Wait, what’s this? We have newcomers to the AGCRA Where in the World travel series. So let’s welcome LTC (Ret) James J. Galluzzo and his wife Melissa. J. is currently serving as the VP, Corporate Affairs on the AGCRA National Executive Council (NEC).
J. and Melissa recently returned from an overseas trip of ancient origins. It looks like the weather cooperated, so where in the world are they? Scroll down…
J. is standing in the Theatre of Pompeii, Naples, Italy. The theatre is located in the southwest region of Naples.
There are three main buildings that make up this area: the Large Theatre, the Odeon, and the Quadriporticum. These served as an entertainment and meeting center of the city. Pompeii had two stone theatres of its own nearly two decades before the first permanent stone theatre was erected in Rome in the 50s BC.
J. kidded with our AGCRA President, COL (Ret) Robert L. Manning, that with this picture he was indeed “the man in the arena”. COL (Ret) Manning often refers to President Theodore Roosevelt delivering the “Citizenship in a Republic” speech at the Sorbonne in Paris on April 23, 1910. The speech is popularly known as “The Man in the Arena.”
The speech was clearly a synthesis of Theodore Roosevelt’s philosophy toward life. In the speech, Roosevelt addresses America’s status as a still young country, the New World. Roosevelt turns to the idea of individual citizenship, however, as the speech progresses it becomes clear that the motivation for action matters. In other words, what you do for the community matters more than individual improvement. The worthy cause, then, is not focused on the individual, but on the whole. We would do well to remember these words today, and AGCRA seeks to support this philosophy in supporting the AG Corps. You can read more about “The Man in the Arena” by clicking HERE.
