May 26, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Michael Berry Show. Today is Memorial Day, the day
that we as a nation honor the men and women
who have died serving this country. Today's show will be
a little different. You can probably tell by my tone. Today,
we're going to play some of the best Memorial Day
(00:24):
speeches that we could find, and we have scoured. This
moving speech was given by veteran of the Iraq War,
Sergeant Raymond Hubbard, back in two thousand and eight, hearing
how he connected with his father, a Vietnam veteran. I
(00:45):
hope this gives you a new perspective on the brotherhood
of combat soldiers.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
To be honest, when George Bauman, my fellow patriot, bestowed
this honor upon me and took all my will not
back down. Honoring the falling is something so very personal
that I didn't think I could share my own grief.
But if I was the first person asked, then it
was my duty to not let this burden fall on
(01:13):
someone else's already heavy heart. There have been one point
six million US soldiers that have served in the combat
theater in the Middle East since two thousand and one.
That is zero point five percent of the current US population.
If you Compare that to the two percent of the
populist that served in Vietnam or the twelve percent that
(01:34):
fought in World War II, this seems to be a
minor incident. As of March seventeenth, two thousand and eight,
there have been over four thousand United States fatalities from
our Operation Iraqi Freedom, with approximately seventy four of them
officially declared Wisconsin's sons and daughters. Now I stand up
(01:56):
here and throw out these numbers, and you, my friends
my name, either reacted with a sorrowful sigh or a
desensitized disdain. And if you did so react, it's not
your fault. It's hard to feel grief, compassion, anger for
over a five year period of time. It's hard to
(02:18):
feel anything at all when only numbers are flashed across
the street, screen or spoken from a podium. Numbers are
not faces. Numbers are not people. Numbers are not names
of loved ones. Names of my comrades can fall from
my lips like tears from my own eyes. Steph Sargeant
(02:39):
Todd Olsen, Corporal Kenneth Cross, Specialist Sean Novak, Steph Sergeant
Stephen Martin, Private Isaiah Hunt, Major Chris Splinter Captain Jonathan Kirth,
and specialists Justin Linden. These are all Wisconsin Suttens and daughters.
(03:01):
I'm sure more than a few of you know of Justin.
Justin played baseball for the Clinton Cougars. Justin graduated from
Clinton in nineteen ninety nine. Justin moved to Oregon, where
he met his future wife, Sarah. Justin and Sarah were
married on February twenty eight, two thousand and four, just
before Justin was deployed to Iraq. On June fourth, two
(03:26):
thousand and four, Specialist Justin Lindon was killed when his
convoy was attacked by improvised explosive devices and rocket propel's grenades.
I have never seen so much loss and so much
pride phil a man that it does with Wayne Lindon,
Justin's father. Every time he thinks about his son, you
(03:51):
see the loss and the pride in immeasurable, immeasurable amounts.
I too, have felt the loss of the soldier. Seeing
the soldier has affected my life in ways that I
still have yet to fully understand. This soldier was not
my son, No God willing never that, and it was
(04:11):
not during combat with an enemy. The soldier was my
father by my birth and my brother through our service
in our love of our country. While Dan Hubbard was
attending Elkhorn High School, his cousin in friends since childhood,
Michael Stoplett, was engaging Democracy's enemy in Vietnam. On November first,
nineteen sixty six, my father's cousin was killed by small
(04:34):
arms fire. Private first Class Michael Stofflett's name can be
found on Penel twelve eight, line eight of the Vietnam
Memorial Wall in Washington, d c. My great cousin was
the third Warworth County resident to die in Vietnam, and
the first of Elkhorn's sons. My father could not cope
(04:56):
with his friend's demise. He tried to attend college, but
I believe my father could not shake the feeling of
if only I was there, if only I could do something.
My father, Dan Hubbard, enlisted in nineteen sixty nine and
was quickly sent into the war zone. The things he
saw there I shall not repeat for you this morning.
The atrocities and inhumanity was widespread. My father saw combat,
(05:21):
some of which I cannot attest, and when he came
home he was physically and mentally disabled. Now, my father's
had an entirely different fourth thrust upon him upon his
return home, a war for recognition and compassion, a war
fought against and for the country in which he so loved.
(05:45):
He was denied of purple heart. He was denied his dignity,
He was denied a clean conscience. By the time I
turned fourteen, my father had given up his battles. On
February eleventh, nineteen ninety two, Dan Hubbard, my father died nameless.
Faceless another statistic of the Vietnam area, another number. He
(06:08):
was buried on February fourteenth, nineteen ninety two, Valentine's Day,
with his friend's purple heart pined on his chest. Hi
Raymond Dan Hubbard ask you, my friends, my neighbors, to
accept my apologies. I cried your pardon. I beg you
for forgiveness, for I had forgotten the face of my
(06:30):
father when I was fourteen and I had taken up smoking.
I had forgotten the face of my father when I
was sixteen and started to drink heavily. I had forgotten
the face of my father when I was seventeen and
dropped out of high school. I had forgotten the face
of my father. During my graduation from basic training at
(06:50):
the age of twenty four, I felt a hand clasped
my shoulder. I looked up into my father's proud eyes
and wept quietly. In formation. Prior to my deployment training,
I chose a picture taken over my father while he
was in service to his country in Vietnam. I attached
(07:11):
it to my bunk so we could always watch over
me during my tour. On July fourth, two thousand and six,
our nation's independence day, when a large self propelled rocket
detonated meters away from me, I saw my father's face again,
fighting to keep me alive. My friends, my neighbors, Only
(07:36):
through our perseverance and never forgetting, will we get through
this difficult times ahead. Only through our humility and never forgetting.
Will we make them who have served feel our gratitude.
Only through our unity, and never forgetting, will we honor
the fallen. My name is starting Raymond Hubbard, and I
will never forget the face of my brothers. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
With his finger on the pulse, The King of Team
continues on the Michael Berry Show.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
One of the songs that came out of World War
II is Blood upon the rises. It's an American paratrooper
song that tells of the final fatal jump of a
rookie paratrooper whose parachute fails to deploy. This results in
him falling to his death. Unfortunately, remember, the airborne at
(08:41):
this point was still a fairly new concept. Most American
paratroopers volunteered because it would increase their pay by fifty
dollars a month. It's true the saying that hard times
make hard men was never truer than it was for
the men that fought in World War Two. Those men
grew up during the Great Depression. They knew suffering, they
(09:04):
knew privation, and then they went directly to a war
against the Nazis literal Nazis, not the buzzword Nazi that
little keyboard warriors use on Twitter. The Nazis get all
the attention, but the Japanese were fanatical fighters. Those battles
(09:27):
in the Pacific theater brutal study those sometimes it took
hard men to do what those men did. Over four
hundred thousand of those men were lost a generation during
World War Two. These are some scenes from the movie
(09:50):
Saving Private Ryan. And yes, I know it's a movie,
but I've always found them to be incredibly compelling. The
first was General Marshall reading the letter to Missus Bixby
from Abraham Lincoln. Missus Bixby, if you recall lost five
sons to the Civil War, or so we thought. It
(10:12):
turns out they had not all been lost, but at
that moment he believed the President did, because the letters
from the War Department said that they had.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
I have a letter here.
Speaker 5 (10:26):
The been a long time ago, to a Missus Bixby
in Boston. Bear with me, dear madam. I have been
shown in the files at the War Department of statement
the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother
of five sons who have died gloriously on the field
(10:51):
of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be
any words of mine attempt to beguile you from the
grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain
from tendering to you the consolation that may be found
(11:12):
in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
God.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish
of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory
of the loved and lost. The Solemn pride that must
be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon
the altar of freedom. Yours, very sincerely and respectfully, Hey,
Abraham Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
The second scene is at the end of the movie.
It's when James Ryan is standing in front of the
headstone of Captain John Miller. He tells him that he
tried to live a life worthy of their sacrifice. Powerful.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
My family is with me.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
They wanted to come with me.
Speaker 7 (12:05):
To be honest with your eye, I wouldn't sure hollow
I feel coming back, Peter. Every day I think of
what you said to a nag on the bridge. I've
ted to live my life the best I could. I
hope that wasn't enough. I hope they're at least in
(12:29):
your eyes.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
I've learned all of you have done for me.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Wow, that is something that we should all aspire to do,
to live a life worthy of the sacrifice of all
of those we lost in combat.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
You've got the Michael Berrys Show.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Lieutenant Colonel J. L. Peterson is a Marine from Bismarck,
North Dakota. Lieutenant Colonel Peterson has been in the Marine
Corps since nineteen ninety four, and he served in Afghanistan.
He gave a very emotional speech Memorial Day twenty fifteen.
His love of America is palpable. You're going to want
(13:17):
to hear this.
Speaker 6 (13:18):
There are about twenty five million living American veterans today,
and since General Washington's commanded the Continental Army, forty two
million Americans have served the Colors, a million more have
been killed in its defense, and another million and a
half wounded. These are small numbers compared to the billions
across the planet, and billions yet still unborn to live
(13:41):
free because Americans have fought and died for their freedom.
Memorial Day was established by presidential decree on the fifth
of May eighteen sixty eight, and first observed later that
month on the thirtieth, when all the graves at Arlington
National Cemetery were decorated with flowers and plats. Through the years,
(14:01):
Memorial Day continued to mean visiting and decorating graves or
town square memorials to those who died serving our great nation,
and celebrating with parades and civic events. Americans in the
past kept the day quiet, positing to remember, at least
for a little while, the kind of men and women
that so willingly gave that last full measure. When I
(14:26):
was growing up, I felt in all my grandfather's generation Guadalcanal, Sicily, Tarawa, Salerno, Ewajima, Normandy,
those places were real to them. They lived it. Then
came my father's generation trudging through the jungles of Vietnam.
It was a bit different. Then. We removed our hats
(14:49):
during the national anthem, we said the pledged allegiance before school,
and it didn't offend anyone's sensitivities or seen as trampling
on the rights of anyone else. Memorial Day was a
day to remember our heroes with the day of reverence
to repay the debt that we could truly never repay.
(15:25):
We live in a different time today and people have
indeed lost something of quality over the years. We don't
always see that same selfless devotion to something bigger than ourselves.
(15:46):
Memorial Day to day is more about a day to
take advantage of the big sales at the malls or
fighting the traffic to get to the beach for a
long weekend. But we should be ashamed of ourselves if
(16:09):
we forget as we enjoy the long weekend that we
are again at war today and the new generation can
he continues to fight and win, begins an enemy on
our behalf in Afghanistan and other locations around the globe.
(16:33):
And in contrasts to my grandfather and father's generations where
nearly everyone had family, that serves only about one percent
of Americans served today. But I can say with confidence
that Americans will always stand for what is right. And
I brought my son Bo here today, and when I
(16:55):
look at him, I know that his generation will carry
on that tradition to Nope, they'll carry on that American
legacy forward, just as his father and grandfather had done
as well. Why because we love America and are willing
to die for freedom in our way of life. Memorial
(17:20):
Day is not as much for our families of the fallen,
but for us who have been to combat and dir losses.
We remember those guys every day, moral days for the
rest of the nation systems to remember and say thank
you to those that have fallen and given so much
(17:41):
to all of us. And thanks May all of our
fallen rest peacefully, maybe love them find peace and understanding
(18:01):
their sacrifice, and that the America that they so loved
and protected and gave their lives for it is forever worthy.
We will never forget you. God bless America. I love America.
(18:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
This segment exclusively produced by Hawaiian Chad Nakanishi. Aloha bro
Ha to Michael Barry Show.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
James W. Bill Oxford was elected National Commander of the
American Legion on August twenty nine, twenty nineteen, in Indianapolis,
during the organization's one hundred first national Convention. A veteran
of the US Marine Corps, Oxford was an aviation electronic
technician for the A six Intruder and served in Vietnam
(19:12):
during his initial enlistment. After being discharged as a sergeant
in nineteen seventy, Oxford joined the North Carolina National Guard.
He subsequently attended Officers Candidate School and transferred to the
US Army Reserve, where he ultimately retired as a colonel
after more than thirty four years of service. In twenty twenty.
(19:32):
He gave this speech on Memorial Day.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
We're here today to celebrate Memorial Day, but it could
be better said, lest we forget. If you're here today
as a veteran who served this country, you're to be commended.
Thank you for your service and the sacrifices you made
in service to her. But if you're here today, it's
not about you. Today is about those who served this
nation and made the supreme sacrifice in service to this country.
(19:58):
The American military is served this country for more than
two hundred and four years. That service can never be
understated or repaid. That service is stretch from the American
Revolution in seventeen seventy five to current service in more
than one hundred and thirty countries around the world. Today,
and to this day, Americans continue to die on foreign soil. Sadly,
none of the men and women who have died in
(20:20):
service to this nation can be replaced, and there have
been more than a million of them, but their sacrifices
must be remembered and honored. Most were young in their prime, husbands, sons, daughters, fathers, wives, mothers, uncles.
They all left a nation that will be forever in
their debt. Picture in your mind's eye, the empty seat
at the dinner table, opening presents on Christmas with someone missing,
(20:44):
the Thanksgiving Day football game in the yard with a
star player missing, the daughter who has no father to
walk her down the aisle, all lost in service to you,
me in this country. I'll have trouble with this, but
elect to introduce you to a couple of personal acquaintances.
William L. Lutz. I remember Billy from the third grade.
He was in the second. I was closer to his
(21:05):
brother Eddie. I still see Eddie, and I went to
school with Eddie's wife, Carolyn D. Company First Pattating forty
sixth inh Try America Division, Republic of Vietnam. Killed May twelfth,
nineteen sixty nine. Benny Prestwood B. Company First Pattating, First Marines,
Republic of Vietnam. We played football on the same team
in high school. I was a tenth grader. Bennie was
(21:26):
a ninth grader. Benny was a good running back. But
the thing I remember about Bennie he was a red
headed and funny guy. He carried the football funny up
and down, not front to back like the coaches taught us.
Bennie's last letter to his family, three days after Thanksgiving
November sixty eight, was written on a sea ration box
because paper was so scarce. Previously wounded. He died January ninth,
(21:49):
nineteen sixty nine. Two thousand and six. Staff starred at
Jason Ramser previously been deployed to Afghanistan and only been
in a rack month when he was killed by an ied.
He was my hometown. I used to do the PA
for high school football games and I called I called
his name many times. On the football field. He was
(22:10):
not a big guy, but he terrorized running back says
a linebacker. And on the baseball diamond, I once saw
him hit a baseball into another's zip code. Killed in
service to this country. In two thousand and eight, another
twenty nine year old from my hometown was killed when
the vehicle he was driving struck a roadside bomb. A
(22:32):
true Southern gentleman and proud on what he was doing,
Robbie Bowman's family and his friend all talked about his
personal motto. He said, my life has a taste that
the sheltered will never know. Robbie told a complete story.
When his little sister asked him why he had to
leave again, he said, I go and do what I
(22:54):
do so you won't have to, my little princess and
his core. Memorial Day commemorates the universal, all encompassing words
from the Bible when it says, no greater love than
this does any man have than to lay down his
life for his friends. One more introduction. A first beetween
Charlie Company, twenty sixth Infantry, first Division, US Army, on
(23:16):
a motorized patrol. A nineteen year old spec form was
manning the machine gun on top of an armed hum
the as they moved through the streets high buildings on
either side. You can see the picture. Suddenly, though not unexpectedly,
a grenade is thrown at the vehicle. It lands in
the turret and falls all the way to the bottom
of the vehicle where the other where four other soldiers
(23:39):
were riding. What the spacialist was trained to do, what
he did, and why he did it is a different story.
Rather than save himself, Specialist Ross McGinnis from Meadville, Pennsylvania
jumped down inside the vehicle and smothered the grenade with
his own body. He died instantly, but the other four
men survived their wounds. In July two thousand and eight,
(24:06):
in the Oval Office, his parents were presented the Medal
of Honor on his behalf. An American hero by any standard.
But does any medd or award make the loss of
their son any easier? I think not. Oliver Wendell Holmes
call Memorial Day our most sacred holiday and urged that
we not ponder with said thoughts the passing of our heroes,
(24:27):
but rather ponder their legacy. As we ponder the passing
of heroes. Ross mcguinnis meets every description. These five deaths
that I just described can never be repaid. But and
I ask you to consider this very carefully, can you
consider the four other soldiers who lived because Ross McGinnis died.
(24:53):
Those four other soldiers, their wives, their children, their extended
families owe their world to the young man who gave
his life to protect theirs. I knew Billy Loot's been
impressed with Jason Ramser personally in Robbie Bowman's family pretty well,
and I could describe how their deaths made me feel.
And I suppose many of you could relate to the
(25:15):
loss of close friends. But try as we might, we
can analyze, dissect, discuss, review, but we can never come
up with a way to express the feelings those four
other soldiers had and will forever have for Ross mcguinnis.
We as Americans need to understand how thankful those four
soldiers are and realize we should feel the same way
(25:37):
about every person who ever gave their life in service
to this country. Consider that when we talk about this
day and the people who have given their life to
preserve and protect this country, are we that thankful? The
Americans have lost their lives in service to this country
have not done so in vain, but for a bigger
and more noble cause, to not only America, but to
(25:58):
the world. Few people choose the dangerous but essential work
of protecting this country. We always need to remember, honor
and recognize those people who choose to bear the sword
to defend this country. We need to be thankful for
their service and their sacrifices. There's something else we need
to realize. We have a responsibility to carry on. We
(26:19):
cannot let those deaths be in vain. Take up to
quarrel with our enemies, never give up, never abandon the
American ideals, and always preserve the principles of justice, freedom
and democracy. We have a responsibility to carry on, preserve
and protect this country. We all know America will never
run out of enemies. There will always people who wish
(26:40):
us harm. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day.
Be safe, practice social distancing. Things are improving. We'll be
better and stronger than when we get through this national emergency.
But for Memorial Day twenty twenty, we need to remember
honor and be eternally grateful for those members of our
society who lost their lives protecting us. God Bless America,
(27:02):
God bless the American service members we have lost their
life protecting her and us.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and Podcast, please
tell one friend, and if you're so inclined, write a
nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest
in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated
directly to the show at our email address, Michael at
(27:29):
Michael Berryshow dot com, or simply by clicking on our website,
Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and Podcast
is produced by Ramon Roeblis, the King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Knakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.
(27:53):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance McLean.
Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our
assistant listener and superfan. Contributions are appreciated and often incorporated
into our production where possible. We give credit where not,
(28:16):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple
man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally,
if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp
Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven PTSD and
(28:41):
a combat veteran will answer the phone to provide free counseling.
The Michael Berry Show. Today is Memorial Day, the day
that we as a nation honor the men and women
who have died serving this country. Today's show will be
a little different. You can probably tell by my tone. Today,
we're going to play some of the best Memorial Day
(00:24):
speeches that we could find, and we have scoured. This
moving speech was given by veteran of the Iraq War,
Sergeant Raymond Hubbard, back in two thousand and eight, hearing
how he connected with his father, a Vietnam veteran. I
(00:45):
hope this gives you a new perspective on the brotherhood
of combat soldiers.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
To be honest, when George Bauman, my fellow patriot, bestowed
this honor upon me and took all my will not
back down. Honoring the falling is something so very personal
that I didn't think I could share my own grief.
But if I was the first person asked, then it
was my duty to not let this burden fall on
(01:13):
someone else's already heavy heart. There have been one point
six million US soldiers that have served in the combat
theater in the Middle East since two thousand and one.
That is zero point five percent of the current US population.
If you Compare that to the two percent of the
populist that served in Vietnam or the twelve percent that
(01:34):
fought in World War II, this seems to be a
minor incident. As of March seventeenth, two thousand and eight,
there have been over four thousand United States fatalities from
our Operation Iraqi Freedom, with approximately seventy four of them
officially declared Wisconsin's sons and daughters. Now I stand up
(01:56):
here and throw out these numbers, and you, my friends
my name, either reacted with a sorrowful sigh or a
desensitized disdain. And if you did so react, it's not
your fault. It's hard to feel grief, compassion, anger for
over a five year period of time. It's hard to
(02:18):
feel anything at all when only numbers are flashed across
the street, screen or spoken from a podium. Numbers are
not faces. Numbers are not people. Numbers are not names
of loved ones. Names of my comrades can fall from
my lips like tears from my own eyes. Steph Sargeant
(02:39):
Todd Olsen, Corporal Kenneth Cross, Specialist Sean Novak, Steph Sergeant
Stephen Martin, Private Isaiah Hunt, Major Chris Splinter Captain Jonathan Kirth,
and specialists Justin Linden. These are all Wisconsin Suttens and daughters.
(03:01):
I'm sure more than a few of you know of Justin.
Justin played baseball for the Clinton Cougars. Justin graduated from
Clinton in nineteen ninety nine. Justin moved to Oregon, where
he met his future wife, Sarah. Justin and Sarah were
married on February twenty eight, two thousand and four, just
before Justin was deployed to Iraq. On June fourth, two
(03:26):
thousand and four, Specialist Justin Lindon was killed when his
convoy was attacked by improvised explosive devices and rocket propel's grenades.
I have never seen so much loss and so much
pride phil a man that it does with Wayne Lindon,
Justin's father. Every time he thinks about his son, you
(03:51):
see the loss and the pride in immeasurable, immeasurable amounts.
I too, have felt the loss of the soldier. Seeing
the soldier has affected my life in ways that I
still have yet to fully understand. This soldier was not
my son, No God willing never that, and it was
(04:11):
not during combat with an enemy. The soldier was my
father by my birth and my brother through our service
in our love of our country. While Dan Hubbard was
attending Elkhorn High School, his cousin in friends since childhood,
Michael Stoplett, was engaging Democracy's enemy in Vietnam. On November first,
nineteen sixty six, my father's cousin was killed by small
(04:34):
arms fire. Private first Class Michael Stofflett's name can be
found on Penel twelve eight, line eight of the Vietnam
Memorial Wall in Washington, d c. My great cousin was
the third Warworth County resident to die in Vietnam, and
the first of Elkhorn's sons. My father could not cope
(04:56):
with his friend's demise. He tried to attend college, but
I believe my father could not shake the feeling of
if only I was there, if only I could do something.
My father, Dan Hubbard, enlisted in nineteen sixty nine and
was quickly sent into the war zone. The things he
saw there I shall not repeat for you this morning.
The atrocities and inhumanity was widespread. My father saw combat,
(05:21):
some of which I cannot attest, and when he came
home he was physically and mentally disabled. Now, my father's
had an entirely different fourth thrust upon him upon his
return home, a war for recognition and compassion, a war
fought against and for the country in which he so loved.
(05:45):
He was denied of purple heart. He was denied his dignity,
He was denied a clean conscience. By the time I
turned fourteen, my father had given up his battles. On
February eleventh, nineteen ninety two, Dan Hubbard, my father died nameless.
Faceless another statistic of the Vietnam area, another number. He
(06:08):
was buried on February fourteenth, nineteen ninety two, Valentine's Day,
with his friend's purple heart pined on his chest. Hi
Raymond Dan Hubbard ask you, my friends, my neighbors, to
accept my apologies. I cried your pardon. I beg you
for forgiveness, for I had forgotten the face of my
(06:30):
father when I was fourteen and I had taken up smoking.
I had forgotten the face of my father when I
was sixteen and started to drink heavily. I had forgotten
the face of my father when I was seventeen and
dropped out of high school. I had forgotten the face
of my father. During my graduation from basic training at
(06:50):
the age of twenty four, I felt a hand clasped
my shoulder. I looked up into my father's proud eyes
and wept quietly. In formation. Prior to my deployment training,
I chose a picture taken over my father while he
was in service to his country in Vietnam. I attached
(07:11):
it to my bunk so we could always watch over
me during my tour. On July fourth, two thousand and six,
our nation's independence day, when a large self propelled rocket
detonated meters away from me, I saw my father's face again,
fighting to keep me alive. My friends, my neighbors, Only
(07:36):
through our perseverance and never forgetting, will we get through
this difficult times ahead. Only through our humility and never forgetting.
Will we make them who have served feel our gratitude.
Only through our unity, and never forgetting, will we honor
the fallen. My name is starting Raymond Hubbard, and I
will never forget the face of my brothers. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
With his finger on the pulse, The King of Team
continues on the Michael Berry Show.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
One of the songs that came out of World War
II is Blood upon the rises. It's an American paratrooper
song that tells of the final fatal jump of a
rookie paratrooper whose parachute fails to deploy. This results in
him falling to his death. Unfortunately, remember, the airborne at
(08:41):
this point was still a fairly new concept. Most American
paratroopers volunteered because it would increase their pay by fifty
dollars a month. It's true the saying that hard times
make hard men was never truer than it was for
the men that fought in World War Two. Those men
grew up during the Great Depression. They knew suffering, they
(09:04):
knew privation, and then they went directly to a war
against the Nazis literal Nazis, not the buzzword Nazi that
little keyboard warriors use on Twitter. The Nazis get all
the attention, but the Japanese were fanatical fighters. Those battles
(09:27):
in the Pacific theater brutal study those sometimes it took
hard men to do what those men did. Over four
hundred thousand of those men were lost a generation during
World War Two. These are some scenes from the movie
(09:50):
Saving Private Ryan. And yes, I know it's a movie,
but I've always found them to be incredibly compelling. The
first was General Marshall reading the letter to Missus Bixby
from Abraham Lincoln. Missus Bixby, if you recall lost five
sons to the Civil War, or so we thought. It
(10:12):
turns out they had not all been lost, but at
that moment he believed the President did, because the letters
from the War Department said that they had.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
I have a letter here.
Speaker 5 (10:26):
The been a long time ago, to a Missus Bixby
in Boston. Bear with me, dear madam. I have been
shown in the files at the War Department of statement
the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother
of five sons who have died gloriously on the field
(10:51):
of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be
any words of mine attempt to beguile you from the
grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain
from tendering to you the consolation that may be found
(11:12):
in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
God.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish
of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory
of the loved and lost. The Solemn pride that must
be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon
the altar of freedom. Yours, very sincerely and respectfully, Hey,
Abraham Lincoln.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
The second scene is at the end of the movie.
It's when James Ryan is standing in front of the
headstone of Captain John Miller. He tells him that he
tried to live a life worthy of their sacrifice. Powerful.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
My family is with me.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
They wanted to come with me.
Speaker 7 (12:05):
To be honest with your eye, I wouldn't sure hollow
I feel coming back, Peter. Every day I think of
what you said to a nag on the bridge. I've
ted to live my life the best I could. I
hope that wasn't enough. I hope they're at least in
(12:29):
your eyes.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
I've learned all of you have done for me.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Wow, that is something that we should all aspire to do,
to live a life worthy of the sacrifice of all
of those we lost in combat.
Speaker 5 (12:48):
You've got the Michael Berrys Show.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Lieutenant Colonel J. L. Peterson is a Marine from Bismarck,
North Dakota. Lieutenant Colonel Peterson has been in the Marine
Corps since nineteen ninety four, and he served in Afghanistan.
He gave a very emotional speech Memorial Day twenty fifteen.
His love of America is palpable. You're going to want
(13:17):
to hear this.
Speaker 6 (13:18):
There are about twenty five million living American veterans today,
and since General Washington's commanded the Continental Army, forty two
million Americans have served the Colors, a million more have
been killed in its defense, and another million and a
half wounded. These are small numbers compared to the billions
across the planet, and billions yet still unborn to live
(13:41):
free because Americans have fought and died for their freedom.
Memorial Day was established by presidential decree on the fifth
of May eighteen sixty eight, and first observed later that
month on the thirtieth, when all the graves at Arlington
National Cemetery were decorated with flowers and plats. Through the years,
(14:01):
Memorial Day continued to mean visiting and decorating graves or
town square memorials to those who died serving our great nation,
and celebrating with parades and civic events. Americans in the
past kept the day quiet, positing to remember, at least
for a little while, the kind of men and women
that so willingly gave that last full measure. When I
(14:26):
was growing up, I felt in all my grandfather's generation Guadalcanal, Sicily, Tarawa, Salerno, Ewajima, Normandy,
those places were real to them. They lived it. Then
came my father's generation trudging through the jungles of Vietnam.
It was a bit different. Then. We removed our hats
(14:49):
during the national anthem, we said the pledged allegiance before school,
and it didn't offend anyone's sensitivities or seen as trampling
on the rights of anyone else. Memorial Day was a
day to remember our heroes with the day of reverence
to repay the debt that we could truly never repay.
(15:25):
We live in a different time today and people have
indeed lost something of quality over the years. We don't
always see that same selfless devotion to something bigger than ourselves.
(15:46):
Memorial Day to day is more about a day to
take advantage of the big sales at the malls or
fighting the traffic to get to the beach for a
long weekend. But we should be ashamed of ourselves if
(16:09):
we forget as we enjoy the long weekend that we
are again at war today and the new generation can
he continues to fight and win, begins an enemy on
our behalf in Afghanistan and other locations around the globe.
(16:33):
And in contrasts to my grandfather and father's generations where
nearly everyone had family, that serves only about one percent
of Americans served today. But I can say with confidence
that Americans will always stand for what is right. And
I brought my son Bo here today, and when I
(16:55):
look at him, I know that his generation will carry
on that tradition to Nope, they'll carry on that American
legacy forward, just as his father and grandfather had done
as well. Why because we love America and are willing
to die for freedom in our way of life. Memorial
(17:20):
Day is not as much for our families of the fallen,
but for us who have been to combat and dir losses.
We remember those guys every day, moral days for the
rest of the nation systems to remember and say thank
you to those that have fallen and given so much
(17:41):
to all of us. And thanks May all of our
fallen rest peacefully, maybe love them find peace and understanding
(18:01):
their sacrifice, and that the America that they so loved
and protected and gave their lives for it is forever worthy.
We will never forget you. God bless America. I love America.
(18:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
This segment exclusively produced by Hawaiian Chad Nakanishi. Aloha bro
Ha to Michael Barry Show.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
James W. Bill Oxford was elected National Commander of the
American Legion on August twenty nine, twenty nineteen, in Indianapolis,
during the organization's one hundred first national Convention. A veteran
of the US Marine Corps, Oxford was an aviation electronic
technician for the A six Intruder and served in Vietnam
(19:12):
during his initial enlistment. After being discharged as a sergeant
in nineteen seventy, Oxford joined the North Carolina National Guard.
He subsequently attended Officers Candidate School and transferred to the
US Army Reserve, where he ultimately retired as a colonel
after more than thirty four years of service. In twenty twenty.
(19:32):
He gave this speech on Memorial Day.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
We're here today to celebrate Memorial Day, but it could
be better said, lest we forget. If you're here today
as a veteran who served this country, you're to be commended.
Thank you for your service and the sacrifices you made
in service to her. But if you're here today, it's
not about you. Today is about those who served this
nation and made the supreme sacrifice in service to this country.
(19:58):
The American military is served this country for more than
two hundred and four years. That service can never be
understated or repaid. That service is stretch from the American
Revolution in seventeen seventy five to current service in more
than one hundred and thirty countries around the world. Today,
and to this day, Americans continue to die on foreign soil. Sadly,
none of the men and women who have died in
(20:20):
service to this nation can be replaced, and there have
been more than a million of them, but their sacrifices
must be remembered and honored. Most were young in their prime, husbands, sons, daughters, fathers, wives, mothers, uncles.
They all left a nation that will be forever in
their debt. Picture in your mind's eye, the empty seat
at the dinner table, opening presents on Christmas with someone missing,
(20:44):
the Thanksgiving Day football game in the yard with a
star player missing, the daughter who has no father to
walk her down the aisle, all lost in service to you,
me in this country. I'll have trouble with this, but
elect to introduce you to a couple of personal acquaintances.
William L. Lutz. I remember Billy from the third grade.
He was in the second. I was closer to his
(21:05):
brother Eddie. I still see Eddie, and I went to
school with Eddie's wife, Carolyn D. Company First Pattating forty
sixth inh Try America Division, Republic of Vietnam. Killed May twelfth,
nineteen sixty nine. Benny Prestwood B. Company First Pattating, First Marines,
Republic of Vietnam. We played football on the same team
in high school. I was a tenth grader. Bennie was
(21:26):
a ninth grader. Benny was a good running back. But
the thing I remember about Bennie he was a red
headed and funny guy. He carried the football funny up
and down, not front to back like the coaches taught us.
Bennie's last letter to his family, three days after Thanksgiving
November sixty eight, was written on a sea ration box
because paper was so scarce. Previously wounded. He died January ninth,
(21:49):
nineteen sixty nine. Two thousand and six. Staff starred at
Jason Ramser previously been deployed to Afghanistan and only been
in a rack month when he was killed by an ied.
He was my hometown. I used to do the PA
for high school football games and I called I called
his name many times. On the football field. He was
(22:10):
not a big guy, but he terrorized running back says
a linebacker. And on the baseball diamond, I once saw
him hit a baseball into another's zip code. Killed in
service to this country. In two thousand and eight, another
twenty nine year old from my hometown was killed when
the vehicle he was driving struck a roadside bomb. A
(22:32):
true Southern gentleman and proud on what he was doing,
Robbie Bowman's family and his friend all talked about his
personal motto. He said, my life has a taste that
the sheltered will never know. Robbie told a complete story.
When his little sister asked him why he had to
leave again, he said, I go and do what I
(22:54):
do so you won't have to, my little princess and
his core. Memorial Day commemorates the universal, all encompassing words
from the Bible when it says, no greater love than
this does any man have than to lay down his
life for his friends. One more introduction. A first beetween
Charlie Company, twenty sixth Infantry, first Division, US Army, on
(23:16):
a motorized patrol. A nineteen year old spec form was
manning the machine gun on top of an armed hum
the as they moved through the streets high buildings on
either side. You can see the picture. Suddenly, though not unexpectedly,
a grenade is thrown at the vehicle. It lands in
the turret and falls all the way to the bottom
of the vehicle where the other where four other soldiers
(23:39):
were riding. What the spacialist was trained to do, what
he did, and why he did it is a different story.
Rather than save himself, Specialist Ross McGinnis from Meadville, Pennsylvania
jumped down inside the vehicle and smothered the grenade with
his own body. He died instantly, but the other four
men survived their wounds. In July two thousand and eight,
(24:06):
in the Oval Office, his parents were presented the Medal
of Honor on his behalf. An American hero by any standard.
But does any medd or award make the loss of
their son any easier? I think not. Oliver Wendell Holmes
call Memorial Day our most sacred holiday and urged that
we not ponder with said thoughts the passing of our heroes,
(24:27):
but rather ponder their legacy. As we ponder the passing
of heroes. Ross mcguinnis meets every description. These five deaths
that I just described can never be repaid. But and
I ask you to consider this very carefully, can you
consider the four other soldiers who lived because Ross McGinnis died.
(24:53):
Those four other soldiers, their wives, their children, their extended
families owe their world to the young man who gave
his life to protect theirs. I knew Billy Loot's been
impressed with Jason Ramser personally in Robbie Bowman's family pretty well,
and I could describe how their deaths made me feel.
And I suppose many of you could relate to the
(25:15):
loss of close friends. But try as we might, we
can analyze, dissect, discuss, review, but we can never come
up with a way to express the feelings those four
other soldiers had and will forever have for Ross mcguinnis.
We as Americans need to understand how thankful those four
soldiers are and realize we should feel the same way
(25:37):
about every person who ever gave their life in service
to this country. Consider that when we talk about this
day and the people who have given their life to
preserve and protect this country, are we that thankful? The
Americans have lost their lives in service to this country
have not done so in vain, but for a bigger
and more noble cause, to not only America, but to
(25:58):
the world. Few people choose the dangerous but essential work
of protecting this country. We always need to remember, honor
and recognize those people who choose to bear the sword
to defend this country. We need to be thankful for
their service and their sacrifices. There's something else we need
to realize. We have a responsibility to carry on. We
(26:19):
cannot let those deaths be in vain. Take up to
quarrel with our enemies, never give up, never abandon the
American ideals, and always preserve the principles of justice, freedom
and democracy. We have a responsibility to carry on, preserve
and protect this country. We all know America will never
run out of enemies. There will always people who wish
(26:40):
us harm. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day.
Be safe, practice social distancing. Things are improving. We'll be
better and stronger than when we get through this national emergency.
But for Memorial Day twenty twenty, we need to remember
honor and be eternally grateful for those members of our
society who lost their lives protecting us. God Bless America,
(27:02):
God bless the American service members we have lost their
life protecting her and us.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and Podcast, please
tell one friend, and if you're so inclined, write a
nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest
in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated
directly to the show at our email address, Michael at
(27:29):
Michael Berryshow dot com, or simply by clicking on our website,
Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and Podcast
is produced by Ramon Roeblis, the King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Knakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.
(27:53):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance McLean.
Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our
assistant listener and superfan. Contributions are appreciated and often incorporated
into our production where possible. We give credit where not,
(28:16):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple
man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally,
if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp
Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven PTSD and
(28:41):
a combat veteran will answer the phone to provide free counseling.
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