I’m On The Front Lines And I’m Under Fire!
Speaking at Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two of my favorite parts of serving in the legislature. This year was no different. The following is my speech.
I’m On the Front Lines and I’m Under Fire!
I’m on the front lines and I’m under fire!
My friend, and World War II veteran – Ted Chaffee of Newport, uttered these words. Although he was injured when the patrol boat he was on sunk off the coast of France after it hit an underwater mine, he did not make the statement while at war. He made the statement to me in recent weeks.
You see, at 83 years old, Ted Chaffee is now in a struggle of a lifetime. However, he has not lost his spirit and humor. He is now battling a more formidable enemy than he fought in the war. That enemy is time. It’s an enemy that we’ll all face one day. While we can win battles on the battlefields, we cannot win the battle with time. We can only strive to live our lives with honor, and die with dignity, making a difference in peoples lives as we go about our life’s journey.
Ted, like most surviving WW II veterans, know that they are again on the front lines. This time there are no bullets or bombs, only the ticking of a clock – the passing of time.
As many of you know, through my life as a writer, I work to record the history of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom though the words of the people who lived it. I have a special place in my heart for veterans. I have recorded many stories of the men and women from this area who have served their country – whether it be World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, or the current wars we are now fighting. Those memories and stories must never be lost. We, particularly non-veterans such as myself, have so much to learn from you and what you experienced.
Each year I come here, either as a speaker, or just to listen, I look around and one thing I notice is that there are fewer World War II veterans each year. When they were young, the World War II generation came here to listen to the veterans of World War I, and even the final survivors of the Civil War, speak and share their memories and their hope for the future. Following their war, the veterans of World War II came home and took up the tradition, later joined by the veterans of following wars - veterans who are now proudly filling the void left behind by departing World War II veterans.
Looking back over the last year I think of two World War II veterans I have come to know who lost their battle with time this year. There was Al Hinton. Al was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when, on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces bombed the Pacific Fleet anchored there. Al never lost his love of America, and took great pride in his time in the military.
Then there was Ken Scott of Derby. Ken was born on the family farm on the Bluffs in West Derby. He went on to serve his country during World War II. As an officer he was involved in the Red Ball Express and he survived the Battle of the Bulge. Although a decorated hero, he, like most real heroes, scoffed at the title. Instead, he insisted he was doing only what needed to be done and that there is no glory in war.
On June 14th at the Elks Lodge in Derby, there will be “A Salute to the Veterans of World War II”. I encourage all of you to come out to salute the men and women of this generation, a generation that has been called the “Greatest Generation”.
In closing, to my friend, Ted Chaffee – it is true you are again on the front lines in a battle but you are not alone. Your family, friends and fellow veterans stand with you and thank you for your service to your country.
Thank you Ted for your service, and thank you for being my friend. And thank you to all veterans for your service to this country.