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MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE FROM CMDR. BROWN
On Monday, May 26, we will pause as a nation to reflect upon the true costs of freedom and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect it. The brave men and women we honor this, and every Memorial Day, selflessly gave of themselves to defend a way of life that we so cherish; a life free of oppression and fear. It is because of these heroes that we gather, commemorating the selflessness and sacrifice of those upon whose very lives rests the foundation of our freedom.
This year, as National Commander of AMVETS, I have the unique opportunity to visit the graves of our fallen heroes from both World Wars at the Suresnes American Cemetery just outside of Paris. Many of our Nation’s bravest have been laid to rest here, and we must see to it that they receive proper recognition on their holiday.
Memorial Day is one of our nation’s oldest and most-significant holidays, recalling the glory and sacrifice of all who have set their personal aspirations aside for the preservation of our society.
Throughout the brief history of our great nation, regular citizens have answered the call to serve. Whether they are our neighbors, our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, or simply casual acquaintances, it is because of these everyday heroes that we celebrate Memorial Day.
These brave individuals answered the call to serve in our nation’s hour of need. This is why we continue to gather each year to place flags on the graves of the fallen, to deliver speeches in the town square, and to pay silent and public tribute to those who stepped well beyond the lines of fear, doubt, and self-preservation to ensure the freedoms and ideals of their posterity.
Around the country, and across the Globe, memorials have been erected bearing the names of those who have given of themselves to secure our freedom. We must remember, especially today, that behind each of these names is an American hero who gave his or her life so that we may live in peace.
AMVETS has long made this our top priority, whether through the establishment and preservation of the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, or the AMVETS Carillons, which ring out at veterans’ cemeteries across this great land as a constant reminder of those who have fallen in battle.
As we gather today to pay tribute to those who have fallen in service to this great nation, a new generation of brave men and women has answered the call to serve in the Global War on Terrorism.
Some have called this latest generation of veterans our new “Greatest Generation.” Just as the millions of brave Americans before them, these young men and women have laid down their lives to ensure our freedom from a brutal enemy bent on destroying our way of life.
In times such as these, it is important for every American to reflect on what it truly means to live in freedom. We owe all of our veterans, past and present, a debt of gratitude for the sacrifices they have made in the defense of liberty. It is our duty to keep the memory of our fallen veterans alive.
In his famous address at Gettysburg in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln stated, “That from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
May we never forget those have fought for our freedom, and may we celebrate the lives of those who have truly made America the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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