Defense Secretary James Mattis tells high school student to study history

A high school newspaper landed an interview with Defense Secretary James Mattis after an aide inadvertently leaked the military leader’s cellphone number to the public.

Mattis’s cellphone number was visible in a photo run by The Washington Post in May. The Post removed the photo, but high school journalist Teddy Fischer saved it and called Mattis asking for an interview.

Mattis agreed to do the interview with Fischer and Jane Gormley of The Islander, the newspaper at Mercer Island High School in Washington state....

EXCERPT FROM THE INTERVIEW

TEDDY: What subject areas do you think students should be studying in high school and beyond to better prepare themselves to be politically active and aware adults?

MATTIS: Actually, I’ve thought a lot about that question. I would tell you that no matter what you’re going to go into, whether it be business or politics or international relations or domestic politics, I don’t think you can go wrong if you maintain an avid interest in history. The reason I say that is you’ll find that really, there’s nothing new under the sun, other than some of the technology we use.

The human condition, the aspirations, the dreams, the problems that are associated with being social animals, not being a hermit and living alone, but having to interact with others, whether it be your local school district, your community, your state, your county, your national, your international relations, history will show you not all the answers, but it’ll tell you a lot of the questions to ask and furthermore, it will show you how other people have dealt successfully or unsuccessfully with similar type issues. I wish now looking back on it, if I’d known what waited for me in life, I would have put a lot more attention into history.