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Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
06/01/05
From
an address at the Goshen Township Memorial Day Service:
Monday,
we celebrated Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration
Day, it is a day set aside for remembrance of those who
have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day was
first proclaimed on the
5th of May, 1868,
by General John Logan, in his General order number 11.
General Logan wrote ”gather
around their sacred remains and garland the passionless
mounds above them with choicest flowers of
springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our
pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among
us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the
soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan."
Decoration
Day was first observed on 30
May 1868; when flowers were placed on the graves of Union
and Confederate soldiers.
Today
marks our nation’s 137th observance of
Memorial Day.
Former
President George H. Bush (that’s the first one), a WW2
fighter pilot, said in a 1992 national address, “On this
day, we must tell the stories of those who fought and died
in freedom's cause. We must tell their stories because
those who've lost loved ones need to know that a grateful
Nation will always remember. We must tell their stories so
that our children and grandchildren will understand what
our lives might have been like had it not been for their
sacrifice. The thousands of us who fought alongside brave
friends who fell will never hear ``Taps'' played without
remembering them, nor will their families and friends. So,
let us remember the cause for which these Americans fought
and the freedom and peace bought with their life's blood,
and let us pass along to a new generation the awesome
accounts of honor and courage.”
My
dad fought in the Philippines in WW2 with several of his
best friends. Most came back. Some didn’t. My
dad lost a cousin and several kids he knew from the
neighborhood. A couple of my Mom’s friends had brothers
that were lost in the war. My mother-in-law lost her
brother in the skies over Europe
and even today, over 60 years later, she still tears up
over her loss. Most everybody knows someone who has lost a
loved one in the defense of our country; in the
preservation of this fragile freedom.
My
Dad even picked up a couple of new buddies during the war
and that got me a couple of extra “uncles”.
One war buddy uncle was a brewmaster with Anheiser
Bush in St. Louis. I
sure loved to visit dear Uncle John and Aunt Marie!
I
remember that when I as growing up, my dad never talked
about those years he spent in service to our country.
I suspect he just wanted to forget about those
years and to keep moving forward with his life. While a
great example for us all, I cannot overstate the need to
dwell on the deeds of those who gave everything just so
that we can live in freedom.
My
Mom told me you would see occasionally a flag in a window
of a home that had a gold star on a white field with a red
border.
Remember
the Gold Star Mothers? The
Gold Star Mothers were those who had a son or daughter
killed in the war.
You see, back then,
families would put a small flag with a white field and red
border in their windows with a blue star in the white
field for each child serving in the military. When one of
those family members serving died, those back home would
put a gold star over the blue one.
The idea of the Gold
Star flag and pin was born in the honor and glory accorded
any military person for their supreme sacrifice in the
offering of their lives for their country. The Gold Star
is the last full measure of devotion and pride of the
family in that sacrifice and has more meaning than the
sense of personal loss which would be represented by any
other symbol of mourning.
And
there continue to be those who would want to take away our
freedom. I am not going to dwell on them here so as not to
give them one moment’s recognition.
Each time an act of aggression is committed against
this country, it mocks the lives of those who have fallen
in its defense.
There
is concern that changing the official date of Memorial Day
of May 30th to accommodate a three day weekend
may have lessened the national impact of the importance of
the holiday. We have to keep that from happening. We here
today, are keeping that from happening.
How
can we commemorate this day?
-
by
visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on
the graves of our fallen heroes.
-
by
visiting memorials.
-
by
flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
-
by
flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' as well (Section 1082 of the
1998 Defense Authorization Act).
-
by
participating in a "National
Moment of Remembrance": at 3
p.m. to
pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and
for Taps
to be played.
-
by
renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and
orphans of our fallen, and to aid the disabled
veterans.
One
of my most favorite presidents, Ronald Regan said in a
1983 speech commemorating Memorial day, “As a tribute to
their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong
enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and
protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote
lasting peace throughout the world.”
You
may notice that I wear a “Blue Star Flag Pin”. I have
four children. My oldest child Christopher is my newest
hero. A
fighter pilot for the US Air Force, my Lt. Uecker flies
F-16’s over the US to
protect us from enemy aggression. I lament that he will
probably be deployed overseas soon. I love my son and I am
very proud of his commitment to serve.
As a father, I also worry for his safety.
I pray to our loving God that my star will remain
blue forever.
Our
Clermont County
community has recently suffered a number of losses
overseas. Tonight
hug your children (no matter what their age), and say a
little prayer that God will somehow comfort those among us
who can no longer hug theirs because theirs gave
everything for us.
John
Adams, our 2nd President, said of the new
Declaration of Independence, "I am well aware of the
toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain
this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet
through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing
light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than
all the means...."
For
those yesterday, today, and tomorrow, who gave their lives
for our freedom, and for those they left behind to mourn
for them; I say thank you… thank you … thank you.
I
will pay, and encourage others to pray, that our Creator
will protect our defenders from any and all harm. I will
pray that others who seek to do us harm will remember that
Americans ARE willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to
protect those whom they love from those who wish to do us
harm.
And
I will pray that all of you will be richly rewarded by our
Creator for your willingness to partake in the
commemoration of our heroes.
Thank
you,
God
Bless all of you,
And
God bless America!
(Uecker
Guest Column June 1st_2005)
Joe
Uecker
State
Representative
Ohio’s
66 District
Representing
Batavia, Goshen, Miami and Union Townships as well as the
Cities of Loveland and Milford and the Villages of Batavia
and Amelia.(614)
466-8134
District
Office (513)-248-2565
Website:
www.JoeUecker.com
Email:
Joe@JoeUecker.com |
