Thank you to the Laurel community and the Exchange Clubs of Laurel and Billings for the opportunity to honor our nation’s heroes on this 18th anniversary of 9-11. We owe a
great debt to all those who have served and continue to serve to protect our most vulnerable at home and
abroad… and the families that enable them to do so.
My
great uncles fought for the freedom of all Americans in the Civil War. My
grandpa was a medic in Siberia during WWI while my grandma worked in Washington
DC processing war risk insurance claims. Grandpa's brothers served on the front in
France.
My
dad was in Army intelligence during the Korean War, and my husband served 2
tours in the South Pacific as a Marine before he became a police officer. He
proudly served Billings along side of many other men and women called to serve
our community.
Like
most of you, we will never forget where we were when we heard the news on
9/11/01. Images of the towers, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania are
forever embedded in our minds and on our hearts. Images of strangers helping strangers as they flooded the streets through the dust and debris, while first responders ran upstream
toward ground zero and continued sifting through the rubble for days, weeks and months.
We remember this nation coming together in solidarity to rise through the ashes… together,
stronger, united… that is the embodiment of faith, courage, strength and grit
that our country was founded on.
Our Constitution begins:
“We the People of the United
States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.“
The
average lifespan of a written national constitution is just 17 years.
Our
US Constitution is 232 years old, and our Declaration of Independence is 243
years old.
The
Declaration of Independence states why the United States became a nation. The
Constitution sets up the foundational rules and by-laws of our nation.
The
Declaration of Independence starts out with...
"We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Our
founders recognized that absolute truth exists. Right and wrong; moral and immoral,
legal and illegal – these emanated from a Creator.” (Stephen McDowell) These are
not ideas handed down from a ruler, dictator or flawed person.
We
are a self-governing nation, meaning no person... governing, enforcing
or regular citizen... is above the law.
It
means that we need citizens willing to serve and protect this foundation
locally, nationally and internationally. Today, we honor those who have and do put
themselves in harms way, to make this a safer place for us all. We are thankful for those who ran in on 9/11 as well as those who stepped up to defend our country and communities before and since that day.
Nationally,
about 7 % of Americans serve in our military. In Montana, nearly 11% serve.
Additionally
nearly 10% of US citizens serve locally as members of Police, Fire and EMS. When
adjusted for overlap (many first responders have served in our military), this
means that nearly 115 of every 1000 (11.5 of every 100) Montanans has served
our country and/or community. Many have died or been injured in the process.
So
far this year, 85 law enforcement officers across the country have lost their
lives in the line of duty. So far this year, we have lost 142 to suicide. This
is the 3rd year in a row where suicides are set to outpace line of
duty deaths. The effects of cumulative PTSD among first responders are real.
Our first responders face circumstances every day that most of us couldn’t deal
with for just 1 day. They deploy every shift ready for battle… ready to serve…
ready to step in between a stranger and danger. They look evil in the face, and
they pray to go home at the end of their shift. They cannot forget the sights, sounds, smells and feel of tragedy and evil. Our peer support network with
The Wounded Blue is just one organization working to combat the stigma of PTSD
and get help to those who need it. Our family support through How2LoveOurCops
is helping spouses to recognize signs and know where to get help.
Our
protectors need to know that they are appreciated and needed. They need to know
that what they do matters to those that they serve.
In
addition to knowing families and departments that are torn apart by line of
duty deaths, I have had the pleasure of knowing many who have been permanently
disabled while serving their communities. These heroes have been shot, run
over, dragged, stabbed, assaulted, etc. They have given up to the edge of their
life in service to strangers. Their families have sacrificed much, yet many
feel abandoned by their departments and the very communities that they serve.
With today’s cultural climate, our country’s disabled first responders are in
many ways this generation’s “Vietnam Vets” While we’ve largely recognized the error that
we as a country made in abandoning those men and women who served in Vietnam,
we have not yet realized that abandoning those who serve locally is equally
tragic.
What
an incredible honor to call these heroes friends. What an honor to serve them
through The Wounded Blue with peer support counseling and legislative action,
and to serve their families through How2LoveOurCops. Most people dream about
super heroes. I call them friends!
Thank
you to all who are are ready to run towards danger when disaster strikes, when communities suffer mass
casualties or acts of terrorism… Thank you to those who are ready when a child
is abused, lost or runs away, when an elderly person falls, or when a school, church or
business is vandalized or attacked. They serve to keep our neighborhoods safer… for our
families and theirs. These heroes serve every day, in all kinds of weather and
under circumstances most of us cannot imagine. They face the worst that
humanity has to offer… every day.
The
next time you see a police officer, fire fighter, EMS worker or member of our
armed forces, please tell them thank you. The next time you see a spouse or
child of one of these heroes, please tell them you appreciate their sacrifice…
the missed holidays, birthdays, school events and ballgames. We owe our heroes
more than a simple thank you can convey, yet a simple thank you means a lot in
a world that tends to take what they do for granted.
Thank
you for your support of this event. Walk through the flags.
Think about the heroes they represent.
Say a prayer for our heroes… and their families.
Think about the heroes they represent.
Say a prayer for our heroes… and their families.
God
bless America.
God bless you.
Homeland Security Report 2017
Pew Research 2017
Newsweek Nov 2018 https://www.newsweek.com/which-us-states-have-highest-concentration-veterans-1199099
AFA
Journal July 2019 https://afajournal.org/past-issues/2019/july/rediscovering-america-s-goodness/
