Last week, my Islamic history professor asked our class, "What have you truly learned from your Cornell education?" Some ventured a few feeble squeaks, but nobody seemed to have answers that were worth sharing. I was dumbfounded. Really, what have we learned?

In my attempt to conjure up an intelligent answer, I reflected upon my recent experiences in the South Korean Army and my discussions with other ex-military students on campus. Maybe these students, who had also experienced life outside school, would elicit answers.

Their stories not only answered this question, but also suggested a subtle, but nonetheless important, lesson.

Chris Johnson, a former U.S. Marine infantry officer and now a graduate student in the field of economics, initially admitted, humorously, that after the military, his parents "had to remind me my sister was not one of my marines, and I could not speak to her as such."

When asked what he had learned, Johnson's voice changed.

"I had a friend that I trained with who was killed on his first tour to Afghanistan. He had just married his girlfriend, and they had moved to Japan. I also had a marine who deployed with me to Iraq and returned together to the U.S., but volunteered to go immediately back to Iraq and was killed by an [improvised explosive device].

"You learn not to take for granted what we have. I know many great people who have sacrificed a lot to be [at Cornell], so, I'm not trying to take that away from them at all. But I know that, when you know what we've seen and had to live in that environment, you learn not to take for granted friendships, your relationships with your family. Things could be a lot worse, very easily."

Eonho Lee '13, formerly a U.N. peacekeeper with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, also commented on his military experience.

"Let's be honest. I understand Cornell is diverse. Yet we're all college students; we're, for the most part, protected from extreme situations such as starving to death or witnessing personal acquaintances getting killed. The Army introduced me to a diversity I had never encountered.

"There was a buddy whose father worked in a gang dealing with the prostitution industry. Another guy in my unit had attempted suicide, only to be stopped by another person at the last minute."

Lee was brave enough to conclude, "At first, I unconsciously belittled them. Yeah, I might have felt sorry for them, but I was arrogant. I made assumptions. However, after mingling with these guys, I discovered they had qualities I did not. Everyone taught me something."

Dave Blome, another former U.S. marine who had served in Iraq and now a graduate student in the field of history, pointed out something closer to us.

"I am appreciative most of just being able to move my arms. Being able to enjoy the sun. Back in Iraq, I came to terms with the prospect that in 15 minutes or 30, everything might be dark -- that I would be dead. Now, little things like a good laugh with friends or family remind me of how great it is just to be living."

Perhaps though, the last word goes to Junhyung Lee '15, a computer science major. Lee had served as a thermo observational device (a special camera that sees objects in red and yellow, depending on the temperature) specialist on the heavily fortified North-South Korean border. The two Koreas are still officially at war, and border skirmishes are not uncommon as nearly 1 million armed men stand guard. After his service, Lee commented on what he had learned to appreciate.

"I missed Sprite. I missed the freedom to walk over to a soda shop and buy a can of Sprite without worrying about reporting, getting permission or being shot at."

Indeed, these students' stories are interesting, to say the least.

But, to go back to the question my professor threw: What have we learned here?

These students gained an appreciation of the many things in life we forget to be thankful for, not because those things are unimportant but rather because they are too important to spare that we take them for granted.

They learned that appreciation certainly goes to the genuinely small things like Sprite, but also to the things we perceive as small, like the people in our lives.

So, let's learn to appreciate the small things in life, because if we think about them, they may not be small at all.

Hunny Jeong '13 is a history and economics major in the College of Arts and Sciences.