May 27
"SERVICE AND SACRIFICE: AN ENDURING LEGACY"
Brigadier General John M. Brown, Commanding General For Transformation United States Army Training And Doctrine Command
Our nation has changed significantly since last September. Indeed, the world has changed since then.
Even our Memorial Day celebrations have acquired a deeper meaning. As a nation, we have now spent many months solemnly recollecting the lives of more than 3,000 American service members and civilians who died last summer during the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Now more than ever, we recognize what it means to honor the lives of those who die in service to our great nation.
Today we honor all those who died defending America - those who were active duty and those who served in our reserve components; those who were short-term volunteers, those who were drafted and those who made the military a career. We honor the veterans of every service: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
On this day last year, our thoughts were focused on sacrifices made during previous wars. We were mindful, as well, of the daily peril of troops stationed around the world, and of those training here at home to keep us safe.
Today our concerns are more immediate than reflective. Instead of focusing solely on past sacrifices, we also face the reality of on-going losses from our eight-month war on terrorism.
It seems appropriate that today we should single out the casualties of our war against terrorism. Regrettably, the deaths of September 11 have been followed by the deaths of soldiers sent abroad to prevent other such disasters. As our commander in chief President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld explained in plain terms at the very beginning of this war, our primary defense is to take the fight right to the doorsteps of those who spread terror.
After almost a month of non-military response to the attacks, the world's most advanced and proficient military force responded with measured force. While executed with great care and precision, we feared it was only a matter of time before America suffered more casualties.
As in previous wars, our losses came in a variety of ways. Military personnel died in accidents and they were lost to hostile and friendly fire. This first war of the 21st century is being fought differently than our previous wars. Our first casualty by enemy fire was not a soldier or airman, but a CIA agent. The first soldier to fall to hostile fire - a full three months after our introduction of military forces into the region - was Sergeant Nathan Chapman of San Antonio, Texas.
In a recent address, Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White reflected on the public's reaction to Chapman's death:
"Under drizzling skies, hundreds of people ... quietly lined the roads to the cemetery while local firefighters draped flags at freeway overpasses along the route as a sign of support and respect."
He continued, saying: "The significance of this public display of support is not lost on those of us who served in Vietnam. Ultimately, it is the confidence of the American people - the public will to sustain the fight - that serves as the foundation for victory in any war, including the war on terror."
It was evident from the very beginning that this war would be like no other we'd experienced. As President Bush said just a month after the attacks:
"This is a different war from any other our nation has ever faced, a war on many fronts, against terrorists who operate in more than 60 different countries. And this is war that must be fought not only overseas, but also here at home."
This war is more personal than our previous wars. Here we have an enemy not representing an entire nation, but representing only evil. Instead of trying to occupy land mass or displace our military forces, the enemy wishes to destroy the very existence of America, and of other civilized nations, cultures and religions.
As Secretary Rumsfeld has said, we've been awakened as a nation to the reality that the world remains a very dangerous place. He has said, "To ensure peace and prosperity, we have to have the best trained and the best equipped armed forces on the face of the earth. That is a role that our country has to assume during this period. We're blessed with extraordinary men and women who risk their lives each day so that each of us can live in peace and freedom."
He added that, "They are clearly doing us proud in Afghanistan today and in many other countries of the world, and we ought not to forget where our forces are spread far and wide across this globe - in Korea and in Japan and in Bosnia and Kosovo and in the Sinai, just to name a few of the places."
Our forces move forward with dedicated spirit - freeing Afghanistan of its foreign invaders and eliminating other terrorists' hot spots, such as those festering in the Philippines. American families and those of our allies must brace for continued casualties in this difficult, but inspiring, campaign.
These are times that test us as citizens and define our nation. President Bush has said, "We are beginning to see the possibilities of a world beyond the war on terror. We have a chance, if we take it, to write a hopeful chapter in human history. All at once, a new threat to civilization is erasing old lines of rivalry and resentment between nations."
The President, in the following words, has defined the stakes in this struggle: "Our lives, our way of life, and our every hope for the world depend on a single commitment: The authors of mass murder must be defeated, and never allowed to gain or use the weapons of mass destruction. America and our friends will meet this threat with every method at our disposal."
The face of battle is changing with this new war, and America's military has already demonstrated it is prepared to meet this challenge. From precision air strikes to special operations troops riding horseback in the mountains of Afghanistan, we've seen the best of our military remain flexible and committed to the mission.
(CONCLUSION)
I'd like to close by mentioning a book that came out recently, one that I think bears mentioning today. It's called War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars.
This volume contains hundreds of letters by American military personnel from the Civil War up through the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Bosnia. It's part of something called the Legacy Project, a nonprofit effort to preserve wartime letters.
Many of these letters mailed home from the front to loved ones were the last letters ever sent by these troops. That makes for emotional reading. But for those who have never experienced the total terror and uncertainty of combat, these letters are a chilling lesson in what's at stake when we send our forces off to battle - precious lives, connected to loved ones at home, in peril.
One of the more interesting similarities in the letters, regardless of the time period, is the attempt of letter writers to reassure loved ones back home of their own safety. It says something of the spirit of these men and women when their courage and optimism shine through like that.
These letters are full of concern for younger siblings and other relatives. They are full of the desire to help boost home-front morale. And, as you can imagine, letters to parents and sweethearts alike conclude with very open expressions of love.
The book's editor, Andrew Carroll of Washington, D.C., describes in his introduction how these individual letters spanning 140 years create a very personal narrative. "It is a story of immeasurable suffering and astonishing violence," he explains. "But it is also a story that encompasses tales of heroism, perseverance, integrity, honor, and reconciliation."
He describes how these letters were written from a variety of circumstances: filthy trenches, flooded foxholes, the sweltering islands of the Pacific, muddy battlefields of Europe, the frozen mountains of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam and other places far from home.
The point we must leave here with today is that these one million men and women made the ultimate sacrifice at the request of their nation. Their legacy will continue to live on in our memory, and we honor them as we will honor those who will come after them.
As President Bush has said, "It is our task - the task of this generation - to provide the response to aggression and terror. We have no other choice,
because there is no other peace."
In recent remarks to the House Armed Services Committee, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki commented on the contributions of our soldiers that are relevant on this somber day:
"Willingly and without hesitation, they demonstrate their profound and abiding devotion to this nation. On our behalf, they take risk, they go into harm's way, they shed their blood - prepared to give their lives, if necessary - and some have paid that price to preserve peace and freedom and our way of life. They continue to make incredible contributions and even more incredible sacrifices."
America remains vigilant at home and resolute in stopping foreign lands from harboring terrorists. We must never forget the service and sacrifice - the enduring legacy - of these brave souls who gave their full measure for all of us.
Thank you for sharing your time today in honor of these special Americans - those who paid the ultimate price in demonstrating that freedom is not free. God bless you and God bless America.