As We Remember--Spoken Word Delivered by Lloyd D. Newell

As We Remember

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Now, as in times past, turmoil and conflict rage across the earth. We long for peace, for harmony among nations and individuals, for serenity to still the commotion around us. As part of this earnest longing for peace, we pause to give thanks and remember a day that must not be forgotten. More than 70 years ago the United States Congress passed a bill that each November 11th should be “dedicated to the cause of world peace and . . . celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” The name was later changed to Veterans Day by an act of Congress to honor the sacrifices of all veterans of America’s wars. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a veteran of two world wars, called on citizens to rededicate themselves on Veterans Day “to the task of promoting an enduring peace.”1 If turmoil and conflict have any worth, it may be that they can help us value and remember those who have sacrificed for peace. Decades ago, Richard L. Evans, longtime announcer and writer for this broadcast, wrote of peace and the people who protect it: “Peace is a positive and not merely a passive thing. It is more than the absence of war. It is a way of life, an attitude, and an inner condition. . . . As we remember one Armistice and hope and pray for another, we are thankful for the brave men [and women] who stand ‘between their loved homes and the war’s desolation.’ May those of the past be honored, and those of the present be protected. And may the loved ones of those who have lost their lives have the heaviness of their hearts lifted and have sweet assurance of an eternal renewal of association with those they love.”2 As we approach this day “dedicated to the cause of world peace,” may we also dedicate ourselves to this cause, in memory of those whose dedication has included not only their way of life but even, in some cases, life itself. 1. In United States Department of Veterans Affairs, “History of Veterans Day,” http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp. 2. Tonic for Our Times, (1952), 211–12. Program #4182 Musical Selection: 1. This Is My Country 2. The Thunderer 3. America the Beautiful 4. The Spoken Word 5. Hymn to the Fallen 6. Salute to the Armed Forces 7. Let There Be Peace on Earth