WHY DO WE CELEBRATE MEMORIAL DAY? Jolene Ryan was a student at King High School and was asked to give this speech at the Riverside National Cemetery on Memorial Day, 2017
Approximately 319 people live in the United States and a great number of them don’t grasp what today means. Kids and adults across America think of Memorial Day as just another day off of work or school. A lot of them don’t completely understand that this day is meant to honor the ultimate sacrifices that the men and women of our armed services have made for our freedom; for the liberties we enjoy and for our way of life. Memorial Day is intended to thank those who laid down their lives for the sake of things we hold dear. It is a day to pay respect to all American veterans in our history that gave up their tomorrows so we may have today.
The origin of Memorial Day all depends on the stories you hear and which ones you want to believe but one thing is for sure is that it was first called Decoration Day. In the days of the Civil War and afterward, soldiers’ graves were decorated with flowers. However, it was more of a local observation than a national one. One of the first major Decoration Days was celebrated on May 30, 1868 when future President James Garfield gave a speech to some 5000 people at Arlington National Cemetery. The first use of the term “Memorial Day” is reported to have taken place in 1882, but the term was not universally used nor accepted.
Over the years, the United States found herself involved in more conflicts across the globe and Americans were asked to put themselves in harm’s way, sometimes for themselves and sometimes for those who could not do it themselves. Finally, in 1964, Memorial Day became an official national holiday, to be celebrated across the country on the last Monday in May and to honor those who never returned home.
Coming from a military family background, I know that on Memorial Day, nothing makes a veteran prouder than people flying their flags and celebrating the ones that sacrificed their lives. My dad served in the Army for four and half years and every day I reflect and think that I am so lucky he got to return home as so many people were not that fortunate. As I stand before you all today, we are surrounded by many headstones and I am reminded that America is fortunate to have so many brave men and women in our country. I reflect on books and movies about veterans’ stories and although it caused pain and suffering in their lives, most have no regrets. I had the pleasure of taking part in King High Remembers this year at my school and met a very special individual by the name of John Clime. Mr. Clime was a radio operator in Vietnam. He told my partner and I in our interview that he doesn’t regret anything about going into the service and would do it again.
Now despite what I have said about so many people truly don’t understand what this day is about, the truth is that we really celebrate Memorial Day every day.
We hear the celebration in the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem
We see the honoring of their sacrifice when we vote
When I sit in one of my classes, I experience a sense of thanks that I have been given a free public education
Every time we speak against tyranny and injustice we are celebrating Memorial Day
When the flag goes up that pole every day-it’s Memorial Day.
And besides the celebration of this day, how do we pay these brave people back? We do it by preserving their sacrifice in our memories; by taking advantage of the liberties given to us to be the best we can be as a nation and as individuals; by taking up the responsibility of leadership and by facing down the enemies that would see us fail.
So getting back to the question-why do we celebrate Memorial Day? I am not saying that people should not have huge barbecues or not invite friends and family over; go to the beach or go out of town. I am saying that as you do any of that, think about the freedom you have and appreciate that other people have sacrificed their lives so we may live freely. We celebrate this day because this day tells us who we are as Americans and it pays tribute to, as Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, “those who gave the last true measure of devotion so that their nation might live.” That’s why we celebrate Memorial Day.
Holly Huntley was a Senior at King High School and gave this speech at the Riverside National Cemetery on November 11, 2002.
Thank you very much for giving me the honor of being here, and paying my respect to all you people who are seated in front of me this morning. It is sad to think that most adolescents are using this time as I speak now to sleep in and not attend school rather than utilizing veterans Day as a time of remembrance and appreciation to the people who chose to serve our country. I reluctantly, but wholeheartedly admit that I was one of those kids. I understood our country’s history and our struggle for peace; both my grandfathers, my uncle and my brother all served in different branches of the military but I never endeavored to comprehend what it meant for a person to bring themselves to that, and how it would affect my life. There are millions of youths out there who are ignorant to the importance of our country’s veterans. However, had they even a glimpse of what they would learn, they would be eager to do so.
Luckily, I was given that chance. About a year ago, my high school held a program, which my history teacher Mr. John Corona, found to be more successful than anyone imagined. We called it “King High Remembers” in which our U.S. History students, myself being onen of them, interviewed World War II, Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War veterans. That event introduced me to a world that I never dreamed of stepping into. You know, you read about an event or watch it in its Hollywood version. But that does not compare to having it in front of you. There are countless history books, encyclopedias and other sources that edify our country’s history, but what we kids strive for, what reaches deeply into our hearts and minds is YOU.
You veterans, you war-heroes, every single one of you have dozens of stories from your life that may seem ordinary to yourself but you may not realize what an effect that they have when told to an unknowledgeable student such as myself. You hold within your mind a treasure that is so momentous to the boundaries of my understanding. That is why it is so vital for you to realize what kit means to kids today when we get a glimpse into our life. Whether military ran in your family heritage, whether you joined because it seemed like the best alternative in tough times, or whether you had no choice when you received that draft card, what distinctly matters is that you did it. You put your life o the line, you gave up your body and soul to protect the security and sanctity of America and that is why I owe you—we all owe you-our respect and merit as citizens of the United States. Just as we need to breathe air, our country needs our never-failing dedication d devotion, which is why we can’t survive without our veterans.
Today I am currently working at Air Force Village West. I am sure that most of you are familiar with it as a retired veteran community just down the street here and I cannot tell you how proud I am to be part of these people’s lives. To work among them and assist them every day is such an honor. To teach that question that is hat is why I strongly desire to spread my knowledge and my new understanding of all you who have served our country, to many people like myself. To teach that question that is so often asked and so seldom answered properly: What is the purpose of Veterans Day? Was it meant to praise and recognize all that have become a part of America’s time past, or was it to recognize those people and allow them to teach us all and remind us of what we may need to know in the future. WE are all familiar with the saying “Those who do not study history are doomed tom repeat it.” It is essential to understand our country’s background, and to always look to the future. Obviously, we did not expect Sept. 11th to occur, but look how we dealt with it. We had not experienced anything so devastating since Pearl Harbor, but we found a way to keep our hearts beating, and they are now beating with further pride of the Red, White and Blue.
Therefore, we learned from all of you. You are the keys to our past and our guidance to the future. We have all of you to thank for showing us the path towards ending up victorious as we have always done. Standing her alone, I want to thank you in a voice that speaks for youths all around the country. Thank you for giving us your memories, your lives, your blood, your tears and your service. You are our history books. So, let us turn the page and begin a new chapter for our generation to remain a peaceful nation. For all of you who have stood in honor of the United States of America, I am honored to stand in front of you today. Thank you and God Bless..
Program Founder, John Corona, was asked to give a speech at the ceremonies on Memorial Day, 2022, at the Riverside National Cemetery.
Thank you Mike and thank you for this great honor of being here to speak today .I am deeply honored for this opportunity and I hope, in a small way, to pay tribute to 3 groups of people; the men and women who lay at rest here and across our great nation 2) to those of you in the audience who have served in our military 3 those in the field today serving our country.
I have to tell you—It’s funny how things turn on you. I have been here many times overseeing a student speakers efforts and I always assured those kids that they would do fine and they would get through the nervousness and the pressure. Now, I am up here about to deliver my own speech and I am nervous as hell. I really struggled putting this speech together because quite frankly, I have SO much to say-so much to share with you-so much to be thankful for. However, as my dad used to say-“All you do is give it your best “…so here goes.
Let me start by saying that the honor of speaking to you today comes to me because of pure dumb luck. As Mike mentioned for the past 22 years, I have been involved in a Veterans’ Oral History Project called King High Remembers. Everything that has occurred with the project just kind of happened. There was no plan-no great vision. It started out as a simple classroom assignment-something unique designed to add some substance to what I was teaching. We started with 25 vets being interviewed by a total of 78 U.S. History kids in the teacher’s work room on campus. I had thought this was going to be a one-time thing but at the end of that day, after having seen the impact it had on everybody in the room, I broke down crying and I knew it was something we had to keep doing. At our high point, 700 students were getting the stories and the memories of over 300 veterans on our campus on an annual basis. It has grown in stature and scope—around 10 local high schools and a number from around the country have adopted the program or done some version of it; an award- winning documentary has been done and we have been recognized at the local-state and national level. Because of COVID, we couldn’t meet face to face the past two years but we were able to keep the program going through virtual interviews with two Medal of Honor recipients. The project has been a source of great pride for our school, our school district and our community. In my 40 years in education, it’s the best thing I have ever done.
Today, of course, is Memorial Day, a single day in which we remember and we honor the sacrifices-especially the ultimate sacrifice- of the men and women who have worn the uniform of the U.S. military. The root word of Memorial is “memory” -the act of remembering. I believe that it is something we all do-in our own way and in our own time. Please let me recount some personal examples that speak to “memory”, “remembrance and “never forgetting.”
My dad James Corona served with the 8th Engineers, 1st Cavalry Division U.S. Army in the Admiralty Islands and the Philippines during World War II. I remember one night, watching 60 minutes, 40 years after the war- the interviewee said something to the effect “that dying for your country was foolish.” My dad rose from his chair and yelled at the TV---"Tell that to so and so and so and so”-----rattling off several names. I realized that those names were the names of his friends who never came home and he carried them with him every day. My dad certainly never forgot.
In Feb. 1945, dad was part of what was called “The Flying Column.” It was a group of 700 GI’s whose mission it was to rescue close to 4000 civilian prisoners at Santo Tomas University in Manila. They traveled 100 miles in 66 hours and the mission was a success. 57 years later, at KHSR we were honored to have as an interviewee a woman named Tanya Daggett who at the age of 9 was among those liberated from that internment camp. My mom and dad were there and I had introduced my dad and had mentioned the mission to Santo Tomas. She asked if she could meet dad which I quickly arranged. She asked him if he was in the 1st Cavalry-my dad said yes and then she asked if he was at Santo Tomas to which he said yes. She then pulled out a battered old green First Cav. Shoulder patch and she showed it to my father. She explained that on the day of the liberation, a member of the 1st had given her this patch and she had carried it with her since that time. She said she had always been grateful to the men that made that run to Manila and she just wanted to take a minute to thank him. My dad was not an overly emotional man but, on that day, he cried as did everybody who was privy to that moment. Certainly, Ms. Daggatt had not forgotten
My son Andrew currently serves with the 25th Infantry Division. I am not a big tattoo guy and when Andrew shared with us that he had gone out and gotten one. I wasn’t too happy. I began to voice my displeasure until he showed me what it looked like. It was a tattoo of his grandfather’s WW2 dogtags. Well, what was I going to say to that??—“Nice tattoo.” I am extremely proud that Andrew has not forgotten
The stories I have heard during our years of King High Remembers have served a reminder for me as well: Scotty Cardwell flying B-24’s over Polesti Oil Fields, Lou Roffman at Hickam Field and Robert Ehm on the Battleship West Virginia on the morning of Dec. 7, Pauline Sutton, an Army nurse in the Philippines and a 30 year Army career. Marine Sgt. Dan Jackman who served at Chosin Reservoir in Korea, Buffalo Soldier, Nathaniel Grant, recounting the days of segregation and social injustice in our armed services and ending the conversation by saying “but you know-everybody bleeds red.” Riverside native Harold Harada whom served in the 442nd combat team Ronnie Guyers’ experience in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam; of my ex-student Nick Cady who was at our very first interview day in 2001 and went on to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq who ultimately returned in 2019 to tell his story.
Of course, as a teacher I am always looking for the lessons in these stories and there certainly are plenty but for me two lessons come to the forefront
First, in its own way, every day is Memorial Day. I know it’s a cliché to say that through their selflessness, the members of our military have helped provide and preserve our freedoms and our liberties. However, despite the cliché, it’s true and more importantly, what they have helped us to understand is the cost of those things. Dr. Martin Luther King once said “Freedom has always been an expensive thing.” Nobody knows that better than the members of our armed forces-past-present and future. We live the benefits of their sacrifice—and their families sacrifice- in maintaining that freedom every day. Through what we might consider every day activities we memorialize their actions. When we do the pledge of allegiance or sing the National Anthem; when the flag goes up the pole; when we vote; when we speak our opinions; when we listen to their stories ---------We are celebrating Memorial Day
And second-- Vietnam veteran Will Lopez said to me once after a day at KHSR..”I never thought I’d have to answer to the future. Well, I say that the future has to answer to him and his fellow veterans as well. Every year, when I talk to students about King High Remembers, I let them know that part of the reason these veterans are coming to this event is to see the future they served for. No one ever says it—or even consciously aware of it, but they want to know. They want to know what our students are going to do with their futures, they want to know what kind of students and people they are; are they active in the community; are they taking advantage of the opportunities that have been provided them? They want to know that what they and their comrades did in serving their country was worth it. It gives me great happiness when vets leave the program at the end of the day and they say “After talking to these kids, I am much more confident in the future of our nation.” We ALL owe it to our veterans-past and present and future -and we owe it to ourselves - to be the best version of ourselves as possible. Put whatever noun on it you want to; best-student-best dad/mom-best person-best employee-best citizen. In the end, that’s how we can best honor our military- by taking the opportunities and responsibilities those sacrifices have given us and doing our very best.
I will end today with two stories.
At my son’s graduation from Boot Camp at Fort Benning, watching all these young men and women trading out their fatigue caps for berets; watching their happiness, their celebration, the high fives, the hugs and the excitement over this accomplishment—what they had accomplished together- brought a tear to my eye. These were young people from all over America and none of their differences, color-religion, politics, background or culture mattered. Watching them all in that celebration and watching them honor those who had come before them---It was a vivid picture for me of what we can truly be---who we REALLY are as Americans
And lastly, it was our first King High Remembers and we were finishing up our day. A World War II vet, Col. James Watts of the USAAF-a POW- approached me and said “John you’re a hero.” I respectfully disagreed—“I’m no hero. I’m just a teacher. The Americans who have worn the uniform-who never came home-who sacrificed so much—they are the heroes.” He smiled at me and said- “John -when we went off to fight in 1941, it was to defeat the forces of ignorance, intolerance and bigotry---Teachers do that every day.” Col. Watts passed away later that year and though I have always been proud of that compliment, I would submit to you that it isn’t just a teacher’s job to do that. All of us in our own way need to fight that fight. Because those enemies are ever present-they are the same enemies we saw in 1950-1968-1991-2001 and they are still with us today both here and abroad—TOGETHER—in the memory of those who we honor today---let’s continue the fight and let’s continue to make America a better place. It is the best gift-the best remembrance- that we can give them.
Thank you again for allowing me to speak with you today. Please know, at King High School, WE REMEMBER.
Thank you.