I was asked to speak at the Pentwater Michigan Memorial Day Celebration in 2007.
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The battles of
Gettys burg Vicksburg Antietam
Antwerp Pearl Harbor the Bulge
Pusan Inchon Saigon
Grenada Panama Somalia
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
Officially proclaimed Memorial Day, on 5 May 1868 by General John A. Logan, today is a sad day, as we honor the fallen.
My name is John Sturr, #5 son, to Thomas and Dolores and although my recent combat tour in Iraq is interesting and compelling today's memorial is about those which have given their lives in service to this great country.
I represent the Gulf War Veterans, as asked by the VFW Eldon L Chadwick Post, and I am humbled by the personal historical accounts past and present of today Veterans. Today I ask you to take a moment to visualize the scope of service these men and women provided. They were Cold, hungry, thirsty, with heavy gear, walking, hot, away from home, with no days off, with the constant reminder that life is precious and gone in an instant…
They assaulted the beaches of Normandy –
scaling the cliffs of point-Du-Hoc – They froze in the German cold - negotiated the jungles and waded rice paddies of Vietnam - were on ships protecting our seas - They fought through the hot mountainess islands of the pacific.
Men and women of all services in distant lands, both known and un-known, are carrying on the same service, facing the same fears, and remembering the dead – of which we are doing today.
Words cannot offer condolence to the Mother, Father, Son or Daughter of the lost Airman – Sailor – Soldier – or Marine – and I wish I could specifically memorialize all actions and all warriors, but I can't, yet in honor of all of the fallen I offer the names of the warriors I hold close :
SSG Thomas Vitagliano KIA Iraq,
Sgt. Jay Blessing KIA Afghanistan,
SSG. Robert Hernandez KIA Iraq.
The sacrifices made by the men and women we honor here today – has shaped the freedoms of which we take for granted of tomorrow.