On behalf of my colleagues on the Maplewood Township Committee –
Nancy Adams, Marlon Brownlee, India Larrier and Greg Lembrich – I wish
you a safe and peaceful Memorial Day.
Thank you Maplewood
Memorial Post 10120 Veterans of Foreign Wars for sponsoring today’s
memorial service. Because of your efforts, we will always remember the
shoulders on which we stand, those who fought and died to protect our
freedoms.
On Memorial Day we honor the sons and
daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and wives,
husbands and partners who bravely paid the ultimate price so we could
live in a free society. We will never know what they would have attained
had they lived but we do know that their personal sacrifices allow us
to live our lives to the fullest.
We also remember the
families of the fallen. Long after the fighting stops, a child is
without a parent, a man or woman without a life partner, and a parent
without a son or daughter. You too have our everlasting gratitude.
Today
is a time of remembrance and reflection. We join hundreds of
communities across this great land in honoring those who gave their
lives to protect ours. We cannot replace these fallen heroes and we
shall never forget their courage and determination.
We
should be proud as Americans. And in Maplewood, we are what is best
about our nation. We embrace diversity yet are united as one people. Our
open and welcoming community represents the liberty that America
promises and which so many gave of their lives to protect. Today we
reinforce our country’s democratic principles and resist efforts to
divide us along lines of class, race, gender or sexual orientation.
It
is also a time to recognize the horrors of war. Our nation has been in a
military conflict since 2001. If you or your child is 15 years of age
or younger, America has been at war for her/his entire life. We still
have troops on the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Libya
and parts of Africa. We hope and pray that no other names are added to
the list of those lost in warfare.
Let us commit to
working together for peace and justice and an end to conflicts and
violence throughout the world. Today, we honor the fallen warriors by
pledging to make our world a better and safer place for our children and
for generations to come.
Thank you.
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