Speech at a Military Service Medal Ceremony

[June 12, 2024]  Tomorrow, I will give a short speech at a ceremony at Rowan College, where veterans will receive a county medal recognizing their honorable military service.  Here is a draft of what I will say.  Please take a moment to give me some feedback.  Thank you.

Just last week in Atlantic City, we dedicated a World War Two Memorial to those who served, 16 million who served in that war, the most destructive war ever undertaken by the hand of man.

It was a very moving ceremony, and I was most honored to personally meet 12 of these WW2 veterans, two of which served at D-Day on 6 June 1944.  One was a U.S. Navy coxswain on LST 510 at Omaha Beach, and another, a PFC with the 90th Infantry Division at Utah Beach.

I was not surprised by the large turnout of citizens across South Jersey.  They came in all sizes, rich and poor, young and old, dressed in their motorcycle outfits and their 3-piece suits, politicians and ordinary working folks and the homeless, and they stood for more than two and ½ hours on a hot, humid, threatening storms, and a buggy day to be with us.

One older lady (older is a relative term) told me she came to honor our WWII veterans, and her reason was a common theme.   A little kid said he was there to look at the monument because his daddy told him that seeing the statue atop the large pedestal would make him proud.

Hundreds took their turn to have their photo taken at the base of the memorial, smiling and holding up their children and grandchildren, elderly veterans in wheelchairs and those holding onto their adult relatives.   It was an incredible sight.

History certainly has a way of coming back at us.

Talking to these WWII veterans and hearing their stories helped link me and those in attendance with the great history of the defeat of the EVIL forces of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

We stood in the presence of greatness, and we could “feel” it in our bones.   To be there physically, at the dedication, was far superior than being on social media or reading about it in the news.   There was no substitute for being there.

I was interviewed by several news stations that day on 6 June.  I don’t remember which one but a reporter, a young lady who looked to be about 14 but I’m sure she was older, asked why did we even bother to erect a memorial.  She asked me with a straight face why we had gone through all the “trouble” and why we had spent all that “money” on it.

I could have told her the memorial was there to honor those who fought in the war, and that would be correct but that answer is terribly incomplete.

In fact, those of us responsible for building the memorial had much earlier, questioned ourselves, for it was not an easy task.   In its planning and construction, the effort forced us to look deeper into why we might work so hard to bring about such a Memorial, embodying a WWII veteran.

My answer to that reporter was that the memorial is not there just to recognize the past and to honor those men and women who served, although that is an important reason.  The memorial is there for our future.   We built that memorial because we knew that we have a future and we can have a hand in making our future a “moral good.”

Memorials like this one tell us, “You will be judged by what I am.”  That is truly scary because the future is a place of judgment about our moral actions today.

A memorial helps center us morally and shows us what we can do to make tomorrow better.   And that is why we revere memorials to the fallen.

You may now wonder why so many people in American have been busy tearing down, defacing, and removing statues and memorials over the past few years.

I’ll tell you why.  It is because statues and memorials remind them of their personal failures and of the failures of their radical ideas.  Our memorials remind them of the true moral ideal of a good and moral America, which they cannot accept.

So, why do we build memorials?  We build them to link ourselves to the moral good of the past and to make our future a moral good.

In my military service, I learned this lesson.  And, I got to meet some of the greatest Americans this nation has ever produced.   And often, their noble cause was fighting against the horrors of oppressive regimes, which is worthy of their sacrifices.   And, believe me, Evil walks this world.   It is our sacred duty to protect America from those who would do America harm.  That is us today, linking ourselves and our community to our moral future.

Today, many of you will receive a well-deserved recognition for your service.  Remember, many stand behind you: your family, community, and nation.  Never ever forget them.  They are why you are here today.

While I learned a great deal in the Army about tactics, strategy, diplomacy and politics, the greatest of all lessons was that we in the U.S. military owe a great debt of gratitude to the American people – past, present, and future Americans.

Every day, I thank them in my prayers, acknowledging that none of us would be here without them.

So, when you veterans walk the streets of Vineland or any small town in America, know that they also sacrificed to give you the physical and moral tools to do your job in service to our nation.

The medals you receive today are a reward for your past service.  Your awards, however, are a judgment in the present and essential moral link to a moral future.

Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.

God Bless you all, and God Bless America.

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Please read my books:

1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).