"Thank you, Mayor Thompson, for the invitation to provide this morning’s invocation.
Thank you all for welcoming me and so many others to this commemoration.
**We come here today from many places and by many paths. Yet we all cherish certain shared ideals that draw us together in this community for the common good of all people of this diverse city we call our home.
Today we honor the sacrifices of service members who paid for our freedom by giving their lives in defense of something greater than themselves, this complex/abstract notion of freedom and democracy.
Renown journalist Dan Rather reminds us to “honor not only those who died on duty, but [also] those who came home broken, to a community that is still struggling to learn how to care for them…”
While many do not lose their lives in the combat zone, my own father was never able to fully live life after Vietnam, after Agent Orange exposure and extreme trauma…trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate and others explain that “trauma isn’t what happened to you; it is what happened in your brain.”
Former director of communications at the American Humanist Association recently described that her father:
“arrived home from the brutality of the Vietnam war with intense and complex post traumatic stress disorder. With no social or psychological safety nets for veterans, especially working poor, African American veterans, my father found relief in cannabis, narcotics, and alcohol."
Congressional candidate David Torres has stated “their service didn’t end on the battlefield; it carries with it unique challenges that persist into civilian life.”
As a veteran doing trauma work for over 2 years now, the more I learn about how I got to where I am today, the more I realize that so many veterans who came before me, like my father, and so many who come after me, live with brain injury that occurred while serving our nation.
My own father lived for 45 years after leaving Vietnam, enduring the long term affects…and society is only starting to understand the neurological components of trauma.
Memorial Day is not only a time for reflection; it is a time for action. Let us use this day to reaffirm our commitment to those who come home alive, with a diminished quality of life. In our All American City, we share a common humanity; what does it mean to receive the All American City award? To BE an All American City?
According to the National Civic League:
Engaged residents shared vision & values a culture of engagement
Authentic communication collaborative institutions inclusive community leadership
And embracing diversity and equity.
How does this relate to Memorial Day?
Leadership encourages all residents to participate; thank you, once again, Mayor Thompson for inviting me to speak today. We see leadership in Councilmember Duncan’s efforts to engage our youth in the civic process. We observe this leadership in all the public meetings and events in the city of Fountain.
I had the incredible honor of becoming acquainted with Roland Durden, one of our first Montford Point Marines. Though Roland did not die in battle, he and others came home to a sometimes-hostile society. He had the shared trauma of war, which continued into civilian life. This makes it challenging to truly live and enjoy the freedom our society claims to cherish, because managing trauma is not simple.
Today, Memorial Day 2023, in this All American City, I ask that everyone find a way to take action; on this solemn day, let us honor those who have sacrificed, but let us also commit to creating a future where all veterans and their families, including Gold Star families, can thrive.
I wonder, what can we create, here in this All American City, to care for the needs of veterans and their families, those whose names we may not know, but to whom we owe not just gratitude, but action. Can we celebrate their lives while also supporting Gold Star families, living but traumatized veterans and their families?
Can we, in this All American City, honor their service with action?
Let’s take this moment to emphasize not loss, but to celebrate freedom resulting from the sacrifices of those who served.
In his book What Unites Us, Journalist Dan Rather states
“When I was young, we heard often of how the United States was a great melting pot. It is a fine metaphor as far as it goes. But inclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we are stronger as a mosaic than a melting pot. Our nation [and indeed, our All American City], is bound together more by ideals than by blood or land, and inclusion is in our cultural DNA.”
*Let us honor the memory and diversity of those who passed and the sacrifice of those still living.
*Let us confront the voices of intolerance and come to terms with our own complicity in condoning the divisions in our society.
*We have seen that progress is possible, within ourselves and the nation at large. But it requires perseverance, hard work, and a commitment to respect the dignity and humanity of all who call America home… who call Fountain home.
Journalist Dan Rather emphasizes that service can come in many forms. As we renew our commitment to action, as we continue our Memorial Day activities, consider taking action by serving on a board or commission, volunteering with a nearby nonprofit organization or groups of individuals simply paying it forward.
In closing, I’d like to share a statement from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and a thought truly honoring the diversity that is our military institution:
We come here to do the business of local government – the deliberative body that is closest to the people. As we gather, we are reminded that in our differences there is great strength. We do not all think the same way or believe the same things. Yet we are linked by our common humanity and our shared origin. When we work together to move our community forward in a spirit of mutual respect and common decency, we showcase what is best about our community, our state, and our nation. We embrace many traditions. We are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, humanists, atheists, agnostics, Wiccans, Pagans, unaffiliated, uncertain, and so many other things. We are straight, gay, and transgender. We are young and old and everything in between. We represent dozens of races and nationalities. We run the gamut from liberal to conservative, and some of us are a bit of both. To be sure, we do not agree about everything. And we often feel fiercely protective of what we do believe. There is great passion in our beliefs—and rightly so. But there is one thing on which we all agree: We share the goal of making our community the best place it can be. We unite here today around that noble aim and common purpose.
Thank you-I wish you all a peaceful Memorial Day."
*excerpted and modified from unknown. will post as soon as located
**excerpt from Rabbi Binyamin Biber’s invocation to the Maryland State Senate Session on March 6th, 2008. Retrieved from A Handbook for Celebrants, The Humanist Society, Interim Version 10, May 2013.
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