>> THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN WAR SINCE 1775 FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON
OUR SOIL TO 2 WARS TO END ALL
WARS IN EUROPE WE FOUGHT IN
WARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,
KUWAIT, AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.
THOUSANDS OF MEN AND WOMEN IN
OUR ARMED FORCES HAVE GIVEN
THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM
AND TODAY’S THE DAY WE SET
ASIDE TO HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE
PAID THE
ULTIMATE PRICE. WE’RE NOW
JOINED BY VICE ADMIRAL US NAVY
RETIRED JOHN BIRD WHO SPENT 35
YEARS IN THE NAVY.
NOW HE IS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
AT FIRST OFF GOOD MORNING, SIR
AND THANKS FOR BEING WITH US
THIS MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR HAVING ME ON THIS SUCH
AN IMPORTANT DAY AND HAVING
THIS DISCUSSION YOU KNOW I
THINK SAN ANTONIO PROBABLY HAS
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING THAN
MOST CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ABOUT TODAY JUST BECAUSE WE ARE
MILITARY CITY USA.
>> THE MILITARY HAS PLAYED SUCH
A ROLE IN SUCH A GREAT
INFLUENCE IN OUR
COMMUNITY BUT GIVE US A SENSE
OF THE HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY
AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO
OUR COMMUNITY AND THIS COUNTRY.
>> WELL FIRST LET ME AGREE WITH
YOU THIS IS A GREAT CITY AND
YOU’RE RIGHT THEY EMBRACE THE
MILITARY MILITARY TRADITIONS
AND THEY LOVE OUR MILITARY
MEMORIAL GOES BACK TO THE CIVIL
WAR. THERE WAS A TRADITION
GROWING TO DECORATE THE GRAVES
OF THE FALLEN AND WAS CALLED
DECORATIONS DAY. AFTER WORLD
WAR ONE EVOLVED INTO
BEING CALLED MEMORIAL DAY AND
THEN IN 1971 BY LAW ACT OF
CONGRESS SIGNED BY THE
PRESIDENT. IT BECAME THE 4TH
MONDAY
IN MAY IS MEMORIAL DAY AND IT’S
A ONE DAY WE SET ASIDE
A YEAR TO REMEMBER THE FALLEN
YOU PAID THE ULTIMATE
SACRIFICE. SO WE COULD ENJOY
THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY AND THE
FREEDOMS WE HAVE SO MANY WAYS
I THINK OF IT IS OUR MOST
SACRED DAY REMEMBERING THOSE
GREAT AMERICANS THIS WEEKEND IS
A BIG WEEKEND FOR A LOT OF
FOLKS SINCE MONDAY A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE AWFUL WORKING OUT OF
SCHOOL IN A THEY TRY TO ENJOY
THE WEEKEND WITH THEIR FAMILY
AND FRIENDS AND COOKOUTS AND
GOING TO THE LAKE BUT.
>> WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO AND HOW
SHOULD THEY GO ABOUT
APPROACHING MONDAY MAYBE TAKE A
MOMENT TO REMEMBER WHY THEY HAVE THAT DAY OFF AND WHY THEY’RE ABLE TO GATHER WITH
THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND
ENJOY THAT DAY YEAH I THINK
THIS DAY IS A GREAT DAY AND I I
CERTAINLY ENJOYED BARBECUES
MYSELF AND THINK ABOUT THE
FIRST DAY OF SUMMER. BUT WE
SHOULD TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO
REMEMBER WHAT IT’S
ALL ABOUT YOU KNOW OUTSIDE SAN
ANTONIO, THE ONLY 43% OF
AMERICANS EVEN THOUGH A
MEMORIAL DAY IS FOR.
>> SO IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO
DISCUSS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT REMEMBER
THE FALLEN AND USA HAS CREATED
A VIRTUAL
POPPY WALL. SO IF YOU GO TO
POPPY IN MEMORY DOT COM DOESN’T
TAKE LONG. YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT
THE POPPY THOUGH HOW IT CAME
TO BE YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT
THE POPPY WALL AND YOU CAN
DEDICATE A POPPY VIRTUALLY
TO SOMEONE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
FOR US EITHER THAT YOU
KNOW KNOW OR THAT YOU’VE READ
ABOUT SO IT’S JUST A SMALL
THING BUT IT’S IMPORTANT
THAT WE WOULD KEEP UP THE IDEA
REMEMBERING THOSE GREAT
AMERICANS THAT’S ONE THING THAT
THAT FOLKS CAN DO IS THERE
SOMETHING ELSE YOU MIGHT ADVISE
PEOPLE TO TAKE TIME OUT TO DO
OTHER WHILE THEY’RE ENJOYING
THE WEEKEND.
>> WELL SURE.
>> I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD BE A
GREAT IDEA IF YOU VISITED A
NATIONAL CEMETERY OR THE GRAVE
SITE OF A FALLEN AMERICAN WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE
COUNTRY. IF YOU REACHED OUT TO
A FAMILY THAT YOU KNOW
WHO MIGHT BE A GOLD STAR FAMILY
WHICH MEANS OF FAMILY WHO’S
LOST A LOVED ONE AND THANK THEM
FOR THE GREAT SACRIFICE SHOW
YOUR APPRECIATION TEACH YOUNG
CHILDREN. WHAT IT’S
ALL ABOUT. SO THAT WE CARRY
FORWARD THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
REMEMBERING PEOPLE WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES. IF WE WANT TO HAVE
THIS GREAT MILITARY AND I KNOW
WE DO IN SAN ANTONIO’S WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A
NATIONAL CHARACTER THAT
REMEMBERS PEOPLE TO GIVE THEIR
LIVES SO WE CAN ENJOY OUR
FREEDOMS.
>> I THINK EARLIER YOU
MENTIONED 43% OF THE FOLKS
OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT MEMORIAL
DAY IS ALL ABOUT HOW DO WE
EDUCATE THOSE PEOPLE TO THEY
UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THIS
DAY REALLY IS.
>> WELL I THINK DOING THIS IS A
IS A
GREAT START. USA DOING THE
POPPY WALL VIRTUALLY AND THEN
IN YEARS PAST WE’VE TAKEN IT TO
THE NATIONAL MALL. SO I THINK
GET THE WORD OUT DO SOME OF THE
ACTIVITIES WE TALKED ABOUT AND
CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS AND
BE AN ADVOCATE
FOR THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
MEMORIAL DAY GOES A LONG WAY TO
CHANGING THAT FROM 43% TO SAY
85%.
>> AND I THINK THAT’S A GREAT
WORD THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS
DAY ADMIRAL. WE APPRECIATE YOUR
INSIGHT INTO THIS DAY AND WHAT
IT MEANS AND WHAT IT SHOULD
MEAN TO EVERY AMERICAN
WHO IS HERE ON THIS SOIL AND
ACROSS THE ACROSS THE WORLD AND
WE APPRECIATE ALL THOSE FOLKS
WHO ARE STILL STATIONED ACROSS
THE WORLD AS WELL FIGHTING FOR
OUR FREEDOMS AND
WE MEMORIALIZE THOSE WHO HAVE
LOST THEIR LIVES AND WILL THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US