Memorial Day Service

It was a privilege to speak at the Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 26 at the Milford Senior Center. Among others, I was able to speak again with the amazing Levitsky sisters, both field nurses in France during WWII.

“There are so many stories about heroic sacrifices where men and women of the United States Armed Forces have given their very lives to protect their fellow soldiers. Books are written about them and movies depict the moments in which they portray that unique act of courage. These men become part of the legacy of America.

As we remember these acts of courage we many times as Americans fail to recognize the millions of other US soldiers that have given their lives so that not only their fellow soldiers may live but also that the American citizen back at home can continue to pursue their dreams in this free nation.

My grandfather Joseph Devlin was stationed in California during the Korean War. While we wanted to serve his country overseas as his older brother did before him, he would not see service abroad because of his two brothers, George and Jim Devlin. They were both killed in action during WWII. Both members of the US Army Air Corps, George died during an inflight accident as a tail gunner over Germany. Jim was shot down over Hungry as his squadron was on the way to bomb German oil fields.

Years later as my grandfather was enlisted in the Army he was ordered to stay stateside by the Sole Survivor Policy. Although he may not have thought about it at the time, his brothers’ sacrifices quite literally allowed him to carry on a free life where he started a business, raised a family and lived a life in pursuit of happiness.

Just as my grandfather’s brothers sacrificed their lives so that their youngest brother could live a life in step with his ideals of freedom, all of our men and women in uniform that have given the ultimate sacrifice have given their lives so that we all can determine the direction of our lives as individuals and as a nation.

Today as business owners, teachers, nurses, shift workers and all professions, we honor these men and women for their sacrifices and what those sacrifices have allowed us to become as a nation. Without the American soldier there is no American dream. Through their courage and commitment they protect the promises of America, that all men are endowed by their creator, to posses the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” – Mayor Bryan Shupe