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It is a privilege to honor our veterans, our men and women who served in the military.
We must remember our freedom did not come easy. On battlefields across the globe, America’s finest men and women have shed their blood and their tears.
In 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution establishing Veterans' Day as an official holiday to commemorate the end of World War I in 1918. The resolution instructed that “the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”
Although the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month -- November 1918 -- marked the cessation of what was then considered one of “the most destructive, bloody, and far-reaching wars in human history, more and even bloodier wars were to follow.”
My own father never fully recovered from the horrors he experienced in World War II. Yet, my European family learned of the goodness, the utter decency of the American GI’s when they saved my mother, aunt and cousins from unspeakable atrocities and injuries sustained by a brutal enemy attack on their farm.
The American soldiers and medics arrived in time to save their lives. They treated their wounds, fed the malnourished family and gathered up the remaining livestock that had not been stolen or killed.
Our veterans fight to preserve the values of America, your freedom and mine. They fought because our country asked them to take up arms. They went where they were sent, did what they had to do and prayed they and their fellow soldiers would survive to return home to family and friends. Some did not.
It has been said a solider is someone who deliberately places themself in harm’s way, someone who, by signing their enlistment papers, writes a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life. The real implication of this statement cannot be fully understood by many, but was brought home to us in Wilton.
Just a few short years ago, at the most profoundly heartbreaking Hillside service for a beloved son of Wilton, Nick Madaras, we were overcome by this fine and giving young soldier's ultimate sacrifice.
We are humbled by the tremendous courage shown by our brave soldiers. There is no doubt that our veterans have paved the way for our military’s reputation as the finest fighting force in the world – both in strength and in character. That’s why it’s important – in fact, imperative – that we remember them always.
I thank you.
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