As a Kansas City kid on a tour of the White House with his parents, Richard Myers remembers them telling him "take a good look, because you'll never see this place again."

But Myers did return, and did so on many occasions as the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the U.S. military, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held under former President George W. Bush's administration.

"After 9/11 for the four years I was chairman, I can't tell you how many people all over the country - civilians, not in the military - who would come up and say we are really praying for you and the administration and we hope you can get us through this okay," the retired four-star general said. "And that was a big part of sustaining me in the whole four years because there were a lot of tough times."

His "tough times" will come to light during Myers' keynote speech November 5, 7:00-8:30pm, Marvin Auditorium. He will also discuss his book, Eyes on the Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security, published this year.

Myers takes pride in his Kansas heritage. His passion for flying began in Kansas State University's Reserve Officers Training Corps. Though he now lives in Arlington, Virginia, he returns each month to KSU where he is a professor of military history.

"This was a way to do two things: support the university I love and keep my Kansas roots alive," the KSU alumnus said.

During his career, Myers flew fighter jets in Vietnam, commanded various Air Force operations in the U.S. and abroad, witnessed the nation's leaders in the grips of a terrorist attack and worked to ensure national security following Sept. 11, 2001.

In retirement, Myers' life hasn't slowed down much. Myers teaches at other universities and also serves on several boards, among them the Defense Health Board, where he keeps tabs on health care for wounded warriors.

"I think the benefits have gotten much better over the last seven years in terms of almost anything you can think about. There are still some things that need to be done," he said.

Among them: Overcoming the stigma associated with a member of the military for seeking mental health care.

"Because in some cases that's all they need," he said. "They need some help, sometimes a little help, and they are back on track."

But, for some "back on track" has meant being deployed for the third, sometimes fourth time, something Myers admits causes great strain on families.

"Hopefully as we can draw down in Iraq, and maybe not put as many forces in Afghanistan that we had in Iraq so you can see a net gain of people coming back to the United States and less people on deployment, hopefully that will start to lessen some of that tension," he said. "But it is all about families in the end. It's a family business in the military for sure."

From the sacrifice of families to the education and training of troops, from reservists to active duty soldiers, Kansans have served the military well and have contributed greatly to national security, Myers said.

Kansas' infrastructure enables a quick military response and the state has superior training ranges, he said.

Myers boasts about the "intellectual horsepower" at Fort Leavenworth, where U.S. and international officers are schooled.

"It's a place where people can come together and learn our culture; we can learn their culture. And this is just a tremendous asset for Kansas. So Leavenworth is key, if you believe like I do, that education is what makes our U.S. military superior," he said.

He says while the military's economic benefit to Kansas is undeniable, the cultural richness the military brings to the state shouldn't be overlooked.

"Just like in Fort Leavenworth ... wow, what a richness it brings to the state that we wouldn't have otherwise," he said. "And I think the same thing could be said of the units and the officers and the men who man those units out at Fort Riley."

When asked why someone would want to become a member of the United States military, especially during a time of war, Myers said entering the service offerd several advantages to an individual, especially in this bad economy.

"They are going to develop leadership skills, and they are going to get out and when they are looking for jobs in our economy having military experience, for the most part, is a huge discriminator in a positive way," he said. "People know how they have been trained, how they've been educated and want to hire them."

Myers encourages young people to consider some form of public service, even if it's not the military.