Memorial Day.com tells us that in the history of the United States more than 35 million men and women have answered the call to arms. In the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. And countless unnamed military engagements. Many came from Needham. They walked the streets we walk, sat in the schoolhouse or Emery Grover building when it was a High School, or cruised down Great Plain Avenue. They loved and were loved by their families, they laughed with their friends, prayed in our churches and they dreamed their own special dream. Some Needham soldiers and more than half a million others never came home. Some died in battle, others in captivity; all died too soon.
Recent military action in Afghanistan and Iraq has offered fresh reminders of the human reality of war: ordinary men and women leaving their homes and families and all they know- to risk their lives for an ideal of honor or duty.
People of patriotism and goodwill may debate the merits of any given war, police action, or humanitarian mission. But there should be no debate about our debt to our fellow Needham residents and the hundreds of thousands of our American citizens who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives- heeding the nation's call to service.
So today we pause- in what we consider our busy lives-and express our acknowledgement and our gratitude.
But what truly matters is that we know and understand the meaning of this great sacrifice and that we honor the lives of these Needham servicemen and women through our daily actions. Pause for a moment-yes- but live so that we daily acknowledge, earn and value all that these lives have sacrificed to preserve, promote and protect.
Our soldiers do not die- but live on in us.
I have adapted the poem- "Do not stand by my grave and weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
Recent military action in Afghanistan and Iraq has offered fresh reminders of the human reality of war: ordinary men and women leaving their homes and families and all they know- to risk their lives for an ideal of honor or duty.
People of patriotism and goodwill may debate the merits of any given war, police action, or humanitarian mission. But there should be no debate about our debt to our fellow Needham residents and the hundreds of thousands of our American citizens who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives- heeding the nation's call to service.
So today we pause- in what we consider our busy lives-and express our acknowledgement and our gratitude.
But what truly matters is that we know and understand the meaning of this great sacrifice and that we honor the lives of these Needham servicemen and women through our daily actions. Pause for a moment-yes- but live so that we daily acknowledge, earn and value all that these lives have sacrificed to preserve, promote and protect.
Our soldiers do not die- but live on in us.
I have adapted the poem- "Do not stand by my grave and weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
- Do not stand at my grave and weep;
- I am not there. I do not sleep.
- I am the American Flag that snaps in the wind
- I am the anthem that rings out in the school room, the Town Meeting, the ballpark
- I am the voice that registers to vote
- I am the summons to jury duty
- When you stand on the street corner and lament the local politician; or blame the state legislator or question the President
- I am the reason your voice is free
- I am the possible dream of the poor child who wants to be a scientist, an astronaut a governor
- I am the spirit that rebuilds America time and time again.
- Do not stand at my grave and cry;
- I am not there. I do not die.
