Speech: Medal of Honor Remembrance Ceremony in Burkettsville, Maryland on 23 March 2013

Speech for Medal of Honor Remembrance Ceremony in Burkettsville, Maryland on 23 March 2013

Mayor, Special Guest, Brothers of the Antietam Camp #3,  Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me first bring greetings from the Department Commander, Jeff French.  I know that Jeff would have loved to be here today; to participate in this wonderful ceremony, but work and distance have made that impossible for him.  On his behalf let me convey, to the members of the Antietam Camp #3, the thanks of the Department leadership for the hard work and dedication they have shown in conducting this annual Medal of Honor Remembrance Service.

The Medal of Honor has been awarded to more than 3,400 American servicemen and women since it was conceived by Lt Colonel Edward D. Townsand  in the fall of 1861and instituted in the Naval Service under the leadership of Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles; by a resolution of Congress in December of 1861.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award our nation can bestow on a serviceman or woman and it signifies the pride our nation holds for its citizen soldiers, sailors, and airmen.  The two individual we are honoring today, 1^st Lt George W. hooker and Private James Allen provide us with the true nature of the type of individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.   One is a son of Massachusetts and the other a son of Ireland.  They were both born into nations which value  freedom from tyranny and when called upon to defend the union and the ideals of freedom they left all that was dear and precious to fight in the noble cause. 

Therefore it is only fitting that we the decedents of the same tradition of freedom remember these our brothers in arms who serve d with gallantry and honor on the blood soaked fields of the Civil War and who without pause or thought to personal safety went forth in gallantry and honor to ensure the preservation of our great nation and the ultimate victory of freedom for all men.

Thank you for your attention

God bless the souls of these two brave men and God bless the United States of America 

 

 

Poem: "A Fitting Tribute at Last"

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

The message a call to remembrance
a heartful hymn of thanks

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

All honor and great glory
to those who are proclaimed

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

Long shout their feats of daring
and prove courage was displayed

Steady, Strong, and Substantial
The word proclaimed in stone

Between the dawning and evening
announce what they have done.


Written by Mark R. Day 3/17/2013.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 3/17/2013, all rights reserved

This simple verse came to mind as I thought of the monument dedicated at Bentonville Battlefield in North Carolina.  The Stone is the monument and the proclamation is the listing of the men who fought. 

Poem: "The Path to Relationship"

Humanity is expressed through the relationships we share

We seek and we are sought out

We desire and we are desired in return

We serve and we are granted service

We love and we are loved without condition

These connections define and shape us,

each experience carves a poriton of our soul.

Connected as the flower to its stem, the grape unto the vine

We need to find companions

We need to find our place

Yes humanity requires connection to bind our human hearts 

Poem: The Mystery of Salvation

What hope have we who's sin's piled high;
are recorded for all time.

Sin! Sin!, we stand in Sin, on eve of deaths swift stroke.

Our hope they say, is that he died.
Nailed hard upon a tree. 

He made a peace with God for us.
His blood the price of life.

The sweet voice of Christ
Our salvation sure; please call me forth to thee.

No longer alone , we stand no longer alone
on the eve of deaths swift stroke.

Cleansed by his blood, free of all sin
He has made us God's childen again.

Speech:Dedication of the first Union Monument at Bentonville Battlefield

 

Dr. Divine, Mr. Hardison,  My fellow Sons of Union Veterans, Ladies of the Sons Auxiliary, Ladies of the Bentonville UDC, Special Guest, Ladies  and Gentlemen.

First let me bring greetings from National Commander Perley Mellor, Perley wanted to be here today but unfortunately other obligations have prevented him from coming.  Perley asked that I congratulate all those who have worked diligently to make this monument a reality, and express his gratitude for a job well done.

In preparation for these, my brief comments, the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson; in his Essay on Eloquence, came immediately to mind.  You see Emerson believed that an orator who rises in passion to speak on a topic will only be successful if he chooses the right words to express that passion.  This afternoon I hope my choices will accomplish their intended purpose to inspire and motivate you to never stop honoring our ancestors.

For me the idea of standing on this hallowed landscape, on this mid-march afternoon, and participating in the dedication of this first monument to the Union soldiers who fought and died at Bentonville holds a very special significance.  You see, my Great Great Grandfather Richard Martin Lown, Co F. 150^th NY Volunteer Infantry of the XX Corps also stood on this ground in March one hundred and forty-eight years ago.

The pride I feel today is boundless and pulsing in my veins.  That part of my great great grandfather which courses through my body is alive and filled with gratitude for the profound act of remembrance which we are engaged in today. 

The poet Walt Whitman wrote in his famous poem O Captain my Captain the following phrase “Rise up – for you the bugle trills; For you the bouquets and ribboned wreaths, for you the shore a crowding” While this was written in tribute to the life of Abraham Lincoln; let us invoke that same short passage to demonstrate our duty to faithfully and forever honor the memory of these men who sacrificed all to preserve the Union.  They are gone from our sight forever, but like Lincoln have arrived on that distant shore in victory and honor.  Therefore sound the trumpet, place the wreath, and gather round to show respect

Let this monument be the testament of our continued struggle to ensure the memory of these men and their cause is taught to future generations.  Let the monument be a beacon which shines forth the story of their sacrifice, and let us never forget it is our responsibility to tell the story.

Thank you for your attention

May God Bless you and yours, may God bless our patriot ancestors, and may God Bless our Country!

 

 

Written and presented by Mark R. Day Speech for the dedication of the First Union Monument on the Battlefield at Bentonville, NC 3/16/13.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 3/16/13, all rights reserved