Comments for Lexington park Medal of Honor Ceremony
9/30/2017
Only a few short years ago, I was privileged to be part of
the ceremonial guard for the unveiling of this magnificent statuary tribute to
the three medal of honor awardees; Sgt. Harris, Pvt. Barnes, and Quartermaster
Hayden, who’s service we are here to remember today and all the men of St.
Mary’s County who placed their lives on the line to preserve the Union and free
a people from bondage.
In our current era of history, when symbols have become
front page news, this monument takes on even more importance. A primary goal of the Sons of Union Veterans
is the remembrance of men like those named on this monument. We seek to, as we say, keep green the memory
of the sacrifices made by both the soldier and his family to ensure that
President Lincoln’s bold vision of emancipation and his pledge that “Government
of the People, for the people, and by the people should not perish from the
Earth” would prevail.
It was the men, whose names appear in such bold relief upon
this monument, and many thousands of others who joined the United States
Colored Troops, that took up the great work of fulfilling Lincoln’s call to
complete the rebirth of our nation under the principles originally stated in
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. They were willing to commit their lives to a
greater cause. For they not only fought
to preserve the Union and establish freedom in the United States; they fought
to achieve respect and equality for an entire race of human being who had for
too long lived under the shadow of oppression and servitude.
Insert Adlib – A previous speaker had noticed that the
park was full of young men playing organized football as their parents watched
from bleachers overlooking the fields.
I addressed those attending the Medal of Honor ceremony thusly “I would
ask each of you, why aren’t those young men and their parents here with
us? Don’t they know how important
remembering those who gave so much to ensure that they have the freedom they
are enjoying?” Let me say this. I find no fault in the young men or their
parents. The fault lies in the lack of
knowledge they have about the men named on this monument and that has led to
their perceived indifference. My mother
once told me that if you are remembered you never die but if your name becomes
lost to history and meaningless you truly die forever. Will that be the fate of the names on this
monument? Only time will tell, but I
pray it will not be so.
So, here we are. We have
come here to reaffirm these men and remember their names in a society that is
less and less aware of them. To us falls
the obligation to ensure that these men do not die forever, that they are
remembered by future generations for their dedication to the cause of freedom,
and honored for their valor. We, the
living descendants and recipients of the freedoms and privileges they struggled
to obtain; must fulfill our obligation to all the men who Lincoln said, “Gave
the last full measure of devotion.” We
must hold ourselves accountable for preserving their memory and commit our
every energy to educate our youth and perpetuate a sense of duty within society
to never forget those of the past and their efforts to bequeath us the great
nation we live in today.
Speech written and presented by Mark R. Day, September 30th
2017 at the 2nd Annual Medal of Honor Ceremony held by the Sgt.
James H. Harris Camp #38 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Lexington Park,
Maryland. Copyright by Mark R. Day 9/30/2017, all rights reserved
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