REMARKS OF ROSCOE MOORE AND EMMITT F. YEARY
WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL DAY ¥ MAY 29, 2004
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK ¥ ABINGDON, VA
OVER SIXTY YEARS AGO WE WERE ENGAGED IN A GREAT WAR,
THE LIKES OF WHICH MAN HAD NEVER BEFORE KNOWN. NOW AFTER MORE THAN SIX DECADES OUR COUNTRY IS FINALLY
RECOGNIZING THE AMERICAN VETERANS OF THAT WAR WITH A MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON,
D.C.
TODAY WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO ALSO PAY OUR RESPECT AND
TRIBUTE AND TO HONOR ALL THOSE MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO SERVED OUR
COUNTRY DURING THIS TERRIBLE WAR, WORLD WAR II.
WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY FOR YOU, THE VETERANS OF
THAT WAR AND YOUR FAMILIES, BUT IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED THAT IT IS ONLY
BECAUSE OF YOU AND ALL VETERANS OF THE MANY WARS THAT WE HAVE HAD TO
FIGHT FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OUR FREEDOM, THAT WE ARE ABLE AND PRIVILEGED TO
BE HERE.
THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR II ARE MEN
AND WOMEN WHO NEVER ASKED TO BE RECOGNIZED, BUT ONLY THAT RECOGNITION GO TO
OTHERS; MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE NEVER ASKED TO BE HONORED BUT ONLY THAT OTHERS
BE GIVEN HONOR; MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE AND CONTINUE TO GIVE MORE THAN THEY
WOULD EVER RECEIVE; MEN AND WOMEN WHO THOUGHT OF OTHERS MORE THAN
THEMSELVES. MEN AND WOMEN WHO
ASKED FOR LITTLE BUT GAVE MUCH. THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE PROFILE OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER,
SAILOR, AIRMAN, MARINE CORPSMAN, AND COASTGUARDMAN AND IS ESPECIALLY
DESCRIPTIVE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ALL THOSE WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR
II.
LADEN DOWN WITH COMBAT GEAR, BY THE THOUSANDS THEY WILLINGLY,
UNSELFISHLY, COURAGEOUSLY AND BRAVELY CLIMBED ABOARD HUNDREDS OF SHIPS AND
PLANES HEADED OUT INTO THE PACIFIC OR ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, EACH AND
EVERYONE OF THEM KNOWING FULL WELL THAT MANY OF THEM WOULD NEVER RETURN,
AND ALL OF THEM KNOWING THAT NONE OF THEM WOULD EVER COME HOME
AGAIN UNTIL THE JOB WAS DONE AND THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM WAS WON.
AS THEY BOARDED THOSE PLANES AND TROOP SHIPS, THEY
LOOKED OVER THEIR SHOULDERS, ONE LAST TIME TO HAVE ONE FINAL AND FLEETING
GLANCE AT THEIR SONS, DAUGHTERS, MOTHERS, FATHERS, WIVES, HUSBANDS, FRIENDS AND
FAMILY, AND THEIR HOMELAND AND THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS, KNOWING THAT THEY WERE
LEAVING THEM ALL BEHIND, AND KNOWING THAT THEY MIGHT NEVER SEE THEM
AGAIN OR EVER REALIZE THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS. THOUSANDS NEVER DID.
FOR THE WORLD WAR II SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN
THERE WAS NO ROTATION, THEY WERE THERE FOR THE DURATION. THEY ALL KNEW THEY WERE LEAVING THEIR
HOME FOR THE DURATION OF THE WAR AND THEY KNEW IN THEIR HEARTS THEY LIKELY
WOULD NEVER RETURN, YET THEY WILLINGLY AND BRAVELY, WITH HEADS HELD HIGH
AND BACKS STRAIGHT, PROUDLY MARCHED FORWARD AND GOT ABOARD.
WE CAN ONLY TRY TO IMAGINE THE MANY SACRIFICES THAT
THEY MADE AND THE HARDSHIPS THEY ENDURED, AWAY FROM FAMILY AND HOME, IN
FOREIGN, STRANGE AND HOSTILE LANDS AND SEAS. MANY WERE AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES FOR THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE
YEARS OR LONGER, AND FOR THOUSANDS, FOR ETERNITY.
WHEN THERE WAS A LOSS OF A FAMILY MEMBER BACK HOME
THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO BE AT THE BEDSIDE OF THEIR DYING MOTHER OR FATHER OR ABLE
TO SHARE IN THE MOURNING OF THE LOSS OF THEIR LOVED ONES UNTIL MANY YEARS
LATER, AND FOR MANY NEVER. MANY
MEN BECAME FATHERS SHORTLY AFTER THEY LEFT HOME AND WERE NEVER ABLE TO SEE
THEIR SON OR DAUGHTER UNTIL MANY YEARS HAD PASSED AND MANY NEVER DID. MANY OF THOSE SONS AND DAUGHTERS AND
THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO WERE LEFT BEHIND WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT IT MEANT TO
HAVE A LOVING TOUCH OR THE EMBRACE OF THE WISDOM AND ADVICE AND UNDYING SUPPORT
OF THAT FATHER OR MOTHER OR GRANDFATHER OR GRANDMOTHER WHO NEVER CAME HOME
AGAIN.
NOT ONLY DID THEY FIGHT THE ENEMY BUT THEY ALSO HAD TO
COMBAT HOSTILE TERRAIN AND WEATHER, POISONOUS SNAKES, SCORPIONS, MOSQUITOS AND
RATS THE SIZE THEY HAD NEVER SEEN OR HAD IMAGINED. THEY SUFFERED TEMPERATURES OVER 100 DEGREES IN DESERTS AND
TROPICAL ISLANDS AND FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW IN EUROPE AND ASIA. THEY SLEPT IN MUD HOLES WHILE BURSTS OF
ARTILLERY AND BOMBS WERE RAINING DOWN ON THEIR HEADS. THEY SAW THEIR BUDDIES AND COMRADES DYING AND BEING MAIMED
AND BLOWN APART RIGHT BESIDE THEM.
ALL THOSE WHO RETURNED WERE LEFT WITH SCARS AND
MEMORIES THAT WOULD BE WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE. THEY EXPERIENCED SIGHTS AND SOUNDS SO
HORRIBLE THAT THEY WOULD NOT EVEN BEAR TO EVER TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY HAD SEEN,
EXPERIENCED AND ENDURED. THEY
WOULD BRAVELY REMAIN SILENT ABOUT THEIR HARDSHIPS, SACRIFICES AND GALLANTRY
UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIED.
BUT ALL WHO RETURNED CAME HOME WITH A SENSE OF LOYALTY
AND PATRIOTISM AND DEVOTION TO LIBERTY AND HONOR AND A LOVE OF GOD, FAMILY AND
COUNTRY THAT HAS CONTINUED TO BE AN INSPIRATION TO ALL GENERATIONS.
TODAY WE ARE MOST HONORED, PROUD AND HUMBLED TO BE
HERE WITH SOME OF THOSE SURVIVING VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THESE MEN AND WOMEN ALTHOUGH NO LONGER
THE YOUNG WARRIORS THEY ONCE WERE, WILL ALWAYS REMAIN YOUNG IN HEART, MIND, AND
SPIRIT AND FOREVER STEADFAST IN THEIR UNYIELDING FIDELITY AND UNDYING DEVOTION
TO OUR COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOM.
THEY ARE AND SHOULD BE AN INSPIRATION AND ROLE MODEL TO ALL OF US WHO
FOLLOW.
WE GATHER HERE TODAY TO PAY THIS SMALL TRIBUTE TO YOU,
THE VETERANS AND FAMILIES OF WORLD WAR II. EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT REQUESTED OR ASKED FOR, IT IS LONG
OVERDUE. FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR
SACRIFICES FOR ALL OF US AND FOR THE WORLD AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO FOLLOW WE
THANK YOU FOR OUR FREEDOM AND OUR COUNTRY.
GOD WILL BLESS YOU AS HE HAS BLESSED US JUST TO
HAVE YOU AMONG US.
THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND MAY GOD BLESS
AMERICA.