New Smyrna Beach - Veteran's Day
New Smyrna Beach
Veteran’s Day
Good morning!
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for being here today, and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to you, I am truly honored.
I am Lieutenant General Robert Caslen, United States Army retired, from here in New Smyrna Beach. I have served in the Army 43 years, retired 4 ½ years ago, and it is a distinct honor to be with you all today.
To be chosen to address my fellow citizens of this great community on this Veteran’s Day is a personal tribute of unmatched proportions. It is also humbling to know, that today’s event in New Smyrna Beach is repeated in communities across America – as our Nation, through its hometown communities, celebrates the lives of the men and women who served our Nation, and to celebrate the meaning of their sacrifice in the defense of the United States of America.
To our veterans and service members here today, thank-you. Thank-you for your service and for your sacrifice. Can I please ask all our veterans to stand and to be recognized? Ladies and gentlemen, would you please join me in recognizing our great Veterans.
And to the families of our Veterans – you all are the unsung heroes; the wind beneath our wings. None of us would be where we are were it not for our families who sacrificed even more than we did. So ladies and gentlemen, would you also please join me to recognize the families of our veterans.
To a very special group. To the Moms and Dads and brothers and sister of those of our veterans who paid their last full measure of devotion to the defense of our Nation – these are our Gold Star families and a very special thank-you and appreciation for your sacrifice as well. Please join me in recognizing our Gold Star families with us today.
Even though it is veterans we honor on this day, I am mindful of the daily sacrifice the men and women of our local police and fire fighters, and all our first responders -- for what you do every day to keep this city and our citizens safe. So, ladies and gentlemen, please help me acknowledge all our first responders and thank you on behalf of all New Smyrna Beach’s residents. We applaud what you do every day.
[PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE]
Since the end of World War One, our Nation has set aside this day to celebrate the men and women who served in the Armed Forces, defending our Country against “all enemies, foreign and domestic.” From the Revolutionary War to our most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, for almost 240 years, these men and women have answered the call of duty and country, and have carried out their duty with honor.
Originally called Armistice Day which celebrated the end of World War I on November 11th, 1918 at 11 o’clock a.m., Congress passed a bill in 1954 that would change Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day, to honor not just WWI veterans, but all veterans.
So today, as we have since 1918, we pause to honor the men and women of our Armed Forces who served, and those who gave the “last full measure of devotion,” in service of our country.
And to paraphrase President Reagan, we pause to honor those who “…fought for freedom where liberty was in danger … Who sacrificed their lives in the name of duty, honor, and country… who all were patriots who lit the world with their fidelity and their courage.”
If you tour our Nation’s capital, there are a number of tributes to our Veterans of generations past. Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial is the beautiful Reflecting Pool and at the opposite end of the pool, is the World War II Memorial, built in honor of the “Greatest Generation.” Near the Lincoln Memorial, on one side you find the Korean War Memorial and on the other, the Vietnam War Memorial, honoring the service and sacrifice of the millions who served in those two conflicts. And for the very special monument that we have assembled today, this Veteran is hugely grateful for this community and your recognition of our brothers and sisters in arms. Thank-you New Smyrna Beach.
One of the great leaders of the 20th century and West Point graduate, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, once said “The history of freedom is never really written by chance…but by choice.”
America’s choice of freedom manifests itself in its Constitution. “We the people” has always represented the ideals and principles of freedom. From the earliest days of our Republic to today, we remain a people committed to freedom, tolerance, and inclusion of all. As President Eisenhower alluded to, we have chosen this path of freedom.
Freedom isn’t free -- so the saying goes. But as President Kennedy once said, “the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Our freedoms and values are defended and maintained at a steep price – secured only through the blood and sacrifice of the brave men and women willing to confront the dangers of the world in order to protect our values and our way of life.
As Elmer Davis, Director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II, once said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
Since our nation’s founding, more than 42 million Americans have donned the cloth of our nation, to stand in the gap between the American people and the values we hold dear, and the evil that is out there that would threaten those values. More than one million of them would lose their lives in service to this nation - faceless heroes who selflessly and continuously laid their sacrifice on the altar of freedom to allow us to enjoy the fruits of that freedom.
Our veterans who have served in the past…and those who serve today … they all have come from various backgrounds and values, but they all share a few things in common. Within each burned a love of freedom, and the moral courage to safeguard it. Whether career Soldier or Citizen Soldier, all answered the call of duty, and shouldered the responsibility of guarding freedom in its darkest hours – when tyrants and dictators threatened to extinguish it. Their sacrifice was both great and noble.
And yet, if you were to ask each one what led him or her to serve, what drove them to continue to fight at times beyond the limits of physical exertion, each would reply, “Because my friends counted on me.” They fought for the love of freedom, for the love of their Country, and for their comrades. They recognized their duty to serve their Country when their nation needed them the most, and they responded.
Much like those generations past, today’s generation of young Americans understand what is at stake and continue to answer freedom’s distress call. Those who would cite America as a declining power have not witnessed this generation in action. Rest assured – I have seen their courage, their intelligence, and their determination firsthand and can promise you that America’s future is in very good hands.
Often referred to as the “9-11 generation,” these young men and women represent America’s best. They are a generation of men and women that saw our nation brutally attacked and they have seen their country at war nearly their entire lives, and yet they volunteered to serve – knowing full well that they would be sent into harm’s way to confront the enemies of our nation on obscure battlefields halfway around the world. Yet they never waver or question; they quietly count themselves worthy to stand among the generations of Americans that have gone before them, quietly standing in the gap between the evils of the world and the values of our nation and our Constitution and the American people.
Many in this country do not yet fully realize the incredible value and impact that this 9/11 generation is having and will continue to have on our society. But that’s OK…they’d want it no other way, for they are a humble, resilient and focused generation.
And 50 years from now, their grandchildren will read in their history books about their truly selfless and humble service; a service that has protected the free world from tyranny and evil. For they have restored freedom and inspired hope where it did not exist. They have confronted and repulsed extremism, violence, and exclusion in all corners of the world. Much like generations before them, they seek moderation, tolerance, and inclusion for all humanity. They protect, defend and advocate for the downtrodden and defenseless. They are indeed a reflection of what America stands for.
President George H.W. Bush once said, “If anyone tells you that America’s best days are behind her, they’re looking the wrong way.” I truly believe that our nation’s best days are ahead of us – because of the incredible men and women of this generation who wear the cloth of our nation, who say every day “Send Me!”
But as you know, what we enjoy today is not without costs. Our freedoms and values are defended and maintained at a steep price – secured only through the blood and sacrifice of the brave men and women willing to confront the dangers of the world in order to protect our values and our way of life.
If you ever have the opportunity to witness a veteran as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or face the flag during the Star-Spangled Banner, just watch them in the corner of your eye. The words are alive to them. The bond created between them and our country, represented by that flag, is indelible. They know something about the concept of selfless service to one’s nation, and to the principles which set it free and for which it stands – they know it...all too well.
President Ronald Reagan once said “Freedom is a fragile thing and it is never more than a generation from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly be each generation, for it only comes once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.”
I know many of you have seen the movie “Saving Private Ryan”. Without a doubt, the film has left a lasting impression on this generation regarding the debt we owe to earlier generations.
The film opens with a harrowing view of the D-Day invasion of Normandy as seen through the eyes of a Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks). Through the rest of the film, Miller is given the mission to lead a search party to locate Private Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in action. The War Department has given Miller the mission to locate Ryan, who is now the only surviving son, so that he can be sent home to his grieving mother.
As the soldiers penetrate behind enemy lines, they open a Pandora’s box of moral questions. Chuck Colson, a Christian author asks some tough ethical questions. Why are these eight called to risk their lives to save one man? Don’t they have mothers too? Are they just pawns in some cynical PR maneuver by the War Department? How much is one man’s life worth?
There are no easy answers to such questions, but in the end, we see the only answer possible. Miller and most of his men have been mortally wounded. As the Captain dies, he gasps to Private Ryan, “Earn this. Live a good life. Earn this”.
In other words, men have died for you, now live a life worthy of such sacrifice. What a weight of moral duty to lie on one man’s shoulders! And yet, fifty years later, the former Private Ryan, now an old man, visits the soldiers’ graves at Normandy. As Ryan moves through the Normandy cemetery, he says, “I lived my life the best I could. I hope in your eyes I have earned what you have done for me.”
As we pause to reflect the sacrifices our Veterans have paid, we – the living – today – we have an obligation. We have an obligation to remember their sacrifices. To share their stories…not just of the fallen, but also of those who have come before us – upon whose shoulders we stand today. And we have an obligation to always be worthy of their sacrifice, or to echo the words of Private Ryan: “I hope that I will have earned what you have done for me.”
A couple months ago I was in Normandy, visiting the battlefields and walking through the Normandy cemetery where over 9,000 Americans are laid in eternal rest. I was overwhelmed with emotion walking through the crosses and stars of David. Knowing the stories. Realizing the immense sacrifice that is surrounding me. I couldn’t help but reflect and ask myself if I am living a life worthy of such sacrifice. I could only conclude that none of us are worthy. But that does not mean we give up – but we strive to live lives worthy of such sacrifice. And we don’t make that commitment just one time; we are forced to, and we must reflect, again and again; almost each and every day; asking ourselves, “Are we living a life worthy of such sacrifice?”
Standing in the mud on the banks of the Euphrates River in Iraq during the ground war of Desert Storm was the 3rd Brigade Rakkasans of the famed 101st Airborne Division.
The morning after they had air assaulted 165 miles behind enemy lines, Iraqi women came out of a nearby hamlet taking their veils off their face and lifting up their burqa’s to show off a little of their legs – all in an effort to entice the Soldiers. The Rakkasans leaders asked them what their motive was, and they said they were offering themselves as prostitutes so the troops would not steal their children or kill them. Instead, the Rakkasans gave them food and told them they had no plans to rape them. The Iraqi women could not believe that these Rakkasan Soldiers were not going to rape them, and when they found that to be true, they said the 101st Airborne was the first army they had ever seen that gave instead of stole from them.
The Rakkasans took a 16-year-old POW during some close fighting to blow a bridge over the Euphrates River. The boy was asked why he was so young to be in the Army, and responded that he had no choice, that 2 years earlier, the Iraqi Army went through his town, kidnapped him as an inductee, and killed his father. He had not seen or heard from his mother in 2 years.
Ours is truly a great country. And when you travel and these distant countries, to these god-forsaken places, you truly appreciate the greatness of our nation. And whenever you go to these places, you cannot help but get on your knees and thank God, for His hand that has provided the blessings we have received here in America.
About 12 years ago, when I was a division commander in northern Iraq during the Surge, on an Easter Sunday morning, I stood in the corner of the operating room of our combat support hospital at our base in northern Iraq, watching Private Brandon Marraco, from Staten Island, receive 56 pints of blood to keep his body alive. Brandon lost all four of his limbs when an IED hit him on the driver’s side of his vehicle, as well as two inches from the jugular vein in his neck. Soldiers were lined up all night, donating pint after pint of blood, just to save their buddy.
We didn’t know if Brandon would make it. But six weeks later, during my R&R leave, I stopped by Walter Reed in Washington DC and saw him. There sat an energetic, spunky Brandon Marroco, surrounded by his family, telling me he was going to walk off the place to meet his platoon when they returned from Iraq.
And sure enough, six months later, Brandon flew to Honolulu to join his unit in the welcome home celebrations. His platoon all had gate-side passes and greeted him when his plane arrived. After everyone else on the plane got off, down the ramp came Brandon Marroco with two prosthetic legs, walking into the cheering arms of his buddies in his platoon.
I also had the honor several years ago to meet Major Scotty Smiley, the first blind Soldier to remain on active duty. Scotty lost his eyesight in 2005 when a suicide car bomber exploded in front of his Stryker vehicle while he was standing in the commander’s hatch in Mosul, Iraq. Despite that, Scotty went on to command a company of Soldiers at West Point and taught a leadership class for cadets in his free time. He didn’t really have to teach it – all he really had to do was show up. Scotty was also selected as the Army Times’ Soldier of the Year, won an ESPY in 2008 as Best Outdoor Athlete, completed an MBA at Duke University, has spoken to motivate Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Olympic Dream Team. He’s climbed Mount Rainer, surfed in Hawaii. Today, he’s an assistant professor of military science at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and a couple years ago, Scotty completed an Ironman Triathlon in Idaho.
Where do we find such men and women? Where does the nation find such selfless service and sacrifice? The fact is that we find them right among us – the American people -- in communities all across this great land – from neighborhoods right here in New Smyrna, to the farmlands of Kansas and Iowa… the quiet coastal towns and villages in New England or the Pacific Northwest…the mountain homes of Colorado…the desert homes of the Southwest … from small rural towns to major metropolises – you’ll find them, with a desire to serve, and to stand in the gap when their nation needs them the most.
Without your loyalty and support of our service members and their families and the values of our nation, we could never put together such an Army as we have today and accomplish the incredibly challenging missions given to them.
I pray we never become numb to the meaning of Duty, Honor, and Country. These high ethical values have inspired ordinary common Americans to conduct not so ordinary, great and heroic deeds. And as a result, they have secured the great freedoms and privileges we enjoy today. And as our Country’s values are tested again, we must be grateful for the men and women from across this great Nation, who continually rise to the occasion to preserve our values and our way of life.
I’d like to leave you with a brief thought, one that sums up the reason so many of us are gathered here today, and in ceremonies such as this throughout the United States. And that thought is this: our shared belief that America is the greatest country in the world. The reason for this belief is very simple – it is because of the brave men and women, including many of you here today, that have stood up to be counted when freedom was threatened – sacrificing so much in the process.
In closing, I ask that we all remember all our service members and our first responders, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. We are forever indebted to them for their service and sacrifice. May be always be worthy of their sacrifice, or to echo the words of Private Ryan: I hope that we have earned what they have done for us.
May we also remember those that are, at this very moment, standing watch for us around the globe in the name of freedom and democracy.
May God bless each and every one of you here today, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Thank you.
(Photo from VA)