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Pariotism
Fort Benning Graduation Speech by LTC Randolph C. White Jr.
THE REALITY OF WAR
Ariel Vida, 8th Grade Student
Reeths-Puffer Middle School
February 2005
A soldier lies in the dirt
In a puddle of blood
His fallen friends lay beside him
Forgotten in the mud
Mangled limbs, distorted bodies
Sweet release is all they crave
He thinks longingly of his family
That will never find his grave
A young woman at home
Not yet twenty years old
Sits in shock on the couch
Her blood going cold
A widow now
Alone in sadness
She'll never again
Feel her husband's soft caress
A man the same age
Idolized his older brother
He's now alone in an army tent
Under the night's dark cover
He had wanted to be just like him
But it happened so fast
That his brother was taken from him
In a single bomb blast
A woman stands over a cradle
Tries to suppress her tears
What she was dreading has happened
The worst of her fears
Her little daughter by her side
Cries to hear her daddy's voice
Her mother left to raise kids alone
She didn't have a choice
A woman volunteer
Killed by an errant shot
She had not attacked them
She hadn't ever fought
But bullets don't know innocence
They don't know who is kind
She was just a sweet young woman
With an empathetic mind
It's hard to breathe
The light is drifting away
He thinks of the things
He had wanted to say
Thinks of regrets and fights
Thinks of the gorgeous blue sky
And as he takes one last breath
Feels his mother kiss him goodbye
A teenage boy sits
Against a broken wall His face in his hands
As tears begin to fall
His twin brother is dead He can't understand why
Sobbing, all alone
He just wants to die
Two amazing parents
So proud of their son
Their house is now quiet
Devoid of laughs and fun
They'!! never forget his beaming face
They'll never forget his wistful sigh
A parent can never forget a child
Nor would they want to try
An innocent boy clutches
A limp, lifeless form
It's covered in blood
Its skin isn't warm
He pleads to the sky
For it to be a nightmare
His little brother died in his arms
Why is life so unfair?
A nurse looks around
Choked by the nauseating air
Flies and maggots crawl over bodies
Lice crawling in their hair
So much death, horrid screams
And what is it for?
She looks around and truly knows
The reality of war
War claimed these lives
And thousands more
Never again will their loved ones
See them walk through the front door
Families in misery
Hearts broken forever
For a war that was, in the end
A worthless endeavor
War for money, hate, religion
Land, grudges, and strife
Always ending in such
A loss of precious life
Each one was important
They had so much to do
But when their souls left their bodies
Their dreams left the world too
TELL YOUR STORY
Veteran's Day 2004
Mike Zimmerman, USMC, Vietnam
Where have all the veterans gone?
I remember my Uncle Tom, US Navy, Pearl Harbor. I remember my Uncle Elmer, US Army, Death March Batan. I remember Richard, a classmate and friend, USMC, Vietnam. I remember Tuffy, a US Marine. The only time he did not use his nickname, Tuffy, was in marine boot camp.
My mother told the story about a knock on her door. She opened it and ran screaming through the house. She thought it was a Japanese soldier who had come to get her. Actually, it was her own brother, yellow from jaundice and wearing a fumanchu mustache returning from the Death March of Batan. He never had a good night¡¦s sleep after the Death March of Batan.
We are here to remember those veterans who are gone! The veterans who remain must tell their story. Already rumor says maybe there was no holocaust; maybe there was no Pearl Harbor!
Veterans tell your story, tell your children, tell your grandchildren, tell your wife, and tell your fellow veterans. People must know the devastation of war and the atrocities committed against the people of other countries.
In America, we all have the chance to excel. In some countries, people don¡¦t have that chance. Some countries are lead by oppression and fear. Should we help them? Some say, help our own first. Maybe so, but all Americans have the right and the ability to succeed. America was founded by a war to gain freedom. So, we should know the costs of freedom. Freedom is not free.
Fifteen hundred veterans a day are passing on from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. We should remember. As one great soldier once said, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away".
Thank you, God Bless America, and God bless her Vets.
A DEEPER APPRECIATION ...
The events of September 11, 2001 shocked and staggered our nation, but only for a moment. An enemy unfamiliar with the strength and resilience of the American people mistakenly thought it could frighten and cripple us as a nation.
Their assumptions and misunderstandings of who we are and what we stand for immediately became apparent to them and to the rest of the world.
Out of the chaos that day came order and a clear sense of what we need to do. Out of the confusion that day came a new solidarity; a strength of purpose and a clear, united resolve ¡X not in the name of vengeance alone, but more importantly, in the name of justice. We looked closer at ourselves on September 11, 2001 and the days that followed.
The smoke and dust of the ruined twin towers did not cast a shadow over the extreme acts of courage and valor displayed by hundreds of police, firefighters, emergency personnel and others during that frightful morning. We now understand that heroes surround us everyday. Daily ordinary men and women made extraordinary by their professionalism and their willingness to serve, protect, and go beyond the boundaries of duty.
When American Airlines flight 77 tore through the walls of the Pentagon, selfless government and civilian workers put their lives at risk to save fellow employees and comrades. Passengers aboard United flight 93 showed valor beyond words when, after realizing terrorists had taken control of their aircraft and were targeting the nation¡¦s capital with cruel intent, took action that perhaps saved thousands of lives at the cost of their own.
The truth of that day reaffirmed what we already knew; that evil will always be countered by good, that violence is not strength, and that compassion is not the enemy.
Through all of this, what has become most evident is the rekindling of the American spirit and a deeper appreciation of what our nation stands for.
As we reflect on the lives cut short because of the attack on America, we can find solace in knowing that their memory has served to inspire a greater enthusiasm for service and kindness. We can honor their memory by recommitting ourselves to our families, to our communities, to our country, and to each other.
Let us each be more determined to make the United States of America a nation of courage, of honor and of integrity.
IF WE STAND UNITED ...
Many people awake each morning, shower, and grab a bite to eat as they scurry out the door to work. Some of us may have done the exact same thing for many years. Each day we expect to return home and then repeat our routine the following morning.
Not long ago, 3000 people in New York City had similar expectations. They showered, ate, and scurried off to work. The difference for them was that they did not return home because they were crushed among the twisted metal and broken concrete of the World Trade Center.
Most of the dead were Americans, but people from 92 countries perished, that day, indiscriminately murdered by evil, wicked barbarians seeking world power and planetary oppression of the human spirit.
On September 11th, 2001, men, women, children, friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, and neighbors we taken from us. All were loved and all died senselessly.
The world changed forever that day. We were stunned; we cried; we were afraid. We didn¡¦t sleep well; we held our children tighter; and we said I love you more often. We also found strength in our resolve to stand united against evil, and as a nation, our unity surprised our enemies and inspired our allies.
We remembered that every day people die trying to enter this great country. They die trying to float on broken down rafts across vast miles of ocean; they die trying to walk across many miles of desert without water; they die stuffed into the back of unventilated trucks driven by unscrupulous smugglers.
We also remembered our heroes. We remembered our neighbor who is a fire fighter. We remembered our friend who is a police detective. We remembered those serving and who have served in the United States military, all risking their lives to keep us safe and keep us free.
We ached for the wife and children of Todd Beamer who died heroically 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh on Flight 93 following his inspiring words, "Let's Roll".
We also remembered that we are living the American dream and that we all breathe vitality into our dream by living it, by embracing it, and by being free.
We must not forget the things we remembered. If we do, evil will prevail. We must continue to live the dream. We must continue to stand united. We must continue to be courageous.
Our freedom provides the opportunity to make this world a better place for this and for all future generations, and it is our duty to proceed as if limits to our ability do not exist because we are all collaborators in creating freedom and dignity for all people.
Each new day is an opportunity to refresh and renew our unity; an opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder defending the American dream; an opportunity to banish racism, hatred, and terrorism; and an opportunity to foster love, civility, and fellowship.
We all need to hug our family more often and a little longer. We all need to smile and greet each other ¡X even when we are in a hurry. As Americans we need to marshal our unity and strength to help the oppressed live in freedom with dignity and love.
If we stand united, we can do this. If we have the courage of Todd Beamer, we can make this happen. If we nurture one another, we will live in peace.
The American dream is a world dream. We are living that dream. And by standing united we can create this dream for our brothers, our sisters, and our children throughout the world. We can have one world, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
Let's roll.