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, 1st 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
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