Today, we pause to celebrate the men and women who have worn the uniform of our country and who have defended her honor in times of war and peace. I will be traveling across our district attending Veterans Day events where I’m looking forward to personally greeting our 6th District veterans and thanking them for their service.In a culture that often idolizes the silly and the extreme, today is a day that pays tribute to the real heroes. It is a time for quiet reflection on the sacrifices made to purchase we freedoms we enjoy and, in many ways, it is a time for stories. Stories that celebrate the veterans in each of our lives – and give them the honor they so richly deserve.
I want to tell you about one of people in my life: my son Steve. Steve is a great Dad and he gave me a wonderful daughter-in-law in his wife, Tracy. But before he did any of that, he was my firstborn child; the person who made me a Mom.
About 25 years ago, Steve answered the same call to serve that many of you did. Growing up, he heard his Dad’s stories of his time in Vietnam. They were frightening, they were saddening, but they also inspired him and stirred within him a sense of duty to his country. So the day came when Steve told us he had joined the Navy and would be serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise in Operation Desert Storm. Suddenly, my child was very grown up and would be in a place where we could not protect him, because he would be protecting us.
Of course I was proud of Steve’s willingness to serve his country but, like any mother, I anxiously awaited his return and prayed each night for safety while he remained in harm’s way. Thankfully, our prayers were answered when Steve returned to us 13 months later, joining the ranks of more than 500,000 Tennesseans as a proud military veteran.
I know many of you have stories of your own family and friends whom you honor on this day. If you’re like me, you want them to know that their sacrifices will be accounted for and reflected in the decisions made in Washington. That is one of the reasons why I’m serving in Congress.
We must recognize that the care of our military, both on the battlefield and once they return home, speaks to the character of our country. We have a moral obligation to ensure that our government keeps its promises to the few who have sacrificed for the many.
Every year at Veterans Day, I always think back to a famous quote from our nation’s 40th President, Ronald Reagan. When I first came to Congress, one of my constituents affixed this quote to a wooden placard and gave it to me as a gift – it has hung in my office ever since. It says this:“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Our nation’s veterans have heeded that call and some paid the ultimate sacrifice in the process. To our 6th District veterans reading this message today, know this:
We are grateful for your service, we are inspired by your example, and we pledge to keep telling your story – so that our children and grandchildren will know that freedom was bought with a price.
From my family to yours, Happy Veterans Day!
