Back in 1986, I gave a speech to the citizens of Blackshear on Veterans Day. I presented this speech in the town square of that small town to an audience of its citizens. Gathered under large, ageless trees with Spanish moss hanging from them, were World War II veterans and former prisoners of war who survived. It was like a slice out of time, going back to the days when times were simpler, and folks gathered in the town square for the news of the day. And, thus, I presented the following: “It is certainly an honor for me to be asked to speak to such an outstanding group of patriots and active supporters of our country, it’s defense and its principles. American Legion Post No. 181, citizens and friends of Blackshear, distinguished guests, fellow Americans... On behalf of our commanding general, Major General Carson, I bid you greetings and I am honored to be able to join with you on this special day.
“I have no profound statement to make on this day, however I would like to share with you some thoughts... and reflect on the purpose for which we gather here on Veterans Day 1986. As a token of respect, we set aside this day each year in remembrance of those brave Americans who served their country and risked or have given their lives to safeguard our great nation. We pause this day to recall the sacrifices of Americans past and to remember the patriotic devotion to those many Americans who preserved for us the opportunity to be and remain free men and women. I know of no group to whom our country owes a greater debt.
“Reminds me of a story, it seems that the Rev. Billy Graham tells of a time early in his career when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy told him, the Rev. Graham thanked him and said, ‘If you’ll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven’.
‘I don’t think I’ll be there’, the boy said, ‘you don’t even know the way to the post office!’
“I’m sure the Rev. Graham saw the humor in that response.
However, “knowing the way” is not an easy task. The veterans we honor today “knew the way”. They answered the call to arms as a profound duty, as an obligation, as an act of loyalty, each endowed with a love of country and each committed to the reservation of our precious liberties and to the defense or our nation. That was their “way”. Their service was loyal, unwavering and unconditional. The cause they served was our democratic way of life, which is represented by that most precious of all human conditions...freedom!
“Those of us on active duty today have inherited a legacy from those who have gone before us and it is our duty, as we march off the field, to preserve that legacy for those to follow. In this regard, I believe that you can be proud of your armed forces. We have made dramatic improvements in the past several years. The quality of our young men and women has never been higher. Modernization of both our strategic and conventional forces is underway and, for the most part, well in place. Our efforts have achieved a reasonable balance between readiness and sustainability.
“As you know, the State of Georgia hosts many of our permanent military installations, over 29 to be exact. To name a few, we have Ft. McPherson, Ft. Gillem and Dobbins Air Force Base (AFB) in the Atlanta area; Ft. Gordon in Augusta; Ft. Benning in Columbus; Moody (AFB) in Valdosta; Robins (AFB) at Warner Robins and Ft. Stewart near Savannah. (My compliments to the color guard from there.)
Each installation offers our country a unique and effective defense capability. We in the Marine Corps and, specifically, at the Albany Logistics Base, have reached a significant milestone in our history. The Marine Base, ever since it’s establishment as a storage and repair facility during the early 1950s, has played a significant role in supporting readiness. With the transfer of additional functions and responsibilities from the inventory control point at Philadelphia, PA to the Marine Base at Albany, plus other delegated tasks and missions, the Marine Base is not only vital to the Marine Corps, but to all within the department of defense. Never before have we introduced a volume and diversity of complex new and modern arms and equipment to our defense inventories. There are those of you who can remember the rifle, the bayonet and the enemy but a few yards away. Not to say that this will not be a factor in the future, however, technology has changed that scenario somewhat. The modern battlefield, for sure, will be a very sophisticated, complex and dangerous place to be. Battles will be fought hundreds, maybe thousands of miles between opposing forces, employing weapons and equipment which will go beyond “ Star Wars”.
“The world in which we live today is complex, driven by technology and sometimes difficult to understand. We pick up the newspapers, magazines and hear on the news: international terrorism, assassinations, famine, conflict, oppression, aggression, disasters and on and on. Technology has created an environment whereby the mix of weaponry and armament systems in any potential enemy’s bag is about the same everywhere else. Available today are veritable mail order catalogs for the most modern and devastating weapons of war known to man. There are thousands of offers by companies around the world to provide a wide assortment of weapons of destruction.
“Given this situation, the caution issued by Winston Churchill takes on a particular significance. He said, “to build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.” Added to this is the fact that terrorism and terrorist sponsored groups have expanded their power and influence faster than any movement in history.
“Now, given that these weapons are available and, in fact, are in the hands of any potential foe, what then makes the difference?
The difference is, as it has been throughout our history, in the character and dedication of our people, in the loyalty, unwavering and unconditional commitment of our armed forces to all that we hold sacred as a free and democratic nation!
“I don’t have to remind you that the word “freedom” is a misnomer because it is not “free”. Somebody has to pay. The price of freedom is the cost of defending it. The men and women we honor today have paid more than their share of that cost. First, by virtue of their service and they are continuing to pay in many other ways. The price of freedom is represented by those gallant souls who lost their lives defending our country. Those young men and women, who in the prime of their lives, were denied the opportunity to experience the fruition of their sacrifice, a full life in a free, democratic society and, the price of freedom is represented by those who remain in veterans hospitals. We should never forget them!
“It is unfortunate, but it is a fact of life that we must face up to, and that fact is: that men have had to fight and die for their freedom throughout history. As a matter of fact, in the over 3,500 years of man’s recorded history, less than 300 have been without war. Certainly the desires for peace that we hear so often must continue to be pursued, but, the words of an ancient Greek, stated some 2,400 years ago, are still very appropriate. He said, “Men of peace are not safe unless flanked by men of action.” Truer words were never spoken when you consider not only the history of our country over the last 200 years, but the history of mankind as well.
“The wishbone cannot replace the backbone and those of our comrades who have fallen had the backbone to fight and die for their country and the principles and ideals for which it stands. The patriotic Americans we pause to remember on this special day set aside for them, represent the indomitable spirit of free men. They risked their health, their well-being, and their very lives in the name of freedom. Unflinchingly, they faced the dangers of war, and they endured it’s hardships. The spirit of freedom called, they answered and they died. And, in the stillness of death, they have found the quiet dignity reserved for those whose lives have had real meaning and real purpose.
“You know, I’d like to share with you an experience I had recently. A few weeks ago, at a local Kiwanis meeting in Albany, I had the privilege to listen to a most unique and special guest speaker. The man was Harold Cohen, a fellow Georgian, a citizen of Tifton and an authentic American hero! I use Mr. Cohen as an example of why we are gathered here today and as an example to honor and remember all American patriots throughout our history to the present time. I use Mr. Cohen as an example to remind us that this thing called “freedom” wasn’t free to those who helped pay for it.
Now, it is wonderful, this thing they call “freedom”. It is a precious, fragile instrument that can be gobbled up in nothing flat.
As time goes on, it would appear that this thing called “freedom” may be more and more taken for granted. We cannot let this happen!
It is on occasions such as this that we pause to remember the past and, for those of us who understand, take the opportunity to explain to those who are coming along that this thing called “freedom” wasn’t free. I mention Mr. Cohen as an authentic American hero. Indeed, in fact, he is! Over 40 years ago, Mr. Cohen, at age of 25, enlisted in the Army, as did many other folks at that time. He entered the military at a time when it was expanding from a very small organization to where 12-15 million men and women were brought into service. He reported, like any other private, to Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas for basic training and then on to Ft. Knox for officer training. Two years and five months after his initial enlistment, he was Lt. Col. Cohen and was commanding an armored infantry battalion in Europe. Lt. Col. Cohen was the first to cross the Rhine, first to cross the Marne, leading the way under General George Patton, exploiting the elements of surprise and rapid armor movement. He received 6 Silver Star medals, 5 Bronze Star medals, 3 Purple Heart medals and numerous other decorations for his valor. He was captured by the German SS but later escaped. He is a part of history.
Lt. Col. Cohen joined the military at the request of his immigrant father who asked him to make a commitment to Uncle Sam. At the time, he had no idea what the future would hold other than he was in a rapidly expanding organization dedicated to the proposition of defending freedom. Last year, in November, Lt. Col. Cohen and 22 other veterans went back to Europe for the first time in 40 years. The idea was to re-trace the footsteps of the Armored Division that he was with and Patton’s 3rd Army. While there, the United States Information Agency learned that he was coming and asked that he make several talks along the route from the beach to Bastogne. The journey started at the beaches of Normandy. Lt. Col. Cohen was asked to say something at the cemetery that sits one kilometer off of Omaha Beach. The cemetery is immaculately kept. There are about 10,000 Americans buried there. Lt. Col. Cohen was asked, the night before, to say something the next day. That night, he sat down and wrote these words which I’d like to share with you on this Veterans Day 1986 and I quote: “Just a little over 41 years ago, a hole was punched in the noxious wall that an evil force had thrown up around this beautiful land. It was a small and tenuous opening. At best, 60 miles wide and, at most, 15 miles deep but it was an opening nonetheless and through it would pour the sweet breath of freedom in the form of the best that the western world had to give. By the thousands and thousands, young, vigorous men were on their way to drive that evil force from these shores and from this land. The beaches where they would come ashore would become written in the annals of time, etched in blood on the pages of history. There were: Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. Individual soldiers would remember smaller areas, such as: “uncle”, and “Victor” and “item” and “George”.
“From Quineville to the south to Cherbourg to the north, their objective was to win and hold the shores of Normandy. And, one of those sandy shores was called “Omaha Beach”. It’s a historic name, looking back. At the time, however, it became just another name for hell. It was the beginning of war for many men. It was also the end of war, the end of life itself, for many men. Those are the soldiers who paid the greatest price as the winds of victory forced their way through the tiny opening their blood had purchased. Those are the men who lie here before us today.
“It’s an incredible thing they accomplished here. It is an amazing piece of history. This old continent was dominated by tyranny, yet freedom, that fragile, often elusive notion, needed only a corridor 60 miles wide and 15 miles deep to make a stand.
“And, make a stand it did! Omaha Beach was bloodied with the lives of these good men, but their comrades stood their ground and they pushed forward. And, this place where we stand today became one of the first places in Western Europe to breathe again the fresh air of liberty.
“What an amazing place this is in the history of man. Only a kilometer from where these good people of St. Laurent live their lives, the doorway of freedom for an entire continent was opened. The wall of bitter oppression was smashed.
“From this place, the allied soldiers fanned out and fought towards the east, pushing the fanatic defenders of despotism back to their own borders and then beyond. Tyranny afterwards fell, freedom prevailed and this is the place where freedom came ashore. And, is the place (like many others) where unfulfilled dreams will forever remain. Many tomorrows lie eternally hidden from the warmth of their morning’s light in this cold ground.
“Great deeds were never done, great loves were never known and great children were never born to grow and work the miracles that new generations always perform. For, the tomorrows of these men would never dawn.
“By the time I came ashore a few miles from here, at Utah, these beaches were secure. These great men had done their job and had already paid the ultimate price. I went on across Europe with my fellow soldiers and we fought our war, and then I went back to my home for I was one of those who survived, fortunate enough to live my life under the bright light of freedom. I have seen most of my dreams fulfilled. But, often, my thoughts have come back to places like this. Places where the lives of some of my fellows- in-arms were cut short. Often, I wonder what wonderful things they might have done if they had not had to give their lives in defense of freedom the rest of us have enjoyed. I think of how much better life might have been if these men, and the millions of others like them, had been allowed to live out their lives and give of their talents. Instead, they gave up their lives in that great, noble waste called “war”.
“But, they did not die in vain. Tyranny must be fought. Liberty must be defended. It’s proud banner has been in our hands since these soldiers fell, and soon it will pass on to younger hands and with it must go the message that cries out from every grave before us, “freedom must forever be defended...or freedom will forever be lost!”
“I believe the words of Harold Cohen, native Georgian, true American hero and patriot have special meaning on a day such as today. They cause us to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who went before us. We recognize that protecting our country is a difficult and unending task, particularly in the complex world in which we live today. Our responsibilities for ourselves and our countrymen are awesome. However, if called upon, we have every confidence that we will accomplish our mission “to preserve our country’s heritage and to safeguard our freedoms!”
“In conclusion, I would like to thank Commander Preston Davis and the citizens and friends of Blackshear for allowing me to share this day and fine program with you. A special tribute to your grand marshals, the former prisoners of war, and all veterans gathered here today.
“At this point, I wish depart from convention and ask you all to stand and join with me in a round of applause as we pay tribute to your grand marshals, the former POW’s, our distinguished guests, our veterans, our American patriots! I salute you all!
“Thank you very much.”
