Today we honor veterans in uniform and those who have gone before us to answer the bugle’s call. As well, this is a day when we pause to reflect and honor the memory of the fallen warriors – who paid the ultimate sacrifice. There is an inscription on one of the memorials at Arlington National Cemetery that is one of the greatest tributes I have found to these special men and women who cannot join but in spirit:
Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty, as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all and died.
Today, thousands of young people answer the bugle’s call from every state and every territory of this great nation. They come from all walks of life. They represent our best and our brightest. They are patriotic to the core; they all recognize the special mission their country has entrusted to them. Today’s Army, in the midst of transformation, is changing the way it does business to become a more flexible, powerful, and responsive organization. But one thing never needing to transform, is the indomitable spirit of the American Soldier. Our Soldiers personify the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. They also are fully aware of the special risks they have been asked to take, just like every other generation of Americans. But without a doubt, they are the best educated, best equipped, and best trained Soldiers this nation has ever produced.
In recent weeks much of the world begs to defer with me. Events have taken place that brings to question the true faith and allegiance of its military to the minds of the American people. Well, I am here to tell you, if you believe that you are wrong. The activity at Abu Ghraib was of a group that should be held fully accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Furthermore, those individuals are not indicative of the fine men and women that fill the ranks of our armed forces. Our men and women are doing you proud every minute of every hour of every day that they stand in harm’s way. Fine Soldiers like SPC Brian Robinson, from Henderson, NV, who was literally blown out of a two and a half ton truck that ran over a mine in Northwest Baghdad. His main concern during the medical evacuation was the fear of letting down his teammates because he wasn’t going to be there to help them anymore. Or like SGT Henry Lujan, from Las Vegas, NV, who, after driving over an explosive device, drove his burning vehicle to lead the rest of the convoy to safety. Only after assurances that all convoy members were safe did he allow himself medical treatment.
Just as the World War II memorial testifies to the spirit and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation, each day of the Global War on Terrorism is a testament to the selfless service of today’s fighting forces. Today’s generation of veterans honors the legacy of those who fought and sacrificed for our nation by following their example of personal courage. They place the mission first, they never accept defeat, they never quit, and they will never leave a fallen comrade. This warrior spirit carries them onward, continually strengthening their resolve to fight those who threaten our freedom. Just as World War II Soldiers faced a long, hard road to victory over tyranny, today’s Soldiers are just as determined to defeat terrorism.
The men and women of the armed forces are not macho men and super women – they are the teen who delivered the morning newspaper, baby sat the kids, bagged the groceries, provided the smile with the coffee. Just ordinary men and women who hold their heads a little higher. They are citizens who attend UNR and UNLV; they are housewives and casino workers; they are members of Reno Police Department, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, and troopers for the Nevada Highway Patrol. They live in Carson City, Reno, Sparks, Elko, Ely, and Las Vegas. But, within the blink of an eye, the bugle sounded and they responded. On hold went families and lives, dreams and ambitions. They are just ordinary people with life experiences that will never allow them to be the same again.
I would like to close with a short eulogy for a Memorial service conducted too years ago this month in a desolate stretch of desert 15,000 miles from here:
Cry to me,
My mother’s son;
Tell me how it is;
Tell me of trumpet sounds,
And battles won,
And legends come and gone.
If the winds sweep east,
And the bugle sounds,
Will these dreams come true?
Or will blood flow free,
And tears run dry,
Upon Armageddon’s darkened ground.
So, my father’s boy,
Is the manhood really there?
Or is it dreams and want-to-be’s,
On which men have bet their lives.
For you have taken the road less traveled,
And answered the bugle’s call.
