Remarks of Senator Ken Yager
Memorial Day, 2009 - Dayton, Tennessee
May 25, 2009
Each year, in communities across our great land, grateful citizens—like those of us here—congregate to publicly honor the best and noblest of us all-- those men and women who answered the call, donned the nation’s uniform and paid the absolute price to secure and preserve our freedom. The men and women who we remember today give currency to the words, “duty, honor, country.”
Memorial Day is therefore a day of remembrance for all those who have sacrificed and died in the service of this Nation. For almost 150 years this nation has remembered the men and women called to defend the founding ideals of our Republic. . In the 1868 Proclamation to set aside this special day, the Commander of the Army directed that homage be paid to “…the memories of our heroic dead who made their breast a barricade between our county and its foes.” And as we observe Memorial Day, we remember the more than one million Americans who have died to preserve our freedom, the more than 140,000 citizens who were prisoners of war and all those who were declared missing in action.
From the shot heard round the world at Concord Bridge through the turmoil of the Civil War to World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the war on terror in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world, the members of our military have build a tradition of brave and faithful service. We have continually confounded our enemies because in America men and women of different races, religions and social status will come together in defense of our freedom.
Not only are we united by our common sorrow but in our gratitude to those who gave their last full measure of devotion to a cause much greater than themselves.
Today, all who presently wear the uniform of the United States are serving at a crucial hour in history and each has answered a great call to serve our nation on the front lines of freedom. As we continue to fight the war on terrorism, let us pray for the safety and strength of our troops, for God’s blessing on them and their families and for those who have lost loved ones. As in in other times of war, soldiers joining the service today raised their right hand at a time when our Nation is at war knowing full well what that means. I admire their courage, respect their devotion to duty and salute their commitment to the defense of our nation.
On Memorial Day, it is important to not only recognize the service of those who have gone before us but to ensure that the purpose for which they fought will never be forgotten. Listen to the words of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, “All who shall hereafter live in freedom will be here reminded that to these men and their comrades we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their sacrifice and high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live eternally.”
As we mourn our dead and reflect on the past , it is up to us here assembled to join fellow citizens everywhere to ensure the legacy of our nation’s fallen is passed on to the next generation and generations beyond. We must ensure that the youth of tomorrow have an awareness and understanding of which it is they should likewise honor and exactly why they should honor them.
On this Memorial Day we honor all of our fallen soldiers, their commitment to our country and their legacy of patriotism and sacrifice. By giving their lives in the cause of freedom these heroes have protected and inspired all Americans.
May God keep their memory locked in our souls and me He bless these United States of America.
Thank you.
