Veterans Day 2020
Good morning folks. My name is Mark Dockser, and I am the chair of the Reading Select Board. Thank you for joining us virtually today on RCTV. The pandemic has strained all of the ways that we do things, including today’s Veterans Day observance. But being vigilant about wearing masks in public as you see us doing here today is critical to controlling the spread.
I know that it is very hard to not be able to be with all the members of our families, even outside, honoring our veterans who have passed away as well as those who are living. It has been an honor and a tradition to be able to attend the graves of those veterans who have died as well as to honor those who have served and are alive. Their service is the foundation of our democracy. I want to thank all of our local and not so local veterans for their service in making our country safe and free from tyranny.
My father who passed away 3 years ago now, was a veteran of the Korean War. He served as a Judge Advocate General and also found himself serving as chaplain for his base. He retired as a Major in the Air Force having also served in the Reserves after the war. Though he did not talk much about his service, I fondly remember some of his stories and the stories of some of his friends that he served with. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit his gravesite this past weekend.
This morning I requested the honor to be able to speak today representing the Select Board. I want to speak because I want to share one of the most moving experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to live and work in France several years ago. While abroad, I traveled extensively on the weekends and would return to tell my co-workers of my travels. As can often happen, visitors take advantage of seeing important places and sites better than residents.
One of those experiences that I got to tell my colleagues about was my visit to the D-day beaches in Normandy. I was amazed by how difficult the terrain is at Omaha Beach, at Juno Beach, and the other 3 locations for the battle of Normandy. The beach is very rough, and there are tall, steep cliffs that look insurmountable. The beach is still littered with remains of boats and equipment that were destroyed during the allied assault. I could envision what was happening as German troops held positions on the bluffs aiming at the Allied troops on the beach. The odds were daunting, and yet our troops prevailed.
There is a museum in the nearby town of Caen that tells the story of the sacrifices that were made to defend freedom for the world during those battles. It is a moving experience like no other. And while I was visiting the site, something else amazing happened. Some of the residents of one of the villages around the beaches actually approached me as I walked down the street, thanking me on behalf of themselves and their relatives for what America did in saving them and preserving the free world. They walked out of their way to say thank you to an American stranger.
I went from the beaches to the American cemetery, where rows and rows and rows and rows and rows of graves, crosses, Jewish stars, and other religious symbols indicate just how many lost their lives there…defending our liberty. It is humbling to think about these young men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, defending our liberty.
Veterans have always earned my respect for their service. But ever since visiting the D-day beaches and seeing the sacrifice and the freedom that resulted, my respect, my gratitude, and my heart goes out to those that have served and currently do serve our country.
On this Veterans Day 2020, one that is mired in a global pandemic, I ask that we all take a moment to thank those brave veterans who fought and fight for our liberty. We live in the Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave. That is something that I live to be grateful for every day. Not everyone in the world is as fortunate as we are. But we can and should be thankful for these heroes that defend our liberty and allow us the rights and freedoms that we have today.
Thank you.
