For Immediate Release
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Contact: Josh Moenning
(402) 438-1598
Over the last few months, I have had the rare privilege of sharing the company of Nebraska’s “Greatest Generation” as they visited the World War II Memorial in Washington. The Heartland Honor Flight Network provides this opportunity for WW II veterans by organizing and funding chartered trips to the memorial built in their honor. But it seems it is those around them – the volunteers and officials who also participate in the visits – who feel most honored just to be in their presence.
On a recent flight home, even the flight attendant was overcome with emotion while giving pre-flight instructions before these great Americans.
All Americans are inspired by the selfless example of these men and women, the enormity of their sacrifice, and the lasting gift of their service. I recognize the same ethic of selfless service in our Armed Forces today. Veterans Day is about honoring and remembering this commitment and sacrifice across generations.
Eight years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation establishing Veterans Day as a national day of remembrance, he wore the uniform of the five-star General of the Army and spoke at Nebraska’s state Veterans Day observance in Lincoln in 1946. He celebrated the contributions of Nebraska’s veterans in the great battles of the Second World War, and intoned, “If all Nebraskans, veterans and others, are of the same mettle… they will not be daunted by the inevitable challenges of peace...
“Here in Nebraska we stand in the very heart of the greatest stronghold of human freedom, of government based upon equal rights for all. This country cannot escape its destiny as the shining example of what democracy… can do in the promotion of human happiness. Anxious eyes throughout the earth will watch us fearfully but hopefully during these chaotic years.”
On this Veterans Day of 2008, let each of us take pause to remember with profound admiration and gratitude the sacrifice of those men and women who have answered our nation’s call to defend the principles of liberty that define America. As Eisenhower reminded his audience more than fifty years ago, “Democracy can never be stronger than the readiness of its citizens to sacrifice for it.”
To all our veterans and their loved ones, I have a sincere and heartfelt message: Thank you. Thank you for your sacrifice. We remember and honor your devotion to this great nation. Your service, past and present, calls each of us to a higher standard – in war and in peace. May God bless you, our servicemen and women, and the United States of America.
###