May 31, 2010

Gov. Nixon's remarks on Memorial Day at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery

Thank you. I am honored to speak today at this ceremony, as we remember those who gave their lives while serving America.

We have many distinguished guests here today – but none more so than the men and women who have proudly worn the uniform of our United States armed forces. I want to thank them for their service to our country.

For two centuries, Missourians have been at the forefront of battle when our nation needed them.

Their names are remembered and their sacrifices are honored at a thousand battlefields around the world – from Shiloh to the Belleau Wood… from Tarawa to Omaha Beach… from the Chosin Reservoir to Khe Sanh… from Falluja to Kandahar.

Wherever America has engaged in battle, the sons and daughters of Missouri have answered the call of duty. The price of the freedom we enjoy in this country has been paid with the blood of those who gave all for liberty’s cause.

We should cherish our freedom – and thank our Creator everyday for it. But too often, we take it for granted, and lose sight of the real meaning of this day.

For many, Memorial Day just becomes an occasion for cookouts, automobile races, and the unofficial start of summer.

Each of us should stop to remember our fellow Americans – and especially our fellow Missourians – who did not hesitate to face danger and death, even at the cost of their lives.

The fact that you are here demonstrates that you also believe it is important that we remember and honor these fallen heroes.

Just within the last few weeks, we received the sad news that two soldiers from our state died while serving our country in Afghanistan.

On this day of remembrance, we especially think of Sergeant Denis Kisseloff of St. Charles, and Specialist Jason Fingar of Columbia, and pray for comfort for their families. Last weekend, Sergeant Kisseloff was buried in this cemetery with full military honors. Today – on Memorial Day – Specialist Fingar is being laid to rest.

We mourn the passing of Sergeant Kisseloff and Specialist Fingar and those who, like them, died much too young in service to their country.

Since I became Governor last year, 16 young Missourians have given their lives while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. They represented the best of our country: courage, determination, and selflessness.

We also honor the memory of those who gave their lives in the line of duty through our continued respect and recognition of the military veterans among us. Too often in the past, we have fallen short in giving that respect and recognition. That must not happen again.

Ever increasingly, the veterans of today are only a few years removed from high school or college. Many of you here today know this all too well, because they are your sons and daughters, or grandsons and granddaughters.

Like generations of Americans before, they left the safety and security of this country to go to distant lands on our behalf. We must not forget that sacrifice as they come home.

The hallowed ground where we stand is one of the most renowned and one of the most moving sites to honor those who have served our country – taking its place alongside the national cemeteries at Arlington, the Punchbowl, and Normandy.

Those buried here represent service in each of our nation’s conflicts, from the Revolutionary War through Operation Enduring Freedom.

In 1873 – just eight short years after the end of a Civil War that nearly destroyed the union of states – thousands of people came to this very spot to place flowers on the graves of the fallen.

On that Decoration Day – one of the first observed in this country – they heard words of comfort and reconciliation from a former foe, Colonel Alonzo Slayback of the Confederacy. This is what Colonel Slayback said that day about the soldiers buried here:

“Think not, my friends, that one of these has passed away in vain. In the economy of God, no death is premature where a human life is dedicated to an honest purpose. But those of us who outlive them are responsible for the use we make of the lesson of their lives.”

On this day of remembrance, let us resolve to use that lesson of self-sacrifice – so nobly demonstrated by those who gave their lives – to keep this state and country strong and free.

I thank you for the privilege to be part of this remembrance today.

I know you join me in praying that God will protect the brave men and women of our military who today are in distant lands protecting freedom, and that He will bring them home safely very soon.

Thank you.