Memorial Day 2003 at Bryant Pond, Maine

I was in the Army for a long time and when we would go out into the field to train, if it wasn't raining, we would feel kind of disappointed. In fact, there is a saying in the Army, "If it ain't raining, it ain't training." So if you're looking for someone to blame for today's weather, I might be a good choice. Today we gather here to honor those who died in service to this country. The usual way of referring to their sacrifice is to say 'they gave their lives for their country'. Most of these men and women, however, died fighting, not just for their country, but for their very lives. They did not give up their lives willingly. What they did was willing put their lives in harm's way for freedom. What they did was willingly stand between an enemy and Bryant Pond and by their actions said, "You want Bryant Pond? You're going to have to come through me to get it." They said: "You want to come to Bryant Pond and say they can't have a community band? Or if they do have a band, you'll decide who will and will not play in it? And you'll decide what music will and will not be played? I don't think so." These are not giving up words. Rather, as the saying goes, these are fightin' words. By their actions these brave men and women said: "You want to say that folks in Guthrie, Oklahoma can't have rodeos? And that they can't wear pointy-toed boots and jeans and big ol' hats? You want Guthrie? You won't get it if I can help it." In Flathead Valley, Montana there is a family who moved there in 1990 from Vermont; Annie and Stefan and their four children: Sofia, Melanie, Amanda, and Justin. By their actions and their sacrifices, these fallen marines and airmen and sailors and soldiers have said to those who would attack America: "You want to come to Flathead Valley and tell Annie and Stefan they can't home school their children? You want to come to Flathead Valley and tell Sofia and Melanie, and Amanda, and Justin, whose last name is von Trapp, that they are not allowed to dress up in Austrian costumes if they want to and sing songs that were brought to this country by their great grandparents, Maria and Capt. von Trapp? You want to say that the von Trapp Children can not travel freely to places like Unity, Maine and sing their songs? You want to tell them that they can't climb every mountain and ford every stream? That's the sort of thing you want to do? Well, guess what? You'll have to fight your way through me first." There has been some talk this last year about human shields. The men and women we honor here today are the true human shields. They truly put their lives between enemies of freedom and the Bryant Ponds and the Guthries and the Flathead Valleys of our country. They, with their very lives, shielded our American ideals, and liberties, and customs. And in doing so, they paid in hard currency for the freedoms Americans enjoy. The politically correct thing to say today is "We Support Our Troops." As long as you say those words, it doesn't seem to matter what else you say, or how you behave, or what you actually do or don't do. When the Dixie Chicks stood on a stage in a foreign country, on the eve of war, and told a foreign audience that they were ashamed that the president of the United States was from their home state, another member of the group quickly moved up to the microphone and said, "…but we support our troops." Saying "We support our troops" and actually supporting our troops are two different things. I'd like to read from an old newspaper article. It's from the Oxford Democrat dated eighteen hundred and ninety-eight. The article concerns a man from Locke Mills whose name was Oliver Millett. Oliver Millett fought and was wounded in the Civil War. He spent the latter years of his life at the Soldier's Home in Togus. When he died, his body was sent to Locke Mills for burial. The Oxford Democrat reports this: There has been much dissatisfaction expressed in regard to the appearance of Mr. Millett and also of the casket, which was made of common boards just stained and put together with common screws. It was not lined and only a small pillow for the head, and, as one person expressed it, Mr. Millett looked as though he was just thrown in, without being shaved, and with none of the niceties being observed which are customary in caring for the dead. Of course we don't know what the rules are in regard to such matters at the Home, but there seems to be a wrong somewhere. It seems as though an old soldier, no matter where he dies, should be prepared for burial in a decent manner, especially one who drew a pension. Let us hope that though it has been over thirty years since the close of the war, that the people of Maine will not forget what they owe to the boys who wore the blue, that through sacrifice of their health, strength, and lives the Union was preserved and the glorious old stars and stripes waves over a free country today. There are many men living today who remained at home through the war and held remunerative positions, enriching themselves thereby, and not realizing any suffering from the effects of the war. These men owe the soldiers all their help and patronage, in any position they are capable of filling, and then they never can half repay the debt they owe them. The ungrateful attitudes and unthinking behavior of some people in 1898 are no different than those attitudes and behaviors of some people in 2003. And to those people I echo what was said 105 years ago: you can never even half repay what you owe. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. When I was on active duty and was stationed in Oklahoma, it was my duty for awhile to participate in Military funerals. At the graveside, after a firing party with rifles had fired a three round volley, a bugler played Taps. After the last note of Taps sounded, soldiers would lovingly and respectfully lift the American flag that draped the coffin and begin to fold it. As they did, it was my job as leader of the firing party to slowly step forward, bend down, and pick up three of the expended brass bullet casings from the three round volley. I would move to the coffin and hand the three empty casings to one of the soldiers who was folding the flag. He would take the three spent casings and tuck them into the flag as it was being folded. When the flag was folded, the soldier holding the flag would turn to the officer in charge who would salute the folded flag. When I say salute, I don't mean the usual quick, crisp sort of military salute, but a purposely slow, dignified, reverent kind of salute. He was saluting the flag, but at the same time he was saluting the fallen soldier. The officer would hold out his hands and the soldier would carefully transfer the flag to the officer. Then the soldier would give the flag the same sort of slow salute that the officer had. The flag, with the three brass casings folded inside it, would then be presented in behalf of a grateful nation to the next of kin. You only need to participate in a ceremony like that one time to understand that freedom comes with a price. And that although the will to survive is strong, in Americans the will to be free is stronger. In conclusion I would like to say a few words about the men and women in uniform who today are in harms way. I am very much encouraged by them. People look back at the World War II generation and call it, and I think rightly so, our greatest generation. But supposedly it's been all down hill in this country since then. Certain nations of the world look at us as no longer willing to pay a high price, or for that matter, any price, for freedom. They look at our young military personnel and see Game Boy-playing, skateboard-riding, spoiled, self-centered kids who wouldn't have the backbone for a fight and at their parents as not having the will to send their sons and daughters into harm's way, no matter what the cause. They think that Americans today are not made of the same stuff that that World War Two generation was. They didn't believe that if called on, our young, all-volunteer military would be able to slug it out on the ground in a real toe to toe fight the way their grandparents did. General Norman Schwarzkopf knew better. Do you know what he said at the end of the first Gulf War about our young soldiers and sailors and marines and airmen? He said they were so excellent that if we had had Iraq's weapons and they had had ours, we still would have won. I believe it. Thank you for being here. I join with you in honoring and in giving thanks to all those, particularly those buried in this cemetery, who died to protect us. Thank you.