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2006 Mount Pulaski Memorial Day Address by Col. Waldo E. Bertoni, USAF, RET . |
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Cmdr. McCue, Pastor Treptow, honored guests and fellow citizens.
Observing Memorial Day in Mt. Pulaski has been particularly meaningful
for my wife and me. For many years, Rosalie and I have been fortunate to
be able to attend these ceremonies as citizens of Falls Church, Virginia.
This year, we are not only fortunate, but also honored that, after an
absence of almost 60 years, we are attending as citizens of Mt.
Pulaski. It really feels good to be back home! We citizens of Logan County have a close historical tie to Memorial Day. In 1839, with the help of Abraham Lincoln, Logan County was established and named after Dr. John Logan. His son, John Alexander Logan, was an Illinois congressman, senator, and Civil War General. To honor the Civil War Dead, he conceived the idea of Memorial Day and inaugurated its first observance in May, 1868 - 138 years ago. Let there be no doubt that I represent an older generation - one that Tom Brokaw made famous as the "Greatest Generation". Believe me, neither I nor any of my friends, had any foretelling of such a daunting label. Many of us remembered and lived with the great depression, bread lines, massive unemployment, dust bowls and then fought another "war to end all wars". When one looks at our history since then - the Cold War with Russia, Korea, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Kosovo, Desert Storm, 9/11 and our current involvement in the Middle East, it is difficult not to be discouraged by the world we live in. But, we can take hope from one constant in this uncertain world - that is the courage, the dedication, the patriotism, and the self-sacrifice of our American service men and women. These patriots, having enjoyed the benefits of living in a free society, have fought and are fighting to help other less fortunate societies - even at the sacrifice of their own lives. We are here this Memorial Day to honor those heroes, who have served to protect our country and given their lives to help others gain the freedoms we enjoy. Since our move to Mt. Pulaski, we do have one regret. For most of the 32 years we lived in Falls Church, we attended Easter Sunrise Services at the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater. When one looks out upon row after row of white grave markers surrounding the amphitheater, one cannot help but feel the sadness and the greatness that those markers represent. We, who have lived through the events of the past 65 years, have little difficulty remembering our heroes. However, as a senior citizen, it is most encouraging to me to see the young people who have come to this ceremony - a ceremony that is both solemn and joyous. Solemn because we are here to grieve for those who have given their lives and for the families they have left behind; but joyous in the recognition that this nation is still producing young men and women who honor and respect the ideals set forth by our forefathers for over 200 years. In closing, I want to share with you an essay I received recently. It is by Otto Whittaker and is entitled: "I was born on July 4, 1776". "I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. I am Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. I remember the Alamo, the Maine and Pearl Harbor. You can look at me and see Ben Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with his bread loaf under his arm. You can see Betsy Ross with her needle. I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster, I am Tom Edison, Albert Einstein and Billy Graham. I am Horace Greeley, Will Rogers, and the Wright Brothers. I am George Washington Carver, Jonas Salk, and Martin Luther King. I am Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman, and Thomas Paine. Yes, I am the nation, and these are the things that I am. I was conceived in freedom and, God willing, in freedom I will spend the rest of my days. May I possess always integrity, the courage, and the strength to keep myself unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world".
In this essay, Whittaker could be referring to our country or to our
flag, either or both would be appropriate. However, on this
particular day, I think of this essay as a salute to the American
Service Men and Women who have given their lives - who possessed
"the integrity, the courage, and the strength" to help
"keep this country unshackled, to remain a citadel of freedom and a
beacon of hope to the world".
A wise man said "Like a breath to the human body, remembrance makes
the spirit live". The greatest gift we can give to our fallen
and to the loved ones who survive them |