By Almon (Tiny) Hemore
DAV Chapter 10, Presque Isle
As we commemorate Veterans Day 2012, we proudly and gratefully recognize the hardship and sacrifices demanded from, and faithfully accepted by, the millions of men and women who have defended our land in war and peace.
It is a day to review memories of the past honors and extraordinary sacrifices.
It is a day to celebrate peace and the bright victories that grew from dark battles.
It is a day to dream of a brighter future.
Veterans Day is also a reminder that we have an obligation to safeguard the precious legacy of our Founding Fathers — a legacy of freedom, justice and liberty.
A legacy that forever commits the nation to preserve our sovereignty, respect our heritage, and instill in us the responsibilities of citizenship.
Veterans Day commemorates the valor and patriotism of “All” of America’s veterans who have contributed so much to the cause of world peace and the preservation of our way of life.
They remind us all that this great nation was not established by cowards, nor will cowards preserve it.
America will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
What we remember and honor on Veterans Day are those brave men and women who believed so much in an idea, and were so possessed by a sense of duty and honor, that they were willing to risk death for it.
And the idea, of course, is freedom. Freedom is the America’s heart. It is central to our being, not only because it is practical and beneficial, but because it is morally just and right. But that freedom can be retained only by the eternal vigilance that has always been its price.
The founders of the United States understood that the military would be the rampart from which America would guard its freedom. Those of us who have seen the dead, the wounded, and the mud and the misery, the suffering and the sacrifice of war; and those who have given their loved one in mortal conflict, know full well that a democracy can exact a very harsh payment on those who share in its bounty.
Freedom is never free.
As an American patriot, Thomas Paine, said, “Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must…undergo the fatigue of supporting it … what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” Let it never be said that we Americans esteem too lightly our blessing of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We may not be the world’s policemen, but let us never forget the fundamental lesson of this century and beyond, which is that problems abroad, if left unattended, will all too often come home to America. We have the responsibility to use and defend our own freedom, and to help others who share our passion for liberty, peace and the pursuit of a normal life. We must, therefore, keep our arm ready and our alliance strong because challenges of the future won’t be any easier than those of the past. As President John F. Kennedy said, “Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay the price, bear the burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
Those veterans who returned home after WW II, and those that did not were all part of a generation from which we take inspiration. They won the war, planned for peace, and led the country through the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st. Without their subordination of self to the common good, our world would be radically different.
The tradition of the World War II veterans is the tradition of all American veterans. From Lexington to Concord, the tradition has sustained us in every war, right up through Iraq. It has marched with us and stood vigil in the frozen camps of Valley Forge, the steaming jungles of the Pacific Rim, the bloody beaches of Normandy, the rice paddies of Korea and Vietnam, and the scorching sands of the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Haiti and Iraq.
In that tradition, young inexperienced Americans become tough, capable soldiers. They become veterans.
This is our day to honor those veterans who sacrificed in those struggles and pay our respects to those who survived. America can never fully repay her veterans. And we will never be able to express our feelings to our fallen comrades. But if there is a crown in heaven, then they are the stars.
We must never forget how blessed we are in the modern world to live in a free society, nor forget the sacrifices of our friends, relatives, neighbors and countrymen who served us in the dark hours of war and conflict.
Our duty today is clear, for there are many who need us. Yet, even as America remembers the selfless service of her veterans, there are those who do seem forgotten. Yes, some of the various ones who survived the battles of Bataan, stormed the beaches at Guadalcanal and Normandy, and fought in other campaigns in World War II. Since then, their numbers have swelled from those who fought in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and in numerous other conflicts.
There are veterans who have lost family and friends, and who face a lonely future. Many are homeless and in need of medical care. They struggle with the bureaucratic red tape to get the benefits and health care they need.
We urge our best young men and women to serve and defend our nation and its ideals. We venerate patriotism, but we find something irritating when they submit their expense vouchers. Our veterans did not disappoint their nations when it needed their service. They, in turn, should not be disappointed in their time of need.
Throughout history, America’s veterans have served and served well. They saw democracy challenged and they defended it. They saw civilization threatened and they rescued it. They saw our rights endangered and they sought to restore them. Their heroism was prompted by faith in the fundamentals that have guided this nation from its beginnings — the idea that liberty must be protected — whatever the cost. We must, therefore, honor and care for those who distinguished their lives in the defense of freedom. We must provide a dignity befitting heroes — whatever the cost.
Wherever we are on Veterans Day, we can do no less than pause for one small moment to reflect upon the more than one million heroes who did not return to us — those who gave what Lincoln called, “The last full measure of devotion for our country.” Their ultimate sacrifice serves as a constant reminder of the cost of freedom and the hope for a safer, more peaceful world; and of course, we should thank the 26 million veterans or more, who have served their nation so well in war and peace.
We must also remember another important group — POW/MIA. They are missing in action, but they are not missing from our hearts. They are missing from our lives, but not from our thoughts and prayers. Let us close no books, write no last chapters, reach no final conclusions until we have the fullest possible accounting for every serviceman and woman still missing in all the wars.
We know that if the world is faced with the unfortunate occurrence of wars, American men and women will be there to meet the challenges, defend our nation, and work toward peace. America can and will change, both today and in the future. However, what must not change — not today, not tomorrow, not ever is our recognition of the debt we owe to America’s veterans for keeping the American way of life safe and free. Those who served in the armed forces of the United States are the nation’s guardians who protect and defend the sacred traditions entrusted to us by our Constitution.
God bless America, and God bless you all, and all those who love, guard and defend our precious freedom
