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11/10/2019 - Mayor Dennis Sullivan 2019 Veteran's Day Remarks

HONORED GUESTS, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, VISITORS AND ESPECIALLY ESTEEMED VETERANS; GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO SOMERVILLE AS WE GATHER ON HALLOWED GROUND TO PONDER AND REMEMBER THE WATERSHED EVENTS OF NOVEMBER 11, 1918.

 

EXACTLY ONE HUNDRED AND ONE YEARS AGO, MILITARY AND CIVILIAN LEADERS GATHERED IN THE CITY OF COMPIEGNE, FRANCE, A FORESTED AREA THIRTY-SEVEN MILES NORTH OF PARIS, TO SIGN THE ARMISTICE ENDING WORLD WAR I.THAT HORRIBLE CONFLICT HAD KILLED OVER TWENTY-FIVE MILLION PEOPLE AND HAD LEFT ANOTHER TWENTY-THREE MILLION WOUNDED.AMERICA SENT FIVE MILLION MEN AND WOMEN OFF TO WAR,OF WHOM 120,000 NEVER RETURNED. UNFORTUNATELY, THE ‘WAR TO END ALL WARS”FAILED TO DO SO.

 

AS WE STAND HERE TODAY IN TRIBUTE TO THE TWENTY-TWO MILLION UNITED STATES VETERANS,BOTH LIVING AND DEAD, WHO HAVE PROUDLY WORN THEIR COUNTRY’S UNIFORM, LET US REMEMBER THE SACRIFICES THEY MADE AND THE HORRIFIC CONDITIONS THEY ENDURED IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE IN THE WORLD. FROM THE SNOWS OF VALLEY FORGE TO THE MUD-FILLED TRENCHES OF FRANCE TO THE FRIGID WINTERS OF EUROPE TO THE TROPICAL HELL OF SOUTHEAST ASIA TO THE SCORCHING DESERTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, AMERICAN SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN LEFT HOME AND HEARTH TO ANSWER THEIR NATION’S CALL IN TIME OF NEED. WE CELEBRATE THEIR HEROIC DEEDS ,AND MOURN THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE PEACE AND PROSPERITY WE ENJOY TODAY.

 

THIS DAY HOLDS SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR ME, SINCE MY DAD AND MY MOM’S TWO BROTHERS FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR TWO. THEIR LIVES WERE INTERRUPTED BY WORLD EVENTS THAT TOOK THEM FROM BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY AND STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK,TO PLACES THEY PROBABLY ONLY HAD READ ABOUT BEFORE 1943-HAWAII AND BERLIN. ALL THREE RETURNED HOME SAFELY TO PICK UP THEIR LIVES AS BEST THEY COULD, NEVER BRAGGING ABOUT THEIR WAR EXPLOITS. THEY WERE ALL PROUD MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION. MY DAD WAS A MEMBER OF POST TWELVE HERE IN SOMERVILLE FOR THE LAST SIXTEEN YEARS OF HIS LIFE.THE “GREATEST GENERATION” IS A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF SOLDIERS LIKE JERRY SULLIVAN, STANLEY BROS AND EDWARD BROS AND THERE ARE MILLIONS OF FAMILIES LIKE MINE WITH SIMILAR STORIES TO TELL. I SALUTE THEM ALL TODAY AS AMERICANS COME TOGETHER ACROSS OUR GREAT LAND IN CEREMONIES LIKE THIS.

 

VETERANS DAY 2019 WILL SOON PASS INTO HISTORY, AND OUR EVERYDAY LIVES WILL TURN TO THOUGHTS OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON.IF YOU ARE OUT SHOPPING AND SEE A WRINKLED FACE WEARING A VETERAN’S BASEBALL CAP,STOP TO SAY THANK YOU, AND IF A FAMILY EVENT INCLUDES A VETERAN, ENCOURAGE THEM TO SHARE THEIR STORY WITH YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN. WE CAN NEVER REPAY THE TREMENDOUS DEBT WE OWE TO OUR NATION’S VETERANS, BUT IT WOULD BE A GOOD START.

I CLOSE WITH THESE WORDS FROM AN ANONYMOUS POET, ENTITLED

 

THE NOBLE AND THE BRAVE:

A VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

WHEN AMERICA HAD AN URGENT NEED,

THESE BRAVE ONES RAISED A HAND;

NO HESITATION HELD THEM BACK;THEY WERE PROUD TO TAKE A STAND.

THEY LEFT THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY;

THEY GAVE UP NORMAL LIFE;

TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR GOD’

THEY PLOWED INTO THE STRIFE.

THEY FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM AND FOR PEACE

ON STRANGE AND FOREIGN SHORES;

SOME LOST NEW FRIENDS; SOME LOST THEIR LIVES

IN LONG AND BRUTAL WARS.

OTHER VETERANS ANSWERED A CALL

TO SUPPORT THE ONES WHO FOUGHT;

THEIR COUNTRY HAD REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS THEY BROUGHT.

WE SALUTE EVERY ONE OF THEM,

THE NOBLE AND THE BRAVE,

THE ONES STILL WITH US HERE TODAY,

AND THOSE WHO REST IN A GRAVE.

SO HERE’S TO OUR COUNTRY’S HEROES;

THEY’RE A CUT ABOVE THE REST;

LET’S GIVE THE HONOR THAT IS DUE

TO OUR COUNTRY’S VERY BEST.

 

THANK YOU, AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS SOMERVILLE, SOMERSET COUNTY AND OUR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

 

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