Good Afternoon America and Happy Birthday Marines. I’d like to thank Dr. Mora, Dean Carmen Royal, her faculty --especially Linda DeSantis and Michelle Andrews, the Student Government, the students who are here celebrating the lives and sacrifices of our veterans and our highly honored guests: The other veterans here with us today.

My name is Benjamin Dailey. I am a student here at ACCC and also a war veteran. My father is a war veteran, my brother is too, my father’s brothers are war veterans; my father’s father is a war veteran. I did not join the military because of a family tradition or because my father wanted me to. In fact, he was against it… And he is a retiree. I served honorably and faithfully in the Marine Corps, and it was served out of my own free will. I think that is what makes what today’s veterans do so precious. No one, in my day in age, was forced to join the military. And yet, we have young men and women, volunteering their life everyday to enlist and to be commissioned within the ranks of the halls whose names will echo throughout eternity.

Most of the American freedoms that we have upheld were not even fought on domestic soils. I am reminiscent of veterans that have paved the path of freedom before me. World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm. People fail to understand that the battle does not stop when our flag is raised on foreign lands or an enemy’s territory. And our fight continued… The tenacity grows… The motivation sustained… The determination never diminished. For that, I am forever thankful to the veterans before me.

And it’s funny to me… Just the other day, I visited the local VFW post and sat down for a beer. The men and women there shook my hand and thank me for what I have done. But honestly, I felt inferior to them. These are the same men and women who have served in World War II and Korea. In below freezing temperatures with weapons that jammed, sometimes without mail, sometimes without ammo… sometimes without food. They are the same people that I have read about and were taught about by our Drill Instructors in basic training. HEROES. And they have the nerve to want to thank me and buy ME a drink! SELFLESS. But it is humbling. Most veterans are humble. We don’t all brag about our service and we also respond: “It’s just our job.” But we do appreciate it. When we respond with a handshake or nod, that’s our way of saying “You’re welcome.”

But sometimes what any veteran wants most, is an understanding from the people that we have sworn to defend, against enemies foreign and domestic. Yet, I am afraid we live in a time when the majority of the public does not understand patriotism or care to understand it. This is not a time

like World War II when patriotism was at an all time high. Around September 11, 2001, I remember a commercial where it showed a line of houses on a street. It looked like the suburbia side of San Francisco. Words slowly flashed across the screen. It read: On September 11, the terrorists wanted to change America forever. …They succeeded. And before every house on the block of serenity appeared an American flag. And this was true. …But only for a short time. When my units from my base started mobilizing for war in Afghanistan and then Iraq, the flags came down. But why? The war never ended. It’s almost like we live in a time when the youth challenges every form of media, its leaders, and sometimes even its defenders of freedom. We are all in the fight together because we are American. Even non-citizens need to understand that we are living in a country that is targeted by her enemies daily. Yes, supporting the troops is supporting America. But supporting America is also supporting its soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen. We want to be reassured that we are fighting for the citizen who values the American republic.

Every veteran was also a combatant. We were not trained in basic training to sew quilts and learn how to bake cookies. Every branch of service is taught how to fight and win wars. If your military occupational specialty isn’t infantry, that doesn’t mean you won’t pick up a rifle and encounter combat. When you get the order from your commander, within a moment’s notice, anyone can become a combatant. Every Marine is trained as a rifleman. Every armed service is trained as a bone-crushing, mean-and-vicious, stomp the ground until it shakes, skull shattering, war machine. This is the reality of the military. We fight. Not everyone wants to admit it, but this is our purpose. And even if it was out of stupidity that you signed the contract, you still held up your right hand and swore to defend America’s honor… We knew that our lives would now require a commitment to selflessness in the adversity of danger, stress, and uncertainty. And the veteran stands true to those commitments even after the last day of our contracts. Honor to the flag, commitment to our country, and courage to do what is right even if no one else is watching.

Let us not forget that military is not just men. There are over 1.2 million women veterans that have served faithfully and honorably as well. I had personally participated in an event dedicating a post office in Cranston, RI to Corporal Holly Charette, the first female Marine casualty in Iraq. Their willingness to serve and dedicate their lives to preserving the American dream has always been there… even amongst the strongest opposition. As far back as the Revolutionary War, women were not always permitted to join the ranks and fight for freedom and equality, so they would cut their hair

short and wear men’s clothes to appear to be men willing to fight on the battlefield. Even today, in the modern war, women endure the same struggles and fight alongside their male counterparts in Afghanistan and Iraq as military police, engineers, administrative roles, medics, and Corpsmen. As veterans, you can find them kneeling bedside by injured vets in VA hospitals and assisting wherever they can. Women veterans deserve the same respect as any other General or ground-pounder should. Their dedication and commitment rivals the majority of servicemen I have met. And I expect their roles to expand in the future. We know that when you are being ambushed or you are the aggressor, the only things that matter are your training and the persons to the left and right of you. Gender, religion, and all differences are out of the window in an instant. Thanks to the women for serving beside me.

Let us not forget, there are 25 million veterans alive today. That may seem like a large number, but that only accounts for less than 10% of the population. You can see how exclusive a group this is. Unfortunately, not all is well with our small veteran population. Not all of the men and women who have allowed us to be safe in our homes have homes themselves when they have shed their uniforms. It is tragic that 23 percent of America’s homeless populations are veterans. 89 percent of those were honorably discharged and 47 percent served during the Vietnam War. I don’t have an answer for fixing this travesty, but I wanted you all to be aware. These are the facts. Veterans should not struggle. Veterans should be welcomed home. The war does not stop when the flag is raised on foreign soil or on enemy territories… Because the fight continues. Unfortunately, it is evident with our homeless veterans.

And now a message to my fellow veterans: We have experienced and endured a lifestyle of struggle, pain, fear, adrenaline, victory, and perhaps times of defeat. But we did not enlist in the military alone. Remember to thank your wives and husbands or significant others…Who stayed faithful and honored your dual-commitment to family and service. Who wrote letters of “I miss you… I love you… Come home soon” when you were away at boot camp, out of state, or overseas. Remember your children. For they have never lost the faith that you would return to watch them grow and make you proud one day as you have made them proud. They endure a void that can only be filled when you return home. And this is why we continued to fight: To keep our promise to them and to fulfill our destinies within ourselves.

A bill that was recently passed by Congress allows veterans to salute the flag instead of simply placing a hand over their heart. It doesn’t seem like

much, but it took until 2007 for this bill to be passed. I never thought that it was a right to salute the flag, but a privilege. Therefore, be proud of your service veterans… Know that what you have accomplished and what you have seen, experienced, and done in your lifetime, the average person may never in ten. Thank the people who have supported you throughout your special circumstances and ordeals. And my message to all of you here… Respect what the veterans have done for you. For whatever reason they enlisted or were commissioned, the bottom line was survival and upholding the ideals of America’s countrymen and women. In these current times, if we lose any battle, the world will be open to a new revolution where evil can force its ugly hand upon us. We are all in the fight together. And as my term has ended with the Marine Corps, I can honestly say that I loved every moment of struggle, pain, and accomplishment. Serving in Iraq has not made me bitter about life, it has made me better about life, and I have served you proudly and regret not one moment. Remember: The war does not stop when the flag is raised on foreign soil or on enemy territories… Because the fight continues. We are all in this together. “And this would not be the land of the free-- if it had not also been the home of the brave.” THANK YOU.