Good morning guests, good morning Canterbury family. I am honored to speak to you today on behalf of veterans. When Jennifer asked me if I would speak, I was unsure because last year we had a graduate of West Point, which is very prestigious and I’m just a grunt, which is a term of endearment for Marine Corps Infantry.

I’ll spend a few minutes giving an overview of my time in the military and then I’d like to talk to you about veterans.

I will let Charles Dickens define my Marine Corps experience:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”.

He said it so much better than I could have, (he should have been a writer.)

I signed up to be a Marine the summer after High School. I chose the Marine Corps because I was told it was the most difficult and I liked a challenge. I went to Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC. Boot Camp is 13 weeks of 24/7 training. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done. It was physically and mentally exhausting. Drill Instructors take a lump of undisciplined civilian clay and mold it into a highly disciplined Marine. My Drill Instructors’ said many things, most of which are not repeatable in a public forum, but I remember them saying, “if you’re going to be dumb, you’re going to be strong”, and failure was punished with push-ups. I still have vivid memories of the sights and sounds and smells. We learned about teamwork, leadership, and enduring hardship and we learned to never quit; we learned to be Marines.

I graduated from Boot Camp and went to Infantry Training School at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. (Infantry are combat troops who fight on their feet.) We learned tactics and the tools of the trade for warfighting.  

After ITS, I was assigned to Sea Duty and went to Sea School in San Diego. It was a crash course on Navy operations and taught us everything we needed to know about living and working on a ship. After Sea School, I reported to Norfolk, Virginia where I boarded the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This would be my home for the next 2 years. We were deployed to the North Atlantic and then the Mediterranean Sea. Living on an Aircraft Carrier was a unique experience. A Carrier is a floating city with a crew of over 5,000. My  Marine unit provided special weapons security, a threat response team and we also had a silent drill team, (marching and spinning rifles, etc)

After Sea Duty ended, I was assigned to a Marine Corps infantry company back at Camp Lejeune. We then deployed to Okinawa, Japan. The Marine Corps and the Air Force have had bases on Okinawa since the end of WWII. I spent 6 months at various locations in Southeast Asia, trained with South Korean Marines, and spent 6 weeks on a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean called Diego Garcia.

At the conclusion of my tour of duty, I had been to 4 continents and 11 countries and spent about 80% of my time overseas. It was a great experience and every day I use the skills and knowledge I acquired as a Marine.

I would like to transition now to speak about veterans. We could talk about the Greatest Generation who fought in WWII, we could talk about Korea, Vietnam,  Iraq,  Afghanistan, or a hundred places you haven't heard of where patriots answered the call. We could talk of the heroic deeds of the Medal of Honor Recipients. These are all worthy topics. But in our brief time today, I would like you to think of veterans not as a large group but as an individual person.

Every person who has served in our Armed Forces is a Veteran. Veterans are ordinary people from every state and all walks of life. Veterans come in all sizes and colors, with various socioeconomic backgrounds, political views, and religious views.

But they share a common desire to be a part of something greater than themselves. They believe in the American ideal that all people should have liberty and the right to self-govern.  They are willing to stand up and defend this amazing concept of citizen rule given to us by our Founders.

To me, the word that best describes a veteran is sacrifice. There are varying degrees of sacrifice but all members of the armed forces sacrificially give of themselves. It’s not only the military member, it’s also their families, those who stay home and take care of everyday life while loved ones are deployed. Being in the military places stress on everyone involved. It is truly a team effort.

Veterans are a tremendous source of wisdom for younger generations. It has been said the worst thing about experience is by the time you get it, you’re too old to use it.

Spend some time talking to a veteran. Let them share with you and glean wisdom from them. You will be honoring them by taking the time to listen. It is easy for a veteran to feel misunderstood or disregarded, only 6.4% of our population are veterans, but chances are you know someone who served.

People assume things about the military and veterans (mostly from movies and other media) and it shows people are not really taking the time to understand the military or the people who serve.

Dr. Heidi Kraft, Clinical Psychologist, and Navy veteran, asked thousands of veterans what they want people to know.

The following items are things veterans want non-veterans to know.

• We are not all soldiers - soldiers are only in the Army, learn the various branches, and ask the veterans which branch they served in, we are proud of our service and our branch.

• The Reserves are part of the military- they train hard and are ready to be called up to active duty and they often provide humanitarian aid after floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

• Not everyone in the military is in the infantry. There are many support occupations, think of a city and the various occupations to make it operate. The same applies to a military branch.

• We are always on duty, and we are always on call. This is especially true for combat units and immediate support units.

• We take pride in our appearance and conduct. Duty, Honor, Commitment, these are not just words, they are a way of life.

• We did not all take a life, and those who have don’t want to talk about it.

• We don’t all have PTSD, and those who do have an invisible wound are not dangerous and we are not violent.

• It can be hard for us to ask for help. Sometimes we feel we are being weak by seeking assistance.

• Our military service changes us. This change varies depending on the type of service but the military is a unique culture. This changes us and the change is permanent and that’s ok. Our view of the world is shaped by our experiences. And veterans have experienced many challenging situations.

• We differ in how much we identify with the military after we leave active duty. Some of us never truly leave because it is something we think about every day. Others keep their military service as only a distant memory.

• Our families served with us. They shared our hardships. Family support is vital both during active duty and after our service has ended. Some veterans are still fighting personal battles.

• We would die for each other and for our country, and many have. We understood the dangers of service and were willing to stand ready to defend our way of life.

• We have all made the sacrifice for one reason, to serve something more important than ourselves.

• (Dr. Kraft goes into greater detail on each point if you would like to learn more.)

Retired Navy Seal Jocko Willink rightly said, “Ideas are not protected by words. Paper and ink may outline the foundations of this nation, but it is blood, only blood, that protects it. Choose to honor those who have protected our liberty. Respect their sacrifice by living in a manner that doesn’t take it for granted. We have sent the best among us and they have fought, bled, and died for it.”

John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

To the veterans here today I would like to say thank you. Words like Courage, Honor, and Commitment are not just buzz words, they are words of life and death. Thank you for saying, “Here I am, I will go.” Thank you for bearing the burden of liberty and for honoring our fallen friends.

Human beings are fearfully and wonderfully made, but none of us is born a superhero. The absence of fear is foolishness, courage is forging ahead in spite of fear. Veterans are ordinary people who rise to meet the fight head-on and accomplish extraordinary things.

When I served, the President, and my Commander in Chief, was Ronald Reagan, he said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what is was once like in the United States.”

Thank a veteran today, and every day.

Thank you for your attention.