Veteran's Day Speech
By Charles G. Byers
Vets Remembering Vets
Since the founding of our Country over 48 million men and women have served in the United States military and almost half of them are alive today. Every Veteran has earned this nation�s gratitude. This national tribute traces its roots, predictably, to one of our country�s greatest conflicts. When, in 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns fell silent, signaling the end of �the war to end all wars,� Americans harbored a dream of lasting peace.
A year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day as Armistice Day�a fitting salute to those who gave so much.
But, as we know, World War One was not to be the war to end all wars. If it had been, undoubtedly, we would still be commemorating Armistice Day. The tradition of observing November 11, though, continued and, since 1954, that date has been set aside as Veterans Day.
On Veteran�s day, we remember the fallen and show our respect to those still among us the Veterans we know as our Friends, Neighbors, Relatives and Colleagues. It�s difficult to imagine what the United States would be like if we did not have in our midst those who were willing to fight to protect our freedoms. Indeed, this country has been blessed by generations of brave men and women who unhesitatingly sacrificed�even their lives�so that their fellow Americans might continue to enjoy the fruits of liberty. Suffice it to say, if they had not answered their nation�s call, this world would be a very different place.
Patriot Thomas Paine recognized the importance of these sacrifices when he said: �These are the times that try men�s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country. But he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.�
It is with a great deal of honor, pride, and yes, sadness, that I stand before you, and pay special tribute to one man, one soldier, who had impacted my life with his untold heroism, and ultimate sacrifice.
David Ray Squires, from Louisville, Kentucky, an Army Spec 5 was stationed in Vietnam from 1967-1968 as a Medic with Charlie Company, 2/60th 9th Infantry Div. On June 3, 1968 David and I were assisting the Battalion Surgeon in Sick bay. We were sent back to the rear area since we were to go home in less than 2 weeks. I received a call that our unit Charlie Company was under heavy fire and taking on heavy casualties and that I was to set up a forward aid station with extra medical supplies. Right away David volunteered to go with me and I told David that he was going home in 9 days and I would find someone else. He insisted that these were his men that he had served with and that he owed them and he wanted to be with them now. I gave in, and we were picked up by a Helicopter and transported to the area. We were dropped into the wrong area and the wrong unit, a company with the 2/39th had walked into an ambush and suffered many casualties. I was kneeling down working on my third soldier when I was shot in my left arm. I remember crawling as heavy gunfire erupted all around me; I was able to make it out and finally to a staging area to evacuate the wounded. I was airlifted out treated in a Field Hospital and flown to Japan for surgery the next day. I never saw David again.
It wasn�t until I was in a hospital in Japan that I found out about David and his ultimate sacrifice for his Country. In the past 37 years, a day doesn�t go by that I don�t think about David and how I could have been a little stronger in my decision. But finally have realized that it was his decision to go, and it was his destiny... I �m here to pay tribute to David and all the David�s that have served our nation, and have made the ultimate sacrifice. David was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions that day.
Not every veteran has known the full fury of battle. But most count their time in uniform among the defining experiences of their lives. The military drew out the best that was in them, instilling the highest standards of diligence, discipline, and loyalty. That is a bond that joins every veteran from every branch of the service. Whether drafted or enlisted, commissioned or non-commissioned, each took an oath, lived by a code, and stood ready to fight and die for their country.
In recognizing the service of a veteran, the government uses the words, "selfless consecration to the service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United States of America." It is a grand phrase, and entirely true. The military life is built around sacrifice and complete devotion to America. I�m proud to be a veteran and you should be too.
Presented before the South Jersey Vietnam Veterans in Camden NJ on November 13, 2005.