Danny De Gracia: Society has lost confidence in its youth. That has to change

Have you ever wondered how Nimitz Highway got its name, or who “Nimitz” actually was?

I grew up in Texas and can’t help but think of home and smile when I drive down Nimitz. Few people realize that the highway’s namesake is an incredible case study in what happens when young people are given the opportunity to lead, and it’s a brief lesson I want to share as we think about the kind of leaders we want in these upcoming primaries.

Chester William Nimitz, the highway’s namesake, was born in 1885 in the small, remote country town of Fredericksburg, Texas. His father died before he was born, and his mother, Anna, remarried his uncle. As a boy, he saw a group of West Point cadets pass through his town and was so inspired by their courteous appearance that he told his family that that’s what he wanted to be in life.

At the age of 15, Nimitz applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point, but was told that there were no spots available and that he should apply instead to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Nimitz’s entire town rallied to help him, tutoring him in various subjects in preparation for the entrance exam, which he passed with flying colors, earning him a spot as a naval cadet.

During a training cruise, Nimitz developed an ear infection that left him partially deaf in one ear for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, he graduated seventh in his class of 114 from Annapolis in 1905, where he learned to read lips so he could pretend to hear people talking.

The turning point in his life came at age 22, when he was given command of his first ship, the destroyer USS Decatur, where he ran aground, an embarrassing and career-ending offense for any captain, let alone a young ensign.

I share this story because it holds important lessons for how we engage with and trust young people in 2024.

But when it came to deciding Nimitz’s future, the Navy board judging him decided to give him a chance. Nimitz would later command the largest military force in Hawaiian history during World War II—2 million men and women in uniform, a fleet of some 5,000 ships and more than 20,000 aircraft—as fleet admiral, and would accept the surrender of the Imperial Japanese Army in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri.

After the war, Nimitz became Chief of Naval Operations, where he presided over the trial of a captain who had run a ship aground. When that captain was reinstated, reporters asked Nimitz if he had ever heard of a captain who had run a ship aground and made something of it. Nimitz simply replied, “You’re looking at one.” Nimitz, who had been given a chance, gave a chance to the next generation when he was at the helm.

I share this story because it has important lessons for how we treat and trust young people in 2024. The fact is, we do not trust young people today and we embitter and frustrate many of them by denying them the opportunity to use their youthful passion, dedication, and willingness to serve.

Nimitz wouldn’t stand a chance today

Scholars have argued that we will never have another Chester Nimitz type, because today he would either not be allowed in or would be fired the moment he made a mistake. Young people have always had to prove themselves for a place at the table, but now they are often denied the opportunity and simply rejected.

There are two reasons why we need to encourage and help young people enter both government and elected public service. The first is that we are rapidly developing a generational gap in doctrine compared to the last century. There is nothing wrong with being older, but there is something wrong with clinging to old ways of doing things in an age that demands new perspectives and courageous experiments unclouded by past assumptions.

The second and most important reason for giving young people more power is that we want them in government when they are idealistic and motivated, not when they are cynical and overly cautious.

To use Nimitz’s example, he was given help and the benefit of the doubt at every stage of his career. When he became a leader, he repaid and continued the pattern of favors by mentoring young officers, forgiving mistakes, and holding the door open for the next generation.

At the heart of every cynic is a burned-out idealist who has been ignored for too long. I often wonder how many aggressive, uncooperative elected officials are so tempered because no one showed them mercy when they were younger. How many of our current leaders have committed themselves to a doctrine of “no” because “no” is all they were told when they were younger?

So when you receive your ballot in the mail this week for the August 10th primary, I ask you to do something courageous this year and seriously consider younger candidates who show promise and are eminently qualified.

The Office of Elections has a voter guide out this year, and when you read about the people running for office, we all need to be careful about electing people who have been in government for years. This is not about ageism or discrimination against the elderly. This is about perspective. As Filipino philosopher Jose Rizal once said, “The glory of saving your country does not belong to him who helped to ruin it.”

If even President Joe Biden finally had the courage to relinquish his nomination and give a younger Democrat a chance to run for president, maybe we should follow suit and give young people a chance at every level of government.

I know there are people who treat young people with disdain: “What have they done and who are they to think they can do this job?” But what we should really be asking ourselves is, “What can they do if we give them a chance?”

I am most grateful for the service of the older generations. I have the utmost respect for them for the way they cared for us when we were younger. But this moment in American history needs a new perspective, and we should be deeply concerned about the dangers of maintaining a status quo simply for the sake of familiarity in confusing times.

Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken repeatedly of something beautiful she calls “what can be, unencumbered by what has been.” We need the courage to let the sunshine of youthful hope and expectation shine through the brokenness of our government, to give us a fresh perspective, and to give us a “yes, let’s try” rather than a “no, don’t even try” for possible solutions for our people. Let go of the past so we can reach for the future.

I would like to see a national and local government that is refreshed by a generational change to younger leaders. A change in our perspective would mean a rebirth of our country.

So I say this to the young candidates running for office across Hawaii: In this election, it is morning again in America; your hope is our hope, and your fate is our fate.