MEMORIAL DAY SPEECH, May 28, 2007

ABRAHAM LINCOLN SAID THAT A COUNTRY WHICH DOES NOT HONOR ITS FALLEN HEROES WILL NOT LONG ENDURE.    WE COME HERE TODAY ON MEMORIAL DAY  TO REMEMBER OUR FALLEN HEROES, OUR HONORED DEAD WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY.     THIS YEAR WE ESPECIALLY WANT TO  REMEMBER A HOPKINSVILLE SON, ARMY CPL. WENDELL JERYD SIMMONS, AGE 20, WHO WAS KILLED IN IRAQ ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2006.  

     MORE THAN ONE MILLION AMERICAN SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE DIED IN WARS AND CONFLICTS THIS NATION HAS  FOUGHT SINCE THE FIRST COLONIAL SOLDIERS TOOK UP ARMS IN 1775 TO FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE.   EACH PERSON WHO DIED DURING THOSE WARS AND CONFLICTS WAS A LOVED ONE CHERISHED BY FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.   EACH WAS A LOSS TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE COUNTRY.  

     I READ THE PAPER EACH MORNING AND MY EYE TRAVELS TO A SMALL BOX USUALLY TOWARD THE BACK OF THE PAPER AND ITS CALLED “CASUALTIES OF WAR.”    YESTERDAY’S PAPER SAID:  IRAQ: AS OF YESTERDAY, AT LEAST 3,450 MEMBERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY HAVE DIED SINCE THE WAR BEGAN IN MARCH, 2003.  56 FROM KENTUCKY HAVE DIED.  25,549 U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN WOUNDED IN HOSTILE ACTION IN IRAQ.     AFGHANISTAN: AT LEAST 325 MEMBERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF THE INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN IN 2001.

     EACH DAY WHEN I READ THE CASUALTIES OF WAR BOX, I FEEL A DEEP SADNESS FOR THOSE FALLEN HEROES AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND.

    I READ A RECENT ARTICLE BY MAJOR RUSSELL STEWART WHO IS AN ACTIVE ARMY OFFICER AND WILL BE DEPLOYING TO IRAQ IN AUGUST.    HE IS CURRENTLY STATIONED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AS AN ROTC INSTRUCTOR AT FURMAN UNIVERSITY.    IN THE ARTICLE, HE SAID:  “RECENTLY, ANOTHER OFFICER AND I HAD TO NOTIFY A YOUNG WOMAN (ALONG WITH HER TWO CHILDREN) THAT HER HUSBAND HAD BEEN KILLED IN IRAQ.  THIS WAS BY FAR ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DAYS OF MY CAREER.  WE HAD NO ANSWERS, JUST SYMPATHY FROM TWO FELLOW SOLDIERS WAS ALL WE COULD GIVE HER.”    HE WENT ON, “MOST AMERICANS HAVE NO CLUE OF THE SACRIFICE BEING MADE BY WOMEN AND MEN DAILY, NOR DO THEY APPRECIATE THE SACRIFICE BEING MADE BY A SERVICE MEMBER’S FAMILY.  THIS IS THE CASE ESPECIALLY AT THE UNIVERSITY.  MOST OF THE PRIVILEGED IN AMERICAN WILL NEVER SERVE IN THE ARMED SERVICES.  SO IN A SENSE  OUR ELITE IN SOCIETY WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO PUT A SOLDIER IN HARM’S WAY.”    HE SAID, “I HOPE AMERICANS WILL PAUSE DAILY AND THINK ABOUT THE MEN AND WOMEN DEPLOYED IN IRAQ AND AROUND THE GLOBE.”  

     WE SHOULD DO THAT.  WE SHOULD PAUSE DAILY AND REMEMBER AND APPRECIATE THE SACRIFICES BEING MADE DAILY BY OUR ACTIVE DUTY MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES.   WE HAVE 33,000 OF THEM RIGHT HERE AT FORT CAMPBELL.    WHEN YOU SEE A YOUNG SOLDIER IN THE STORE, A RESTAURANT, OR CHURCH, YOU SHOULD TELL HIM OR HER THAT WE APPRECIATE THEIR SERVICE. 

     AND WE SHOULD DO MORE THAN THAT.  WE SHOULD DAILY REDEDICATE OUR LIVES TO UPHOLD THE VALUES FOR WHICH OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN ARE RISKING THEIR LIVES.   

     A MEMORIAL SERVICE SHOULD NOT ONLY BE  A REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO HAVE PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE;    IT SHOULD BE A CALL TO DUTY, A CALL TO LIVE OUR LIVES  IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE HONOR THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY AND THE FREEDOMS WE ENJOY.  IF WE UPHOLD THE VALUES FOR WHICH THEY FOUGHT, THEN THEY WILL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN. 

    I THINK THE FOLLOWING  WORDS  BY CHARLES M. PROVINCE  GIVE US THE MESSAGE IN AN ELOQUENT WAY:

      “IT IS THE SOLDIER, NOT THE REPORTER, WHO HAS GIVEN US FREEDOM OF THE PRESS;

      IT IS THE SOLDIER, NOT THE POET, WHO HAS GIVEN US FREEDOM OF SPEECH;

     IT IS THE SOLDIER, NOT THE CAMPUS ORGANIZER, WHO HAS GIVEN US THE FREEDOM TO DEMONSTRATE;

     IT IS THE SOLDIER, NOT THE LAWYER, WHO HAS GIVEN US THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL;

    AND IT IS THE SOLDIER--- WHO SALUTES THE FLAG, WHO SERVES THE FLAG, AND WHOSE COFFIN IS DRAPED IN THE FLAG--- WHO ALLOWS THE PROTESTER TO BURN THE FLAG.” 

   PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS WE REMEMBER ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR OUR COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOMS.   AND LET US ALSO REMEMBER OUR ACTIVE SOLDIERS TO WHOM WE OWE SO MUCH.     

     I ASK THAT YOU LEAD A LIFE WHICH IS WORTHY OF THE SACRIFICES MADE BY SO MANY AND WHICH OUR MEN AND WOMEN CONTINUE TO MAKE EACH DAY IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AND AROUND THE WORLD.   THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY.  MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.    AND MAY GOD BLESS  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.