On behalf of Baltimore County and all its citizens, I am pleased to offer my thanks and gratitude to our Vietnam veterans both those who are here today and those who can only be here in our hearts and in our memories. It has been thirty-one years since the last American helicopter lifted from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, bringing to a close one of the longest and most controversial wars in our history.
In the eighteen years leading up to that day some 2.6 million Americans served in the combat zones of Southeast Asia. Over fifty-eight thousand were killed, most of them not more than nineteen or twenty years old. Throughout that terrible conflict a great debate raged over what those brave men and women were fighting for. From the halls of the Capitol in Washington to kitchen tables right here in Baltimore County, some supported the war in Vietnam, and some raised doubts about why our soldiers were in Vietnam, and what they should be doing there. What was never in doubt and should never have been is the bravery, the heroism, and the honor of those men and women.
Whatever the conflict in their own hearts when the call came to serve they answered it. Like the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the American Revolution to today they fought for their country, they fought for our shared principles, and they fought for each other. Their service like that of soldiers from every conflict was the act of true patriots.
Over the years our brothers and sisters who served in Vietnam, and who came home to raise families and work and rejoin their communities have shared with the rest of us the many stories from that war. They have told us of their struggles, of the moments of joy they shared with fellow soldiers, and how it felt to serve their country.
And they have told us about the sacrifices of their friends, the ones who can’t speak, the ones who lost their lives in a country far from home. It is in the memories of living veterans, and the memories of fathers, mothers, siblings, husbands and wives where the fallen heroes of Vietnam still live. For the families and comrades of those who died the loss is always felt and never forgotten. And it should never be forgotten by the rest of us. The lives lost are a reminder that democracy and freedom require sacrifice, and that we all have a duty to our neighbors and our communities.
In 1982, The Wall was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington D.C. inscribed with the names of over fifty-eight thousand Americans. It is a national reminder of the sacrifice and valor of our Vietnam veterans.
Like all wars, Vietnam required National sacrifice, but that sacrifice is acutely felt in neighborhoods and homes. Baltimore County lost 147 young men, men who had families, and were neighbors and students and friends who left a hole in their communities when they died. They were mourned here in their home towns, and they need to be remembered here as well.
In 1996, after three years of constant work by many dedicated people, the Baltimore County Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated. It lists the names of all 147 lost sons of Baltimore County, a show of gratitude to those who gave the last full measure of devotion.The 147 names on the black slab are men who died in the noise and chaos of war. We honor them here in a quiet garden, a place of peace and beauty, a place of dignity and reflection. It is a place they never saw, but one they more than earned.
Many people made this memorial possible, but today I would like to recognize the members of the Baltimore County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission who led the effort to build and dedicate this monument. They are Doug Riley, Michael Mann, Michael Lawlor, Paul Kozloski, Arthur Rogers, John Weber, Wayne Harmon, who at this moment is in cap and gown at Towson University’s graduation and Avery Harden, who did the research and designed this wonderful memorial. Thanks to all of you for your work and for your commitment to Baltimore County’s veterans. Thanks also to the committee for this 10 year Anniversary commemoration. They are John Bartkowiak, Marjorie Hampson, J. Michael Lawlor, Christine Lawlor, and Arthur Rogers.
Today as we rededicate this memorial we are reminded not only of those we have lost, but of our duty to all those who serve. Those who serve in the Armed Forces take an oath to protect their country and their homes our country and our homes. They serve us in a way we can never truly repay, but when they come home it is our turn to serve them. Baltimore County is committed to helping veterans of all ages find and access the services they need. Whether it is health care, counseling, training or other services we will do our best to help those who have given all of us so much.
It has been thirty-one years since that last chopper left Saigon. The steady march of time has made us all older, brought new concerns to our minds and new challenges to the world. Each day, it becomes a little easier to forget these young men who could not grow old with us. But we must remember, and we will. We will remember their lives and their sacrifice, and we will share this place of peace with them.
And in honor of this occasion and this memorial weekend I have a proclamation proclaiming this Memorial Day Weekend the Baltimore County Vietnam Veterans Weekend on May 27–29, 2006.
Courthouse 