On this day when we come to honor our veterans, especially those whom Abraham Lincoln said, “gave their last full measure.”
There is a 237-year tradition of veterans’ sacrifice, starting with citizen soldiers who fought and fell at:
Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, The War of 1812, The Mexican War, killing fields of Gettysburg and Antietam where brother fought brother, Spanish American War, bloody trenches of WWI France, beaches of Normandy, sands of Iwo Jima, frozen ground of Chosin Reservoir, Korea, highlands of Khe Shan, jungles of A Shau Valley (Vietnam), and now: the Deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan.
When we see a veteran, say to them: “Thank you for a job well done!”
God bless you all and God bless America!
Nassau County Legislator Joe Belesi
(Editor’s note: This is the speech that Legislator Belesi was unable to deliver at the Farmingdale Memorial Day parade ceremony. He is a Purple Heart veteran.)
