2013 Memorial Day Ceremony Speech

Today, I was honored to be the guest speaker at the Salem Veteran's Association Memorial Day Commemoration at the Salem Town Common.  I spoke these words today, but they apply everyday as we honor and cherish the sacrifice made by our bravest. 

"I would like to begin with sincere thanks to the Salem Veteran’s Association for coordinating this wonderful commemoration year after year.  I have attended this ceremony for as long as I can remember, and after hearing speeches in the past from retired officers and servicemen, I can only say speaking here is a privilege and an honor I am not sure I deserve. 

We are here today to honor and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending this nation and those who are still missing in Action.  We are here to show our respect and our indebtedness to those who have come before us.

We have one day, every year, specifically set to pay tribute to those lost in the line of duty.  This is our Memorial Day.  The men and women from New Hampshire, and across these United States, have given up their lives in order to protect liberty and freedom, and are honored not only on this day, but on every day. 

Memorial Day originated after the American Civil War to remember those lost in the bloody war fought by brothers against brothers.   As our history expanded, as did Memorial Day and it became the day on which we would honor all those lost in the fight for Freedom.

So many fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers have been lost.  So many familiar faces, friendly faces, lost in battles from Valley Forge to Vietnam, from the Battle of the Bulge to the streets of Baghdad.  Without their sacrifice we would not be standing here today.  Honoring those fallen in combat is not proactive.  It is reactive, as they who shed their blood for our Republic so honored us as to give us their last breath for our freedom.  We are here because they gave their last breath.  They honored their oath to fight, and to defend the Constitution of these United States.  They didn’t have to agree with the war in order to fight it.  They had their mission and they did it.  They didn’t allow fear to stop them from protecting their fellow soldier.  They fought for us.  They fell fighting for us.   They believed in an America worth fighting for.  They believed in the value and potential of their fellow citizens.  That is why they fought for us, and that is why we are so much in debt to them.

To far too many people, Memorial Day is simply a day off from work or school, or a day that unofficially starts summer.  Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have given up their lives so that we who remain may go to work, attend school, and have summer vacations.  Memorial Day is a solemn day, but it is a day to be proud of America and what being an American means. 

We can never allow ourselves to forget the stories of those brave men and women.  Only when we truly honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom can we appreciate the freedom we have.  Freedom has never been and never will be free.  From the World Trade Center to the Boston Marathon, there has always been and always will be attacks on freedom, and we owe our freedom to those we remember today.   Freedom is not granted to us by politicians sitting in a room voting on bills.  A free society is one where they honor and remember their bravest at every opportunity. 

So, on this Memorial Day, I ask you all to remember.  Remember not just the names of those lost, but remember their lives.  Remember the loved ones they left behind.  Remember their stories they graced us with.  Remember their morality and ethical standards, and live your life by them.  For by choosing to live a life modeled after a Veteran who paid the ultimate sacrifice is the greatest form of remembrance. 

Today, we are not Democrats or Republicans.  Today we are not in a blue state or a red state but in the United States, where we pledge allegiance to liberty and justice for all.   Today we are not opponents, for we stand together to honor those lost.  Today we celebrate the lives of so many that have come before us.  Today is our Memorial Day, and we shall never forget it.  Thank you to all who are here today.   God Bless those we remember today, God Bless those P.O.Ws and M.I.As, and may God Bless these United States. "