong." In the "Shih Chi" it says: "If you don't know a man's character, investigate who his friends are." George Washington said: "My first wish would be that my military family, and the whole Army, should consider themselves as a band of brothers, willing and ready to die for each other." Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way: "The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one who discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him."

Character is the people we choose to associate with. Character is courage. Character is education. Character is discipline. Why is character so important? Listen to General Mathew B. Ridgway: "Character is the bedrock on which the whole edifice of leadership rests. It is the prime element for which every profession, every corporation, every industry searches in evaluating a member of its organization. Character is the very important but often very elusive description of those seeking public office as voters across the nation form opinions based upon carefully choreographed commercials and over-rehearsed "town meetings." With character, the full worth of an individual can be developed. Without character failure in peace, disaster in war, or, at best, mediocrity in both will result."