Saturday Bonus Podcast -David Bellavia Medal Of Honor Speech

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Michael Berry Show.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
It was the Marine Corps Birthday on Monday this past week,
and of course Veterans Day on Tuesday, and we find
it fitting to include some great military and presidential speeches
in our podcast this weekend. David Belavia, I believe is

(00:22):
how it's pronounced or could be. Blavia is a former
US Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor
for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah. He's
also received the Bronze Star Medal, two Army Commendation Medals,
two Army Achievement Medals, and the New York State Conspicuous

(00:44):
Service Cross. We offer you now his speech as he
accepted the Medal of Honor from President Trump in twenty nineteen.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Good afternoon, the Honorable David Norquist performing the duties of
Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Ryan McCarthy performing the
duties of Secretary of the Army, Vice Chief of Staff
of the Army, General James McConville, Sergeant Major of the
Army Daniel Daley, and my Congressman, the Honorable Chris Collins,
US Representative of New York from New York ram Rods

(01:17):
of two to two Infantry and there we go. Family,
my mother, my brothers, Dan, Rand, Tim, Deanna, my kids, Evan,
Aiden and Vivian. Thank you for your support, your presence,
and my good fortune to be able to share this

(01:38):
occasion with my men, my family, my friends has eased
the awkwardness that I'm feeling right now. What's more, I'm
especially proud of the recognition that this award brings to
my unit, my leaders, and my peers of the Mighty
Ramrods of two to two Infantry, third Brigade, First Infantry Division,

(02:00):
and spare witness to all aspects of the human condition.
It reveals the darkest parts of the human soul while
residing side by side with the most exalted characteristics nobility, honor, valor,
and God's grace. Why do American warriors under fire do

(02:20):
what men have done since this nation's inception. This is
a common thread that connects the militias of Lexington and
Conquered with the warriors of Fallujah. It is our love
of nation, our way of life, and our love by
those who we serve with side by side. We defend,

(02:40):
we avenge, we sacrifice, we bleed, and we are willing
to die for this unique creation the United States of America.
I am complete for having experienced that kind of sacrifice
with my fellow men at arms and those who died.
They gave their lives for me. They gave their lives

(03:03):
for you and countless citizens who will never know them.
I'm talking about Sims, Falkenberg, i Wan, Gonzales, Van der Berg, Madison, Garyantes, Shrek,
size More, Mock, Rosales, Cardenez, spray Berry, and pru It.

(03:30):
Those are our countrymen, those are our friends. And these
men will never get the chance to experience the cycle
of life, the birth and growth of their children. They
shall not grow old because they chose to stand in
our place and face the enemy. For us, it's not
enough to acknowledge the fallen by name or just inscribe

(03:53):
their names and marvelous proof that they lived and died.
To truly honor the fallen, we must acknowledge how and
why they gave their lives. Their death wasn't a random
act or a splash of misfortune. These men and women
voluntarily put themselves in harm's way, prepared to die so

(04:14):
that we may rest secured at home. They are the
insurance policy that guarantees that are founding documents our God
given rights are more worthy than their own. Tomorrows, when
the news at Falkenberg, Sims Madison and Iwan had fallen,
the reaction, the shock, the disbelief, the grief, it was

(04:38):
transformed into resolve and rage to complete the mission assigned
to us and give us even greater tenacity under fire.
Their sacrifice gave us clear focus to fight, using a
reserve that we never knew we had. We broke the
will of our adversaries. The enemy was defeated because of that.

(05:00):
We came home. For the infantrymen in combat. There is
nobility and purpose in our lives, and that is unique.
But we don't see ourselves as a people apart. We
are America's warrior class. We are citizens of the United
States and treasure this land more than any overseas. Posting
the Army provided me with purpose and appreciation for the

(05:22):
blessing America has bestowed upon us all. I'm forever grateful
to the United States Army for making me able to
count and cherish those blessings in a way that is
unique to most and to those who you wear the uniform.
I think the uniform, I think my army has made
us all better men, fathers, employees, husbands, and citizens. The

(05:48):
controversy that swirled over the Iraq War was not a
departure from other wars that America has fought. Just a
short distance from where I grew up in Orleans County,
on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, I was
settled by a loyalists who supported King George. With the
exception of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, open dissent
has been at the core of our very being, and

(06:10):
war has never been particularly a popular undertaking. American soldiers
have never confused the United States with Sparta. The best
leaders in battle become that way by being loyal and
dutiful subordinates. We don't get a vote. We execute the
lawful intent of our government. There is no political affiliation

(06:32):
on our dog tags. We continue the war legacy of
the United States without regard for adelation or unanimous approval either.
The Iraqi veteran has maintained, and in many circumstances, far exceeded,
the highest traditions of military service to this great nation.
Of the one point five million men and women who

(06:52):
have served in Iraq, the valor they displayed was often
subsumed by political rhetoric at home. In no way diminishes
the accomplishment of our troops or the accomplishments of my
generation at war. The award is recognition of that, and
it should be seen as a validation of our efforts,
not as a reward for the action of one individual

(07:15):
in one house in Fallujah. When I think of Iraq,
I think of Colin fitz Man, shot by three separate
weapons systems. Nobody would have raised an eyebrow with FITZI retired. Instead,
Colin fitz returns to combat duty for two more years

(07:35):
to shed more blood for this nation than he loves.
When I think of Iraq, I think of Chris Oli,
the young sawgunner whose job it is to open doors
and put down a reflexive fire to people who happen
to be shooting back at him. And he was able
to do that because behind him was Sergeant Warren Meeson,
ready to pull him out of that doorway and undoubtedly

(07:57):
save his life. I have Chuck Knapp, my team leader.
Chuck Knapp saved our entire third Platoon, Alpha Company, two
to two when he stopped us from entering a building
contained ied that would have killed all of us. I
think about Maxfield, my sawgunner who asked our Doc Abernathy

(08:17):
to fix his injured foot in the prone position so
he could continue to knock down targets under fire while
he was getting fixed up. My guy John Ruiz, who
shielded the body of his buddy from incoming fire without
fear of risk to himself. When I think of the
Iraq War, I think of pyotr Soholis, brave, strong and steady.

(08:40):
Our engineers who devised and deployed remarkable weapons systems that
saved countless lives. Our tankers two seven cavalry on the
other side of Fallujah that hardly gets any notice for
what they did. There were indispensable Bradley Cruz who busted
through walls, Omar Hardaway, James can Chad Ellis who without

(09:02):
a functioning twenty five millimeter bush Master cannon or tow
or coax, and let's not discuss how that happened, he
used his rifle to suppress the enemy. Corey Brown, the
Grizzly Bear from Montana, Shane Gossard, humble, beautiful kind brad

(09:26):
who Tasayer Delalu, the Bradley teams and those crews are
the reason why children have fathers today. And those teams
shielded our dismounts from rocketfire that we're meant to take
our lives. Corey McFadden, John Pandy Wilson, Gary Frye Kane.

(09:48):
They never took a step backwards under fire. Sergeant John
Gregory is one of the toughest, most decent men I've
ever served with. He had a tour from Hell a
year after we came home. Our drivers Marcott, Gonzo, Woodbury,
Hunter Perez. They got us there. They needed where we

(10:09):
needed to go, and they did it with bravery and valor.
Iraq makes me think of Victor Santos, a fiery, brave
soldier who cut us combat teeth at I Raq and
went on for more, and a ranger regiment, McDaniel and Swanson,
young kids shouldering two forty Bravos on their shoulder, suppressing
enemy fire from feet away. I had stuckered, I had Metcalf,

(10:33):
I had Flannery and Gross and I had our door
crushing he Man Hugh Hall. That is my Iraq War.
And it makes me proud to have told my dad,
no a dental school I learned No. I learned much
more from living and fighting with these men that I

(10:54):
ever could have from a lifetime of doing root canals.
My units lead died, leading men from the front when
our company commander Sean Simms, our company commander, he was
killed in a house fight. Joey Seaford and my interpreter Sammy,
who just became a US citizen a week ago. Yeah,

(11:16):
you can clac without Joey Seafford and my interpreter Sammy.

(11:42):
We're there to engage the enemy in efforts to save
my company commander's life. Seaford engaged the enemy and threw
his weapon at him, engaging him with a butt stock
of his rifle. After being shot in the shoulder, Travis
Barretto and my first platoon ought their way to extract
wounded and fallen ramrods under intense enemy fire. My Iraq

(12:06):
war I had Captain now Colonel Doug Walter. I had
first sergeant, retired command Sergeant Major Peter Smith. These were
company leaders who put aside loss, put aside trauma to
direct young warriors during the most stressful times of our lives.
Young lieutenants like Chris Walls, Jeff Emery, Lieutenant Meno. They

(12:30):
learned how to lead and cover down when their peers
had fallen. And finally there's Scott Lawson, a true friend.
We lost him in twenty thirteen. He entered the house
with me that night in Fallujah. He gave me strength,
He gave me confidence that allowed me to survive that
night and many other nights since then. And I got

(12:53):
to mention this guy, Michael Ware, a combat journalist there
to cover a story and becomes part of the story.
You know, before I got to know him, before I
got to see him in action, I would have told
you he was one hundred percent worthless and a nuisance.
Now that number is sixty five percent. I was wrong.

(13:26):
Michael Ware is now the earning pile of his generation.
His reporting is a testament to what we all did.
And if it's not for men and women like Michael Ware,
our story would have gone unremarked. Most of the men
I just described got little or no recognition for their
valor and subsequent deployments, some would lose their lives years later.

(13:49):
It is our duty to tell the story of our
brave men and women who sacrifice so much for our
fellow citizens. As I've tried to communicate to you today,
this is not a celebration about me. I'm not mouthing
a cliche. We have much more work to do when
it comes to the Iraq War veteran We are not
there yet, and we're not even close when it comes

(14:10):
to educating our fellow Americans about what was accomplished, what
was sacrificed, and what we all went through. Our survival
as a nation depends on it. We honor our brothers
and sisters in the United States Marine Corps and barb
Province was their fight. Men like Brad Castle, Rafael Peralta,

(14:30):
Christopher Applisberger, Brian Shautosh, Jeremiah Workman, Sergeant Kraft. They gave
the enemy everything they could handle. The Navy an Air
Force completed the remarkable display of American valor and might
and fought shoulder to shoulder with the United States Army
in Fellujah and all over Iraq. This entire military is

(14:51):
one cohesive, dedicated force, and the threats to our nations,
they don't sleep. They're watching our remove Iran, Russia, China,
North Korea, isis Al Kaida. They may be watching this
right now. Our military should not be mistaken for a

(15:14):
cable news gabfest show. We don't care what you look like.
We don't care who you voted for, who you worship,
what you worship, who you love. It doesn't matter if
your dad left you millions when he died, or if
he knew who your father was. We have been honed
into a machine of lethal moving parts that you would

(15:35):
be wise to avoid. If you know what's good for you,
We will not be intimidated. We will not back down.
We've seen war. We don't want war. But if you
want war with the United States of America, there's one
thing I could promise you. So help me, God, someone
else will raise your sons and daughters.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
We fight.

Speaker 1 (16:05):
We fight so our children ever have to. We fight
for one day when our children and our enemies children
can discuss their differences without fear or loathing. We fight
so that anyone out there thinking about raising arms against
our citizens or allies realize the futility of attrition against
a discipline, professional and lethal force. Build to a stand

(16:27):
anything you can dream of throwing at us. Americans want
this kind of country, Americans want this kind of world,
and we stand ready to defend it to protect us.
So help us, God, May God bless this beautiful army.
May God bless our Marine Corps, our Navy, our Air
Force and Coast Guard. May God bless our allies. And

(16:51):
we already know that God blessed America because it gave
us the greatest fighting for us this world has ever seen.
Two too Infantry at the First Infantry Division. Thank you,
Ramrods Duty First Dukes, Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (17:09):
What 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

(17:30):
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 Roebliss, the King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Nakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.

(17:54):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance Claim.
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

(18:17):
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

(18:42):
a combat veteran will answer the phone to provide free counseling.