Thank you. I am extremely honored and proud to speak with you all today. When I started to write this speech, I was finding it very difficult to get all of my emotions out onto paper. I realized the only way to give a heart felt Memorial Day speech was to tell you my story, to tell you what this day means to me. For most, it’s a three day weekend filled with barbeques and picnics. For others, it marks the beginning of summer and the opening of swimming pools. And for some, it holds a much more personal significance. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
As a kid, I knew what Memorial Day stood for, but today, it holds a much stronger meaning to me. In 2001, at the age of 20 years old, I enlisted into the United States Army as an infantryman. I signed up to earn some college money and to begin my adult life. There was part of me that wanted to serve my country, but I did so for mainly selfish reasons. Serving in the Army had many great benefits. I had a steady pay check, a free place to live, and health insurance. I would go to work, train, and then come home to my wife. In August of 2001, my oldest son Logan was born. Life was great. And then, out of nowhere, our country was attacked on 9/11. It was at that moment that I understood the oath that I had taken. I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I knew what was going to be asked of me, I was going to be leaving for war.
In February, 2003, I left my family to take part in the invasion of Iraq. Saying goodbye to my family was very difficult, but I was ready to answer the call. I was young, well trained, and in the company of great men and women. I wasn’t scared, I felt invincible. Nothing could happen to me, right? That mindset changed very quickly. With every explosion and gun shot, the fear level rose… but so did my respect for my fellow soldiers. Regardless of how dangerous the mission or how scared a soldier was, they answered the call. Day in and day out, I saw people risk their lives for others. On one mission, a good friend of mine, SPC Brandon Olson, was hit in the heal with shrapnel from an IED. We started taking fire from many buildings, but couldn’t see anyone. A few soldiers ran to our wounded friend and moved him to a safe place, shielding him from fire while they placed a tourniquet on his leg. Brandon would eventually have his leg amputated due to infection, but luckily, no one was killed in the attack. As a matter of fact, not one of the soldiers in our company was killed during our year in Iraq. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to see one of my close friends die in battle, but what I can attest to is the level of honor, courage and bravery these men and women exhibit in combat. How many people do you know that would run into gunfire, sacrificing their lives, for something bigger? I can’t explain how important it was for me to witness these heroes in action. I can’t explain what it feels like knowing that so many men and women have given their lives in situations similar to this. I guess some things just can’t be put into words.
In January, 2004, I returned home from Iraq and continued my service at Ft. Carson, Colorado. I made a new home with my family, made many new friends, and was given the position of squad leader. Army life had changed drastically from my first year in the service. There was more time away from home and much more training. After all, we were a country at war and more was expected of its soldiers. During one of my training missions, I sustained injuries to my feet that caused me to see a doctor. The doctors informed me of numerous injuries to my feet that would prevent me from continuing my service as an infantryman. I was given the option to either pick a new career in the Army or to be medically discharged. After much discussion with my family and friends, I decided to leave the Army and get an education.
I then informed my soldiers that I would be separating from the Army. It is something that is very hard to do. I trained very hard with these young men, and knew that one day they would be deploying and fighting without me. But I was very comforted by the news that my friend, SGT Alberto Sanchez, would be taking my place as squad leader. He was a very motivated and intelligent guy. I had no worries about the well-being of my soldiers under his guidance.
In October, 2005, I was medically discharged from the Army and started to adjust to civilian life back here in Woodville. I was going to school, working, and spending a lot of time with my family. One day, I received a call from an old Army friend, Shaun. I could tell immediately that something was wrong and that he was upset. He informed me that 4 soldiers that we had served with were killed in action. PVT Chistopher Palmer, PFC Tyler MacKenzie, SPC Joshua Munger, and SPC Benjamin Smith were killed in Bagdad, Iraq, by and IED. I sat there, quiet, not knowing what to say. It was the first time Shaun and I had to experience losing one of our brothers. Later the next year, on April 13, 2006, SPC Andrew Waits was killed in action by another IED in Bagdad, yet another friend I served with in Iraq. Anytime you hear about a fellow soldier being killed in action, it takes your breathe away. It doesn’t get any easier each time it happens. But this next incident has affected my life more than any.
On June, 24, 2006, SSG Alberto V. Sanchez was killed in action by an IED near Balad, Iraq. My friend and fellow Noncommissioned Officer, who had taken over my position when I departed the Army, was killed leading his troops in combat. It’s very hard to talk about my feelings of unworthiness, my regret, and all the “what ifs” that deal with the loss of my brother SSG Sanchez. Rather, I would like to share with you a story that my mother gave to me a few weeks ago.
Our Life is Not Really Our Own
By: Daris Howard
As Memorial Day rolls around, I am reminded of a story that I heard. Though the exactness of it I can not confirm, I am assured its basis is quite factual, and its message definitely deserves to be retold.
The story is of a man, Andrew, who was known all his life for selfless sacrifice and good works. He always stood in defense of the defenseless, and toiled without tiring, standing up for the downtrodden and underprivileged. As he grew old, and people tried to honor him for his well-lived life of service, he was reluctant to accept the praise and attention that his community desired to heap upon him. It was then, for the first time, that he told a story that had burned deep in his heart and was hard for him to relate.
Andrew was a young man, thirteen years old and living in Austria, when the Germans invaded. The Austrians, brave and proud, decided to fight back. In the town where Andrew lived, the men and teenage boys organized and destroyed a power plant that the Germans relied on to continue their war effort. The men and boys all knew this would cause great hardship on themselves as well, for they relied on that power plant. But the thing they had not counted on was the swift and severe retribution that would come from the Nazi invaders.
The next morning, before the sun was even up, trucks rolled into town. Soon, he sound of marching soldiers was heard in the streets. The men and boys of the town, twelve years old and older, were ordered to the town square. Andrew found himself standing in a line with the other men and boys, still trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
The commanding officer berated them, and told them they were fools to think they could stand against the might of the German Army. He told them they were nothing, and their minuscule efforts would not slow down the German war effort, but it would hurt them because a price was going to be paid for their rebellion. He then said that every 20th man in line would be shot.
As each 20th man was pulled from the line and marched away, Andrew looked down the line and started counting. With horror, he realized that he stood in a 20th position. He trembled with fear as the soldiers moved closer and closer to him, and the shots started to ring out at the edge of town where the unfortunate men were being taken.
As the Germans continued to move down the line, Andrew could see others counting and their eyes turned to him with a look of pity and concern. Andrew found himself wanting to flee, but too frightened to move. Even if he tried to run, the soldiers on the trucks, with the mounted machine guns, would cut him down before he could get ten yards.
But then, in the instant that the last man before Andrew was pulled from the line, the Germans turned their eyes away, and Andrew felt a hand on his shoulder. The hand tightened quickly, and before he knew what happened, he was jerked forcibly over one spot, and the old man who had been standing next to him moved swiftly to switch positions.
Andrew looked up at the silver haired man and the man smiled. Just before he was taken from the line and led away, the old man spoke quietly to Andrew. “Your life in no longer just your own. Live it for both of us.”
Andrew watched silently as the old man disappeared from view toward the edge of the village. His heart jumped as the shots sounded, shots that Andrew knew should have been his own. In that instant, tears flowing down his face, he determined he would indeed live his life for both of them. From that day he had tried to live so that the unknown old man would have felt his sacrifice was well repaid.
Each time I consider the flags flying by the many graves in the cemetery, thinking back on Andrew’s story, I realized that no one’s life belongs to just them. Each of us owes a debt to many who have paid prices through hardship, hard work, and even the sacrifice of their lives, from which I have benefited.
I want to thank you all for coming today. Through all the wars and conflicts that this great country has fought, over 1.3 million men and women have given their lives defending our country. Thousands of families had mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; husbands and wives; and sisters and brothers taken from them… paying the price for the freedom we enjoy today. When we all leave here today, we will be joining our families for cookouts, opening our swimming pools, and preparing to enjoy the summer and the great weather it brings. Enjoy your time with your families today, but know that it was paid for by our fallen heroes. Our lives are not really our own. God bless you all. Thank you.
In memory of SSG Alberto V. Sanchez
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