American Legion Post 413 in Grand
Marais hosted a dinner for veterans on
Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11.
Pam Neil of Grand Marais spoke to the
veterans. This is an excerpt from her
address.
In addition to hosting a dinner for veterans, American Legion Post 413 puts up this beautiful flag display on Wisconsin Street each Veterans Day.
On behalf of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of American Legion Post 413, I’d like to welcome you for a few hours of camaraderie, and great food, as we commemorate this special day. We are all grateful for this special opportunity to say, “Thank you veterans!”
I am not a veteran of military service, and I don’t even come from a family with a history of military service. But, I am a very proud American with special pride in our military and all it represents.
I am privileged to have a career with the National Park Service. I’ve had unique opportunities to work at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia and both Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania before accepting my current position at Grand Portage National Monument in 1999. I spent my early days as a park ranger guiding tours of Independence Hall and sharing the story of the founding of our great country, including the riveting days leading up to the Declaration of Independence, the revolution to secure our independence from Britain, the exploits and clever wit of Ben Franklin—and one of my favorite snapshots of history—the creation of our first American flag by Betsy Ross.
I then spent 15 years at Gettysburg sharing the history of that renowned battle and its aftermath including the amazing stand of the 1st Minnesota Infantry on the second day of the battle….This unit of mostly untested young soldiers suffered 85% casualties while securing and holding the Union’s left flank. Few historians will disagree that the 1st Minnesota saved the day and perhaps the victory for the Union Army.
In every war and military action since, generations of brave Americans like you have answered the call to serve and you have carried out your duty for your country, with honor and great sacrifice.
Our military continues to fight not only for our freedoms, but for the freedoms of others around the world. As long as even one serviceman or woman is doing his/her duty, and in harm’s way, we must make special efforts to do our part here at home.
I was a young child when our service members from Viet Nam returned home and have only vague memories of newscasts and protests and saw it all through a child’s eyes—I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until my studies in college that I had a sense of how many civilians failed to support our troops and honor our veterans as they returned. I will never
understand that. I’d like to think we’ve learned the tough lessons from past wars about honoring our veterans and the sacrifices they’ve made. We are now welcoming home new generations of veterans who’ve willingly answered the call of their country and have made sacrifices on so many levels. Theyreturn home with the visible and not so visible scars of war and heavy hearts for comrades who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
It is our duty to honor their sacrifice by taking a minute to walk up, shake their hand, and say, “Thank you for your service.” I’ve never heard a service member say, “Man, I’m tired of hearing that.” It is appreciated and we don’t do it enough.
Only when we fulfill our duty to honor their sacrifice can we begin to be worthy of the freedoms we often take for granted. Thisis truly the land of the free and the Home of the Brave…Thank you, veterans!
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