CITY OF LAKEWOOD MEMORIAL DAY PROGRAM

2017

Written by: George McCullough

Bob Pierce reciting the poem and telling his story.  Author of the poem in background with Cowboy hat.

The program once again was held in Del Valle Park, and was well planned.  Ex-military, veterans groups, a choir singing patriotic songs, politicians, and others actively participated in the ceremony.  It was a very somber affair that honored those that paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms and our way of life.  One of the most emotional moments was when Bob Pierce, a Vietnam war veteran read the time- honored poem, The Boys of Del Valle Park.  Prior to reading that poem Bob paid tribute to other local Vietnam Veterans that are still paying the price with their health battles cause by agent orange exposure, including those that have passed away for the same reason.  The poem usually brings me to tears, but the story about the suffering caused by that defoliant made the reading all the more poignant.  

The keynote speaker, Lt. Colonel Carl Fabrizio Jr. brought up issues that need to be explored.  After discussing his long career in the military, and how he as a trained Psychologist brought peace to many troubled warriors in various conflicts over the past 30 years, he discussed his observations about the state of Patriotism in the United States.  It revolved around various facts:

•  In a recent survey, only 37% of Millennials consider themselves Patriotic.  That is  quite a change from past generations.
•  There is a declining state of cultural literacy in our country, caused by a left  leaning educational system that re-writes history to their own ends, and no longer  focuses on civics as a core subject.
•  Massive uncontrolled immigration without assimilation

His observation was that we are nearing a tipping point where there will be few citizens in the future that realize the value of the American system, putting America in jeopardy of losing the freedoms and way of life that sets us apart from the rest of the world.  At that point there will be no one to pass on our legacy, and there will no longer be a need for a Memorial Day.  The 1,500,000 war dead that participated in over 80 conflicts throughout our history will have died for nothing.  

Snapshot of crowd at the Ceremony

I noticed that although the ceremony was well attended, the veterans in the crowd had an average age of 70+ years, and the crowd itself was probably averaging 60+ years.  There were very few young adults in attendance, and the only children there were brought in by the few young adults that decided to attend.  Also, very few minorities were in attendance.  This backed up the observations the Lt. Colonel made in his keynote speech.  

Some of the few young people in attendance.  Lakewood Junior ROTC.

As concerned Americans, we need to pay more attention to how we are educating our children.  They need to know that America is special, the most successful country in the history of mankind.  They need to know why we are special.  They need to know our constitution, how our government is to work with balance of powers, why freedom of speech is so important, and why our economic system is the most fair and functional system in the world.   They also need to know that freedom is not free, but can only be had if brave men and women put themselves in harms way, willing to pay the ultimate price if necessary.  Nothing we have comes to us as a right, but rather as a gift from those who fought and at times died to insure that the gift of being American is passed down to future generations.  Only then can the tide of indifference be turned, and once again young people will actively want to participate in honoring those that selflessly gave us our most precious gift, freedom.