First and foremost, I want to thank you and all of Citrus
County for your support over the last ten months, our
family is truly grateful.
I was asked to take part today in honoring Chief Warrant
Officer Aaron Weaver, CPL Stanley J Lapinski , Sgt.
Dennis James Flanagan as well as all the veterans who
have fallen, those who are still among us and those
who are continuing to guard our freedoms.
My son, Sgt. Dennis James Flanagan could have done this
much better than I, Because since he was a young boy,
Dennis read, studied, and learned about the history
of the world and in particular our United States. He
understood what it meant to be a veteran and protect
and serve your country, as did Aaron Weaver and Stanley
Lapinski.
Dennis was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and the
Army Jr Rotc in high school, he enjoyed talking to veterans
he encountered during his youth. Since my son had a
unique ability to express himself, I will try to honor
our veterans today with many of the words he wrote.
I think if you were to speak these three words, God
– Family- Country, to any veteran, you would see
eyes widen, chest rise and pride ooze from their voice.
It may not be in a loud voice. But it would be in a
proud voice. I saw this for my very eyes when my son
enlisted and was in the 101st Airborne. My wife’s
uncle, Richard Librandi, who is a Vietnam Veteran and
was also in the 101st, rarely spoke of his time in the
service. But before my son did his first tour in Iraq
in @003 Uncle Richard was pulling out books of pictures
of Ft. Campbell and Vietnam. During family get togethers,
they would talk among them selves. Richard gave Dennis
his cross that he carried when he went to Vietnam and
Dennis also carried it with him during his tour in Iraq.
Another time I was at dinner with my family in a restaurant
down south. My son had come from Ft Campbell, Kentucky
in uniform to be with his mother on Mother’s Day.
While at dinner an older gentleman came to our table
and put a hand on my son’s shoulder, and preceded
to tell a story and gave my son a pin that a girl had
given him before he went overseas in World War II. He
would not let my son stand up to acknowledge him, because
he did not need the attention. I believe if you spoke
those three words God- Family & Country to some
veterans you know, you will see exactly what I’m
talking about. In this excerpt from a notebook of Dennis’,
I hope you will see that the ideals of what makes this
country special are still alive in our youth of today,
not just my son but the many who enlisted right after
9/11.
“ Why is it that youth is so fragile? What is
your priority in Life? Is money more important than
life? Safety more important than freedom? In our lives
now people are re-assessing their priorities, family,
friends and God are again returning to people’s
lives. People are looking for something to believe in,
they are turning to our government for relief and guidance.
My parents, relatives, friends and loved ones are all
trying to understand my decision to enlist. I can not
really explain it in terms of a material thing. I am
not enlisting to avenge the attacks on America. I am
not enlisting for the money or benefits. I am enlisting
for a more idealistic and duty bound reason. One idea
is the centerpiece of America: Freedom. The freedom
to live as one feels, to pursue happiness and live without
fear. Yes, the freedom from fear. These attacks have
demonstrated that America is not afraid, but in the
backs of peoples’ minds reside a fear if another
attack on innocent civilians.
Fear is a parasite on a republican government. If citizens
feel unsafe about doing their jobs because they fear
another attack; because they don’t feel safe in
their own country, then our government will collapse.
I am enlisting to protect my countrymen from fear. Freedom
from fear and terror is a great feeling and it is the
duty of every American to ensure this freedom. I can
not sit idly by as my country prepares for war.”
In the 2nd to last sentence of this excerpt from my
son’s notebook. He writes, freedom from fear and
terror is a great feeling and it is the duty of EVERY
AMERICAN to ensure this freedom. We can do this by teaching
our children its history, voting and by not taking our
freedoms for granted, as well as picking up arms and
defending our country.
If we want to honor our veterans who have sacrificed
their lives, have been injured both physically and emotionally,
held their fellow soldier dying in their arms and seen
things that they shield us from, with their silence.
The it is our duty, our job, to make sure that our country
keeps the qualities, freedoms and characteristics that
make our men and women willing to sacrifice themselves
for us. Why is it that we can have an African American,
Rickey Scott; A Native American Indian, Clifton Yazzie;
a Midwestern American, Matthew Frantz; and an Irish,
Italian Catholic boy Dennis J Flanagan, fighting as
one and dying as one in that Humvee in Iraq on January
20th, but we can’t hear the voices of America
as one; without separating them into liberals, conservatives,
black, white, women, men, Christen, Jewish, Muslims
or any other labels we can put on the voices.
When I read the poem “ A Soldier’s Prayer
To His Son” a poem Dennis wrote as a sophomore
in Lecanto High School, I like to think of it as a soldier’s
prayer or a veterans prayer to the people and country
they are defending.
A Soldier’s Prayer To His Son
Fate has caught me on this day
Death now comes to take me away;
Before I give the Lord my soul to take,
One last prayer to my son I make.
Listen my son, I speak the truth,
Squander not your time nor youth;
For never you’ll know when your day is here,
So cherish all that you hold dear.
Love your family and your friends,
For they’ll stick with you to the end.
Let burn that celestial fire inside,
Or to yourself you will have lied.
And now my son I pray to thee,
Never, ever forget me;
That I died a soldier’s death,
To keep you free with my last breath.
Now my son the truth is told,
Always remain strong and bold;
Always keep yourself in good standing,
For to you everything I’m now handing.
The torch I now give to thee,
Hold it high for liberty;
Let the flame burn forever unbroken,
So you’ll never forget the words I’ve spoken.
On the night of January 19, 2006, Dennis wrote
one last thought for the evening, which may give some
insight into the thoughts that a veteran may have during
the defense of their country.
All Things in Life’s Uncertainties
Things often become what we don’t want them to
be,
The best we can hope, when all hope is lost
Our minds are at war,
We sometimes wonder what it’s all for.
Love is forever or so they say,
How then did we end up this way?
All love is gone,
All hearts resigned to fate.
Certain people touch our life,
Bringing love that ends our strife.
The time has come,
My death nears,
In the night, His call I hear.
If he comes before I wake,
I pray to God will not me forsake.
These men and women past and present deserve the honor,
dignity and respect of every living, breathing soul
who aspires to call themselves an American.
So let us honor our fallen, retired and active veterans
by remembering all our voices are American first and
what race, creed, color, or class we are - is second.
And when it seems like it is impossible to unite as
one, remember that one of the first strategies to a
win a war is - to divide and conquer. As long as we
stay together as Americans we will not be conquered.
My last quote from my son that I hope will help us achieve
our goals and duties to ensure our freedom is one which
his fellow tent mate, Sgt Damien Baker, said that Dennis
answered one night when Damien asked what should I tell
your men if you were to be killed. Dennis responded,
“ Don’t Cry Over Me, Just Remember Me As
A Crazy, Weird, Goofy Guy, And T ell Them To Smile Bigger,
Fight Harder And Never Forget Your Brother.”
So I’ll tell all of you today pass on this message,
when things aren’t going well, when your vision
of your country is not what you think it should be,
when you think your voice isn’t important and
won’t be heard- think of a veteran and
SMILE BIGGER, FIGHT HARDER AND NEVER FORGET YOUR BROTHERS…
Dennis Flanagan
Dennis Flanagan gave this speech as introduction Mike
Weaver, father of CWO Aaron A Weaver, who was presenting
the CWO Aaron A Weaver Memorial Scholarship at Citrus
High School on May 3, 2007.
The Sgt Dennis James Flanagan Foundation sponsored this
scholarship at Aaron’s Alma Mater.
When my son Sgt Dennis Flanagan enlisted in the Army
he wrote that he was enlisting to protect his countryman
from fear. He wrote: Freedom from fear and terror is
a great feeling and it is the duty of every American
to ensure this freedom.
There are many ways to fulfill this duty: by teaching,
by parenting, by participating in government, as well
as, picking up arms and defending our freedoms as my
son and Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A Weaver did.
Aaron A Weaver joined the Army shortly after finishing
school. He was a ranger during the Battle of Mogadishu
in October 1993. He then went to flight school to become
a helicopter pilot. Along the way he became a husband,
stepfather and father. He battled Cancer and fought
to go to Iraq with his unit. He died along with 7 other
men when the helicopter he was a passenger in was shot
down.
Many titles can be attributed to him: son, brother,
friend, soldier, husband, father, hero, American. None
will begin to tell you who Aaron was to those who knew
him. Nor can it tell you what they miss now that he
is listed among America’s fallen warriors. Know
this- he will not be forgotten nor should he be.
At this time I would like to introduce you to Mr. Mike
Weaver, proud father of Aaron Weaver.
Speech given in front of The Traveling Viet Nam Wall
on April 7, 2007
I am that which others did not want to be
I go where others dare not go.
I fight when others turn and flee.
I stand when weak and die alone.
I’ve tasted the sweetness of victory’s
breathe.
I’ve felt the stinging chill of fear.
I’ve seen the youthful face of death.
I’ve heard many grown men reduced to tears.
Those words were found among my son’s collection
of writings. Today’s speech is a collaboration
of my son’s writings, my husband‘s ideas
and my words.
To those who have served in our armed forces whenever
or however you came to do so _ Thank you! Two simple
words that often were never said. Two simple words which
if put into action on your behalf when you came home
from the service might have made a difference. Two simple
words which are used more often to this generation of
armed service members. That is one of your legacies-
be proud of that.
Since the birth of our country there have been men,
women and yes even children willing to put their lives
on the line for our country’s ideals and beliefs.
Pursuit of Life, Liberty and happiness are guaranteed
to all Americans regardless of race, creed, color and
class. My son, Sgt Dennis James Flanagan, was an avid
historian of our American heritage. I think when he
wrote the poem- A Soldiers Prayer to His Son- he tapped
into possibly a veteran’s prayer to the people
of the country he is serving.
A Soldier’s Prayer to His Son
Fate has caught me on this day
Death now comes to take me away;
Before I give the Lord my soul to take,
One last prayer to my son I make.
Listen my son, I speak the truth,
Squander not your time nor youth;
For you’ll never know when you day is here,
So cherish all that you hold dear.
Love your family and your friends,
For they’ll stick with you to the end.
Let burn that celestial fire inside,
Or to yourself you will have lied.
And now my son I pray to thee
Never ever forget me;
That I died a soldiers death
To keep you free with last breath.
Now my son the truth is told;
Always remain strong and bold;
Always keep yourself in good standing;
For to you everything I’m now handing.
The torch I now give to thee,
Hold it high for liberty.
Let the flame burn, forever unbroken.
So you’ll never forget the words I’ve spoken.
I cannot think of what our country might be if no
one ever served her in the Armed Forces. I honestly
doubt we would still be called Americans or that our
country would stretch “from sea to shining sea”.
When I think of our country’s symbols, her monuments
and her achievements I know none of those would have
been possible without those who have served and are
currently serving.
Would our flag mean as much if it had never flown into
the storm of war? Would it mean as much if we had ever
remained neutral when the world’s scales of good
and evil were tipped? NO. If no issue was ever worth
fighting for then the flag would be only a symbol and
some of the shades of its meaning would never be realized.
This replica of The WALL behind me is like the flag.
It is a symbol. This one remembers: it honors the dead,
speaks of the missing and respects the living. Many
of those who are listed on this WALL died in Service
to their country; died in service to US. Those who are
unaccounted are also inscribed - their voices unheard
by us even as the silence about their status speak volumes.
Those that served have lived lives marked by their time
“in country” and their country’s response
to their service.
They are the representatives as surely as their forefathers
were, as surely as this generation’s troops are,
of the living flag. They have sweated, shivered; walked
in, helioed in; ate their mess kit rations, delighted
in food and news from home; longed for the sweet days
of time with family, friends and familiar things while
enduring the loss of precious time with these very things;
wondered if they would have the good fortune of living
to see the next day even as they mourned that day’s
losses. They lived in a time out of time.
The living flag is represented by this one today. It
is a flag which first flew over the Capitol during the
bicentennial celebrations of 1976. It was packed away
by its owner for another time worthy of being flown.
That owner gave it to us after our son died in Iraq.
It flew next on our flag pole On Memorial Day. In honor
of those who served who died in service to their country
and those who fought beside them, regardless of when
they served.
We had thought to leave it up until 4th of July. Tropical
Storm Alberto came to town and changed that. Alberto
ripped the flag – in places to shreds. And yet
I couldn’t bring it to any of the numerous flag
disposal drop- offs. It seemed almost like sacrilege
to do so. Instead I mended it.
I sewed over the tattered areas until from a distance
it looked like a flag. Only one area was beyond my needle
skills. It was missing entirely leaving a few threads
behind. I couldn’t find the right color and fabric
to match, so patching was out. After much deliberation,
I decided to bind up the remaining evidence of the missing
piece and leave it missing.
It was sent to Iraq with this message: Please fly this
flag. A letter explained its personal history and that
it could still be a symbol. It first flew before many
of those now serving were even born. I realized that
it should be destroyed honorably but even in it’s
condition it remained a symbol of something than those
individuals who have fought in our country’s service.
It could represent the men and women who have served
their country. They have flown into the “Storm”
and were like the flag changed by the experience. Like
this flag they emerged much the worse for wear- torn
asunder, shredded in places and missing pieces of themselves
and their units. Yet like this flag they mended themselves
as best they could and “flew on.” They saw
all that the battle encompasses- the chaos, the minutes
which seemed like hours, the days which seemed like
minutes, the smell, sweat and tears of those they fought
with; the surge of thanksgiving when they emerged without
a scratch countered by the grief at the loss of their
friends. They rose above themselves and their frailties
and returned to the battle.
When we look at the flag we see the stars and stripes.
LOOK DEEPER-
See the PAIN, see the LOSS and see the DEDICATION of
those who DEFEND US. They own a piece of the flag we
will never see. The missing piece could be mentally
filled in by every member of our armed forces with the
uniform of their generation- their time in service.
It becomes the piece of the flag most of us are unfamiliar
with. The missing piece represents the loss of their:
innocence, faith, family, time, limbs and lives.
On the night of January 19, 2006, my son, Dennis wrote
for the last time. He and three other men were killed
the next day when an IED explosion detonated under their
Humvee. It is titled -All things In Life’s Uncertainties
–
All things in life’s uncertainties
Things often become what we don’t want them to
be
The best we can hope, when all hope is lost
Our minds are at war
We sometimes wonder what its all for.
Love is forever or so they say
How then did we end up this way?
All love is gone
All hearts resigned to fate
Certain people touch our life
Bringing love that ends our strife
The time has come
My death nears
In the night, His call I hear
If he comes before I wake
I pray to God will not me forsake.
They served US. Some would argue that some of those
who have died in service to us have died in VAIN. Regardless
of where, when or how they served: those who have put
on the uniform, those who have fought, been injured
or died- They did not do so in vain. They did so in
Service to us. They went or were sent by US. Once they
put on the uniform of this country they had no choice
about where, when or how they would serve. They only
knew that they would serve US.
Can you imagine some one loving you enough to be willing
to die for you? Our service members have done that for
generations and continue to do so. They deserve to know
that regardless of what we may think about where they
served that we thank them for their service to US. They
have all given up things in their service to us. Even
those who never saw a battlefield. Once they wear the
uniform they give up their right to say “No thanks
I think I’ll skip that 10 mile run in the heat
with full battle gear on- I’m sleeping in today.”
They gave up the right to say, “You’d like
me to serve where? I have other priorities maybe later.”
When they are sent in OUR name to the battlefield they
deserve more that a pat on the back when they return.
They deserve our willingness to help them have the American
dream they fought for. They deserve to know that the
politics of a war will not interfere with their right
to their American Dream. Their scars, whether clearly
visible or hidden deeply in their minds and souls, demand
our willingness to help them. We only honor those who
have died in service to our country when we respect
all who have fought in our name. They earned that respect
on the battlefield we sent them to. They should have
earned our gratitude as well as our willingness to help
them be re-integrated into our society.
We have in my possession two flags which draped my son’s
coffin and the flag which flew before he was born. His
loss will be felt by those who knew him. Those flags
which draped his coffin represent that sacrifice which
he knew might be asked of him. He thought we were worth
such a sacrifice. That you, our fellow Americans, and
America’s ideals were worth even that sacrifice.
In that he is no different that any other soldier who
has fought under the flag of their generation from our
country’s beginnings through the present day.
The Wall represent’s that generation’s war.
Each monument to the fallen whether it is a headstone
in the family plot, a marker in a small town’s
park or even a national one like this bear the names
of those who thought we were worth dying for.
If you want to thank them for that sacrifice - remember
to thank those who have served. Thank those who fought
with them, grieved at their loss and returned to the
battle field. They are flesh and blood. They bleed,
feel pain and grieve. They deserve that which we often
give to the movie stars, super star athletes and even
the politicians. Because in truth, this country would
cease to be if it weren’t for men and women like
them.
Let me repeat myself- to those who have ever served
in our armed forces however and whenever you came to
do so- THANK YOU!
|
