Dedicated to the Heroes of September 11, 2001
The following was given as an invocation at today's Tailhook Awards Luncheon in Reno, Nevada. 09-10-06. 12:00 noon. It expresses the spirit of those who love and serve their country, military and civilian alike.
words of Commander John J. "Bug" Roach United States Navy 1944-1991:
We are a Nation.
We celebrate our birthday on July 4, 1776 with the Declaration of Independence as our birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in our veins because we offer freedom and liberty to all who are oppressed. We are many things to many people.
We are a Nation.
We sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to Alaska and Hawaii. Three million square miles throbbing with industry and with life. We are the forest, field, mountain and desert. We are the wheat fields of Kansas, the granite hills of Vermont and the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We are the Brooklyn Bridge, grain elevators in Nebraska and the Golden Gate.
We are a Nation.
We are 213 million living souls and yet we are the ghosts of millions who have lived and died for us. We are Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. We are Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. We are Lee, Grant, Abe Lincoln and George Bush. We are the famous and the unknown. We are presidents. We are paupers.
We are a Nation.
We stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard round the world. We remember the Alamo, the Maine, Pearl Harbor, Inchan and the Persian Gulf. When freedom calls, we answer. We left our heroic dead at Belleau Wood, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, the steaming jungles of Viet Nam and under the rubble of Beirut.
We are a Nation.
We are schools and colleges, churches and synagogues. We are a ballot dropped in a box, the harmonious voice of a choir in a cathedral, the crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd in a stadium. We are craftsmen, teachers, businessmen, and judges. We are laborers and nurses.
We are parents and we are children. We are soldiers, sailors and airmen. We are peaceful villages, small towns, and cities that never sleep.
Yes, we are the Nation and those are the things we are.
We were conceived in freedom, and dear God, if you are willing, in freedom we will spend the rest of our days. May we always be thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we be humble to the less forutnate and assist those in need. May we never forget the continuing cost of freedom. May we always remember that if we are to remain the land of the free, we must continue to always be the home of the brave. May our wishbone never be found where our backbone should be. May we possess always the integrity,the courage and the strength to keep ourselves unshackled, to remain always a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.
We are the Nation.
And this is our wish. . .this is our hope and this is our prayer. Amen
Dedicated to those heroes who died on September 11, 2001 and their families.
"WE WILL NEVER FORGET."
words of Commander John J. "Bug" Roach United States Navy 1944-1991:
We are a Nation.
We celebrate our birthday on July 4, 1776 with the Declaration of Independence as our birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in our veins because we offer freedom and liberty to all who are oppressed. We are many things to many people.
We are a Nation.
We sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to Alaska and Hawaii. Three million square miles throbbing with industry and with life. We are the forest, field, mountain and desert. We are the wheat fields of Kansas, the granite hills of Vermont and the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We are the Brooklyn Bridge, grain elevators in Nebraska and the Golden Gate.
We are a Nation.
We are 213 million living souls and yet we are the ghosts of millions who have lived and died for us. We are Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. We are Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. We are Lee, Grant, Abe Lincoln and George Bush. We are the famous and the unknown. We are presidents. We are paupers.
We are a Nation.
We stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard round the world. We remember the Alamo, the Maine, Pearl Harbor, Inchan and the Persian Gulf. When freedom calls, we answer. We left our heroic dead at Belleau Wood, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, the steaming jungles of Viet Nam and under the rubble of Beirut.
We are a Nation.
We are schools and colleges, churches and synagogues. We are a ballot dropped in a box, the harmonious voice of a choir in a cathedral, the crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd in a stadium. We are craftsmen, teachers, businessmen, and judges. We are laborers and nurses.
We are parents and we are children. We are soldiers, sailors and airmen. We are peaceful villages, small towns, and cities that never sleep.
Yes, we are the Nation and those are the things we are.
We were conceived in freedom, and dear God, if you are willing, in freedom we will spend the rest of our days. May we always be thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we be humble to the less forutnate and assist those in need. May we never forget the continuing cost of freedom. May we always remember that if we are to remain the land of the free, we must continue to always be the home of the brave. May our wishbone never be found where our backbone should be. May we possess always the integrity,the courage and the strength to keep ourselves unshackled, to remain always a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.
We are the Nation.
And this is our wish. . .this is our hope and this is our prayer. Amen
Dedicated to those heroes who died on September 11, 2001 and their families.
"WE WILL NEVER FORGET."
posted by Swampwitch at 9/09/2006 02:11:00 PM
15 Comments:
I'm red white and blue
.....
Loved the post
Good going, Swampwitch! I love the entire post but especially this part: " May our wishbone never be found where our backbone should be." There are many in this country who need to take that to heart.
Blessings, and have a wonderful Sunday.
There's a brand new, and even larger flag flying now on a large flag pole in my front yard. I changed it out yesterday. I hope to see flags everywhere! :)
Stirring words. Thank you for sharing them.
Can you say Goosebumps? Wow! That was great! I will be flying my flag! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing that.
Yes, our home will be decorated red, white and blue for Sept. 11th!
Thank you so much for sharing :)
We must NEVER forget and we need to teach future generations to never forget. I am a patriot along with all of you!
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Swampwitch,
That was so beautiful and poetically stated, thank you for sharing.
I'm the one you found somehow(!) who has also read The Kite Runner and seen Rabbit-Proof Fence! :) (And I even posted a couple songs from the soundtrack and no one had heard of the movie.)
I just read on your profile that you love sunset pictures, and I just posted a bunch a couple minutes ago!
I've never heard of Mutant Message Down Under but now I'm going to have to look it up on Amazon and see what it's all about!
:)
Thanks for your tribute and remembering. I remembered Thomas Foley today. May our nation never forget.
To echo the previous comments.....beautiful and thank you for sharing!
Thanks to all of you for stopping by to read my dedication. My husband and I attended the service of a fallen firefighter. His favorite song, "I Hope You Dance" was played. Since I am away from home and do not have the information to share to post an appropriate tribute to him, I will just continue to let that song play in my mind.
Thanks! It's a day none of us will ever forget. Thanks for commenting at my site.
Very heartfelt speech. I'm glad you posted it.
I am enjoying your blog. Nicely done.
Post a Comment
<< Home