Posted on 11/13/2009 10:48:54 AM PST by Chuck_101
As I speak to you today, I do so from the perspective of a simple “grunt” I have the greatest respect, admiration and affection for veterans of all the branches of service. I fought alongside Marines from the 2cnd Battalion, 7th Marines in Qui Nhon…a bunch of terrific, tough guys whose equipment was old and out of date..they carried the M-14 while we had the M-16…they had the PRC 10 radio which had been the mainstay radio in the Korean conflict, while we had a much more powerful and reliable PRC-25… but their morale, esprit de corps were just flat out magnificent…and they were warriors whose effectiveness was unsurpassed.
My appreciation for the US Air Force is boundless, and I’m forever grateful for their close air support… without which I probably wouldn’t be standing here. And anyone who ever was within several miles of an arc-light strike, or who went in afterwards to do a BDA,(bomb damage assessment) knows the terrible power those workhorse B-52s were capable of. Those bombs were so powerful, you could just about put an entire infantry squad into one of those holes.
The US Navy, whose destroyers, cruisers, and the battleship New Jersey added the weight of their gunfire in support of forces ashore, and constantly conducted operations against the logistics lines of the enemy along the coast of North Vietnam. And the Navy SEALs with whom I once worked on a joint operation, and whose bravery and courage are second to none. I also want express my gratitude to the women veterans from all the services. There were over 10,000 women who served in Vietnam, and over 40,000 served in Operation Desert Storm. One in seven veterans of the current Iraq war are women. This year seven women lost their lives in Iraq alone. oday we honor them all, and we honor those who served in all of the wars this proud nation has fought. A special thanks to my dad, sitting nearby, for his service in the Pacific in WWII…and to his brother Dewey, whose military career spanned almost 30 years, and who rose from Private to Colonel in the United States Air Force. I remember my uncles, each of my mothers four brothers, who served in the Navy in the Pacific. I want to make special mention of those who fought the forgotten war…Korea…a war fought in the worst of climates, in the worst of conditions, in which uncommon valor was a common occurrence. When soldiers of the North Korean Army invaded the South, our military was ill-prepared for the invasion. We had become a post-war, peacetime military, ill trained and ill equipped, and as a result, in those early dark days, we were forced to sacrifice men to gain precious time as we retreated to the south. This was a war in which our soldiers were told repeatedly to hold ground at all costs, in the hope of stabilizing a defensive position which eventually became the Pusan perimeter, behind the Naktong River. When the war shifted to North Korea, and the Chinese came in, it was fought in places now remembered for horror and hardship…places like the Chosin Reservoir where, in the period between November 27 and December 13, 1950, 30,000 Americans of the X Corps, comprised of elements of the 1st Marine Division, and the 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions were encircled by more than 60,000 Chinese troops. In spite of temperatures as low as 37 degrees below zero, being surrounded and outnumbered, the Yanks successfully broke out of the encirclement while inflicting crippling losses on the Chinese. So much courage and sacrifice…but so little is known of their heroism. At times some have believed or dreamed that war was over….the genesis of this holiday is armistice day…the war to end all wars…11/11/11 I’m sure many of you remember when the cold war ended…we heard politicians talk about a “peace dividend” as they rushed to cut the defense budget, and the size and strength of the military. Sadly, the history of the world is one of tyranny. Across the globe, millions of human beings still live at the discretion of a powerful few. No tyrant ever voluntarily gave up his power over others. It had to be wrested from them by brave men whose desire for freedom, for themselves and their families was greater even than their desire to live. We are tasked to be ever watchful, to pray for peace but prepare for war. For evil still stalks the planet, hate is such an easy thing to teach, and asymmetrical warfare is a concept that enables a few hate-filled evil people to terrorize those of us living in a free society. Well I have bad news for those who hate us. We will beat you…you may terrorize and you may hate, but we will be here, a haven for those who love liberty, the land of the free, and the home of the brave…We will beat you, because we live and fight for a better cause, a noble cause…the right to live free, and to pursue our dreams. The United States is a nation founded on ideals and principles, and a belief in the dignity and worth of each individual. We all know and revere these words…. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Those words were a shock and a challenge to the King, who scoffed at the thought that a group of ragged colonialists could challenge the might and power of England. But against all odds, against the most powerful army and navy in the world, the first corps of veterans, the men who fought our revolutionary war, demonstrated to the world that freedom was not only worth fighting for, it was a cause greater than any King.
The term "veteran" is about far more than the time spent in uniform, or rank held in the past. Military service shapes a man or woman for a lifetime. Every person who has put on the uniform, whether in time of war or in time of peace, has felt an awesome sense of responsibility, as his training prepared him for the life of a warrior. Every veteran stood ready to give all for our country.
That training, and that devotion to a cause greater than themselves, was the crucible in which outstanding men and women prepared as well for their future role in civilian life, building and leading our nation, creating businesses and jobs, leading our corps of first responders, serving in countless ways, dreaming dreams and making them come true by sheer force of will, and strength of character.
Our veterans are truly the men and women on whose shoulders this nation has achieved it's greatness.
No matter what some may think, the people of the United States of America love peace. We have worked and sacrificed for peace, and our veterans have fought to achieve peace. We are a selfless and generous nation and have demonstrated that repeatedly through time.
Over the generations, Americans in uniform have defended our nation and ideals without seeking to dominate any other nation.
Americans have gone into battle in foreign lands as liberators, not conquerors. We are a noble people whose willingness to sacrifice for liberty was best expressed in the Declaration of Independence, when our forefathers wrote "With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor."
As a nation, we secured our own liberty, and in our glorious history, have helped secure the blessings of liberty for countless others. Across the Globe, you will find entire nations that once lived in fear, where men and women tell of the day when the Americans came and set them free.
Every veteran has lived by a strict code of discipline and honor, and understands the meaning of personal accountability and loyalty and shared sacrifice. From the moment he or she repeated the oath to the day of honorable discharge, their very lives belonged to America and service to their country came before all else.
Whether they served abroad or at home, they, each of them, were the building blocks that have made our military the finest, most effective fighting force in the world.
Americans are a peaceful people, and this nation has always gone to war reluctantly, and always for a noble cause. America 's war veterans have fought for the security of this nation, for the safety of our friends, and for the peace of the world.
They humbled tyrants, defended the innocent, and liberated the oppressed. America 's mission in the world continues, and we count on the same kind of people to carry it out. Today, in assignments around the world, almost one and a half million Americans are on active duty, earning the title of veteran by serving the cause of freedom.
We must always remember that citizenship is a duty…that we owe these fighting men and women our support, and we must hold our government and our military leaders to account. If America is going to put our sons and daughters in harms way, it MUST, MUST give them the tools and support necessary to carry out the mission. If we give them the tools, by God they will do the job.
Army Staff Sergeant Michael Cruz described the young men in today’s army, and I paraphrase him….
Today, the average age of the American Infantryman is 19.
He is a short haired, muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy.
Many are not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but he is old enough to die for his country.
He was probably an average student, loved sports, probably earned a letter or two in high school…
He had a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swore to be waiting when he returned from half a world away. Some actually do.
He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz
He also listens for the sound of guns…and unlike his civilian counterpart, when he hears them, he moves to them.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.
Letter writing is a pain in the butt for him, but he loves to receive them…
He can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it even faster in the dark.
He can recite the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one to great effect,
He can dig a latrine pretty fast…. a fighting hole even faster.
He can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity….he is a highly disciplined American soldier
He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.
He may forget to brush his teeth, but never forgets to clean his weapon
He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. And in the middle of a battle he'll share his precious ammo with you.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it with equal skill, because that is his job.
He will do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay
He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in battle
He has pondered the exhilaration of being the one left standing in a fight to the death, and he wonders…. why him….
The answer to that question will elude him, and he will wonder his entire lifetime why he was the one to survive….and he will have moments of grief and guilt because he is alive…and other good men are not….
Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He asks little in return…he deserves our support, friendship and understanding, and most of all, our prayers.
He is today, what every Veteran has been over time… He is the American Fighting Man, and through his courage and sacrifice, he has kept this country free for over 200 years.
Today, we honor these Veterans…we stand with them, and offer our heartfelt "Thanks" … And we pray that God forever holds them in his loving arms.
THE DET 3 FOUNDATION SUPPORTS COMBAT UNITS FROM THE ARMY AND MARINE CORPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN...THE AUTHOR IS ALSO A TRUSTEE OF THE US ARMY WAR COLLEGE FOUNDATION
HTTP://WWW.DET3.US
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