Veterans Day Speech 2009: Honoring Our Veterans

Veterans Day Speech 2009

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today as we honor the service and sacrifice of the American Veteran.

As I look at this crowd here today, I am reminded of the patriotism of this community and of the tremendous respect this community has for those who have worn our nation’s uniform and served our country.

As we observe this Veterans Day, let us take a moment to remember those who lost their lives at Fort Hood last week. As Army soldiers on active duty, they gave their lives in service to our nation. And while we try to understand the senselessness of it all, there is no confusion whatsoever about the sacrifice of those who lost their lives and their families, nor the valor of those whose heroism saved so many other lives Thursday afternoon.

One of the great privileges I have as your representative in the Texas House is that I serve on the Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee. I consider it a privilege, because it has afforded me the opportunity to work closely with veterans leaders from across the state on issues important to the 1.7 million veterans who call Texas home, as well as our active duty service members and their families.

My work on these issues is guided by a recognition and a realization that there is simply no way that the tremendous sacrifices made by veterans and their families can ever be appropriately repaid, no matter how many laws benefitting veterans are passed in Austin or in Washington. The sacrifices made by those who serve are simply too great.

24 million Americans have served our nation in uniform, from the Battles of Lexington and Concord some 234 years ago to the mountains of Afghanistan and the sands of Iraq today. These veterans of our nation’s Armed Forces have come from backgrounds as varied and diverse as our nation itself.

They are rich and poor. Black, White, Latino, Asian, Native American. Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Men and women. They come from small farming communities in rural America and from our country’s biggest cities. They are from right here in Texas, and they are from New York City and Los Angeles and everywhere in between.
But for all their disparate backgrounds, America’s veterans are alike, in that they answered a call to service, and gave selflessly of themselves for their country.

In short, America’s veterans are common people who have demonstrated uncommon courage.
When I visit with veterans – whether they served in World War II or recently came back from Iraq — I am always struck by their tremendous humility. I am sure many of you have had this experience, when you thank a veteran for his or her service or praise them for their heroism, the reply is invariably, “I was just doing my job.”

And what a job they have done.

America’s veterans won our nation’s independence. They fought despots and dictators in World Wars I and II and took on the communists in Korea and Vietnam. For the last eight years, our service members have fought a global war on terrorism.

Throughout all these and many other conflicts in our nation’s history, along with the often risky duties involved in peacetime, America’s veterans have made our country free and kept it free. They have defended democracy, liberty and the American way of life. They have liberated people from the tyranny of madmen across the globe. And in so doing, they will say, “I was just doing my job.”

Well, today a grateful nation says, “thank you, for a job well done.”

We also today recognize the sacrifice of our veterans’ families. Let me ask, do any of the students here have a mom or dad who has served in the military? Even though they may not have put on a uniform, they have served our nation in very meaningful ways. The constant fear and worry for their loved ones, the special moments in a child’s life that are missed because of a deployment, the apprehension a spouse must feel when there is an unexpected knock at the door or late night phone call. Indeed, the families of veterans and service members sacrifice much for this country. The families of the 240,000 Texans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan in the last eight years know this all too well.

It is my hope, as we remember these sacrifices and celebrate the heroism of America’s veterans on this day, that we will collectively rededicate ourselves to giving back to those who have given so much to all of us.

Consider the wise words of our nation’s first President, George Washington: “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were appreciated and treated by their nation.”

And so let’s ask ourselves, all of us, how can we do more?

Can we see that any veteran in the state of Texas who wants to work can get a decent paying job to support his or her family?

Can we see that every veteran who wants to go to school and continue their education have the opportunity to do so?

Can we make sure that every veteran who has PTSD as a result of serving our country can get the help he or she understandably needs?

And can we agree that no veteran of this nation’s Armed Forces should be sleeping on the streets of any Texas city tonight, and that we’ll do all we can to end the disgrace of veterans homelessness?

I think the answer to all these questions is yes. In the words of another veteran, and another President, John F. Kennedy, “as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

So it’s my hope that after the speeches are over and we leave here today, we will all try our best to demonstrate our appreciation in real, tangible ways to America’s veterans.