7th Stepping on Veteran's Day

[jeffdubya]

http://www.palouselibertyproject.com/facebook/Veterans_Day_Speech.mp3

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I had an opportunity to speak on Veteran's day, and used the opportunity to say some things that aren't being said and tell a story that's not frequently told, except in our circles. Hope you enjoy. Posting the text below in case you can't access the file. Feel free to share this with as many people you deem necessary, and if posted in the wrong place - feel free to move it.

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By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.



The foe long since in silence slept;

Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;

And Time the ruined bridge has swept

Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.


- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I'm sure many of you have heard at least portions of that poem before. And there is an iconic statue near the Old North Bridge that I am equally certain you would recognize, of a minuteman, holding his rifle, standing next to his plow.

The minuteman in that statue is 30 year old Captain Issac Davis. He was a gunsmith, a husband, a father, and was the elected commander of the Acton, Massachusetts Militia. Now keep in mind that at this point in our history, there was no national Army - there was no nation. Communities had their own committees of safety and correspondence, and the militia was literally every able bodied man. It was community defense, plain and simple and Davis was highly regarded. In fact, due to his proficiency and dedication, not only had his community elected him to be their leader, they also paid him a stipend for his efforts, which was virtually unheard of at the time.

So, on April 19, 1775 - you know the story - as the British regulars marched on Lexington and Concord to preemptively seize weapons, ammunition and any items they deemed could be used against them, members of the militia gathered at the home of Davis, likely with muddy boots, shuffling about in the cold to keep warm, anxiously speaking to one another in hushed tones, the steam of their warm breath rising in the cool early morning sky as they awaited orders.

It was not a good day to be Issac Davis. Colonial times were hard times and he and his wife were caring for four young children who were seriously ill... and we're not talking about a sore throat; they were afraid that one or more could die before the day was over.

A few days before, a large owl, had flown into the house and roosted on Davis' rifle, which had been hanging in its customary place. The bird did not leave when he returned home, and Issac Davis saw that owl as a harbinger of misfortune, a sign of bad things to come.

But when it was time to leave, he did not hesitate. He gave the order to "march," and with a rifle in one hand and a sword in the other, led the way. After only a few steps he called a "halt," and returned to the house. He looked at the woman who was standing in the doorway of his home and said to her, "Take good care of the children." Those would be his last words to his beloved wife, Hannah.

On the road, some of his men made jokes and talked with enthusiasm about engaging the regulars. Davis rebuked them. His mind was heavy knowing the price that could be paid. Like every good soldier who proceeded and followed him, while he knew his duty and and did not shrink from it, he did not necessarily embrace what was to come.

As General Douglas MacArthur, said - a century and a half later "The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."

In Concord there was confusion and fear. A line had been drawn and now was potentially the time to act. The Acton Militia were well trained and among the best armed, and while others wrung their hands and wondered aloud as to who should lead, Davis came forward as a resolute leader as he simply stated "I haven't a man that's afraid to go."

No one knows who fired the first shots - but the militia had strict orders not to fire upon the British unless fired upon. These orders were so punctually observed that the regulars fired three several and separate discharges upon the colonists before shots were returned.

When Captain Davis was hit, he leapt into the air and fell dead upon the causeway without uttering a word. As he fell he was in the act of raising his gun to fire upon the enemy, and it was so tightly clasped with both hands that when he was raised from the ground it was only with some difficulty that the gun was removed from his cold, dead hands.

Most of us know the story of what happened the rest of that fateful day, as the colonists literally shredded regiment of what was then the most powerful and fearsome army on the planet. Our eight year war for independence had begun. But on that date victory was NOT a foregone conclusion. The losses of the colonists were significant, and everything, EVERYTHING was uncertain.

That night, a wagon was driven to the Davis home. Hannah didn't comprehend what had happened. The men asked her where she wanted them to put Issac, and it was only after they laid his lifeless body on their bed that she fully understood the price her family had paid for liberty.

So you may know the poem, and you may recognize the statue, but how many of you had heard this story? Honestly you need to look it up and read it in its' entirety, I'm really not doing it justice, and there is much, much more to all of it. But let me explain why I chose to tell it.

I believe that Issac Davis is symbolic and representative of the American serviceman. They may not want to fight. They may be scared. But when liberty is on the line, Davis' words echo across history, The Battle of the Bulge, Normandy, Inchon, Pusan, Da Nang, Hamburger Hill, Tikrit, Kabul, Kandahar, Fallujah...

And there isn't a man that's afraid to go.

Today we recognize that character of our fighting men... and women.

But we also must recognize that another constant of the American Military has been - that like the Acton militia of 1775, they have been drawn from among us. Usually by choice, but occasionally through conscription, we have all been in it together. That any time soldiers have been asked to sacrifice for our country, our citizens have stood behind them. Conserving, funding, praying, supporting and upholding our military.

Aside from those of you who may have family in the service or have personally served, how many of us have actually sacrificed during more than a decade of constant and expanding conflict. What have WE done to aid them in the battle to uphold our liberty???

We allow our leaders to play politics, to escape liability, to commit forces illegally, without a constitutional declaration of war. We don't even think about it! War is supposed to be a last resort and our constitution and we the people are supposed to safeguard those who fight for us!

We are supposed to fight for them just as much as they fight for us, but we don't.

We hold national elections and illegally disenfranchise soldiers by not counting their votes. Those who commit their lives and the lives of their families to protect our rights are unceremoniously stripped of theirs. Where is the national outcry? The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in 2009. It has been used as a political vehicle to allow citizens to vote early, but those portions to enable military voting have not been funded. It is not enforced. It is a disgrace.

We break our promises to them. After the battle is long over, hearts and minds and bodies forever broken, we significantly cut benefits, including their healthcare. Mental health is slashed while the suicide rate climbs to an all time high. Many of them live in or near the poverty line. If the head football coach at wazzu can make a base salary of two million dollars, then why are our military families living on food stamps?!

Democrats do it, Republicans do it. And we allow it. So today as we hold up the men and women who are cast in the molds of Issac Davis and other American heroes, we should hang our heads in collective shame for what we have allowed to happen to them on our behalf.

Waving the flag on memorial day and Veterans Day is not enough. The servicemen and women of the United States are our brothers and sisters and they deserve better. So today, I urge you to not only commemorate their dedication and sacrifice, but to honor them - TRULY honor them by pledging that we will always take care of those who are not afraid to go.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,

We set to-day a votive stone;

That memory may their deed redeem,

When, like our sires, our sons are gone.



Spirit, that made those spirits dare,

To die, and leave their children free,

Bid Time and Nature gently spare

The shaft we raise to them and thee.

[ItsanSKS]

Thank you.  I will spread this as far and wide as I can.