001or the veterans of the Persian Gulf Iraq and Afghanistan [Applause] and finally the brown county honor guard [Applause] you [Music] nice [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] PETA you may be seated at this time we would like to pay special recognition to any widows of veterans who have joined us today please stand if you are a widow of a veteran so that we can honor you and you can be recognized thank you for your service [Applause] I'd also like to recognize some of our visitors and honored guests who are joining us today I'd like to introduce two of our great friends at the Indiana State House would you please welcome our indiana state senator senator eric cooke and our indiana state representative representative chris may i'd like to introduce today's keynote speaker and esteemed leader from the
002NSWC crane Lieutenant Commander Michael D lemons [Applause] we are also grateful to be joined by our Brown County School Board members our board president Steve Miller vice president marlene barnett secretary carol Bowden and members vicki harden and stephanie Kreitzer thank you for being with us today [Applause] it is certainly appropriate that we are gathered in the Larry C bank's Memorial gymnasium today Larry C banks is one of Brown County's great heroes and while we certainly wish that he was joining us here today I am confident that he is here in spirit for those in attendance who may not know the name Larry C banks was born and raised in Brown County attended Brown County High School and made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation on November 7 1967 during his service in Vietnam 52 years
003ago Brown County earned a hero and several of those gathered here today lost a dear friend the Brown County High School history Club created a documentary about Larry C banks and we would like to take a moment to share that documentary with you all today please enjoy Brown County High School's Larry C bank's Memorial gymnasium plays a larger role in our community than just being a gym it's a place where high-stakes basketball games are played in one where volleyball players challenge each other where we cheer where we compete where we get home for big games and where we learn valuable lessons from others this is a place where students embark on the next stage of their life and where we celebrate those who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms all of these important and
004memorable moments took place and will continue to take place in the Larry Sanks Memorial gymnasium but who was Larry C banks [Music] Larry was born on September 21st 1948 in Brown County Indiana he grew up doing those things to kids in Brown County today do enjoying sports like baseball as well as hunting and fishing as a teenager he spent his entire education in Brown County Schools and was a member of the first graduating class from Brown County High School in 1966 while in school he was known as a type of person with whom everyone could get along he was friendly and a happy kid that everyone liked including the ladies who found him to be quite handsome his sister sandy Summers described him as being a big Kidder and someone who made everyone feel important
005no matter who you were his uplifting spirit to others at Lee's favorite classes were woodshop and metal shop where he held many other shoes home their craft and even lobbied the principal to allow girls to enroll in the courses as it weren't allowed during this time a mechanically minded student Larry had a natural ability to maintain and rebuild automobiles which he enjoyed doing with his father who played a major influence in his life the Vietnam conflict was an ongoing war taking place 8560 six miles from Brown County Indiana on the other side of the world Larry believes strongly in the ideals of the United States and was a true patriot which is why he did not hesitate to join the effort when it came time for the United States to enter this conflict Larry's father
006volunteered in World War two and was enlisted in the 26th Infantry known as the blue Spader's inspiring Larry to volunteer in the steam division in the conflict of his generation Larry left for Vietnam the day before his 19th birthday after only 28 days in Vietnam Larry was killed in an ambush while on patrol and a rubber tree plantation that was located northwest of Stagg on during this Patrol private first class banks twist with a machine gunner and an assistant machine gunner carrying extra ammunition when the machine gunner was taken out Larry and a fellow soldier John Young did not hesitate to act with no regard for their personal safety they stayed out in the open and the gun continuing to fire at the enemy allowing their fellow squad members to escape and melting the barrel
007out of the gun before being over when both men were killed during this battle and were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for valor for their efforts as Larry's award of the Bronze Star medal statement reads his bold initiative and dauntless courage significantly contributed to the withdrawal of the other members of his squad first class Banks is outstanding display of aggressiveness devotion to duty and personal bravery is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself although Larry's service was cut short the war continued until 1973 when American troops were withdrawn Larry was the only soldier from Brown County to perish in the conflict in 1994 Larry's high school classmates Michael O'Hara Gus Schroeder George Miller and Lee Maggard submitted a proposal with the support of the community to
008name the gymnasium in Larry's honor the gym was dedicated on Veterans Day of the same year in another effort to memorialize Larry and out of brown county veterans it was decided that every year the flags in Nashville will be lowered to half-mast from November 7th until November 11th each day commemorating one of the five major conflicts of the 20th century Larry C Banks's legacy extends not only to the gymnasium at Brown County High School but also did the Larry C Bank scholarship fund the scholarship funds Brown County graduates going into vocational training as that is likely what Larry would have done students who receive the scholarship pursue careers as dental hygienists veterinary assistants diesel mechanics and more to this day a little more than $20,000 has been awarded to over 17 individuals 50 years ago
009Larry banks bravely paid the ultimate sacrifice Larry was not a celebrity he wasn't anyone famous he was just a boy from Brown County yeah he died defending our country and upholding the beliefs of democracy and patriotism today his memory lives on every day as students enter Brown County High School's gymnasium it will continue to live on long after current students graduate pursue their dreams and fulfill their life goals as long as the Larry syrinx Memorial gymnasium stands so too will Larry's legacy because as someone once said no one has ever really dead until they are forgotten would you please join me and sharing in a moment of silence to pay our respects to Larry C banks thank you and how about a round of applause for that beautiful documentary [Applause] senator Eric cook is a
010great friend to Brown County Schools specifically and Brown County as a whole we have sincerely appreciated his advocacy on behalf of our veterans and his support for education at the Statehouse we are so grateful to have him join us today and offer remarks of encouragement to those in attendance you join me in welcoming senator Eric cook well thank you dr. hammock and it's an honor to be with you again this morning today we paused together as a nation in gatherings large and small to celebrate the service of all US military men and women who have protected our freedom in peace and in war it's a day we honor all of those both living and deceased who serve the United States from our founding to the present time each took an oath of enlistment traditionally given
011in front of our flag they raised their right hand and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic to bear true faith and allegiance to the same to obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over them according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice so help me God from that oath you can see that what is defended is not a person but the Constitution discipline and accepting orders are sworn to and should any dispute arise the Uniform Code of Military Justice will be faced this is no simple contract nor should it be but it's what binds together those who have taken it from generation to generation technically its obligation ends when military service ends
012but to the veterans I know it's lifelong recently I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor there the USS Arizona and over 1,000 of her crew lie entombed submerged to this day after taking that short ferry trip out to pay respects I noticed on shore a single statue not of an admiral general or president but of a young sailor with an inscription below and knowing that I would be with you here today I copied it down to share with you it's called the lone sail sailor and it reads the lone sailor represents the men and women who have served are serving or will serve in the Navy he's called the lone sailor sailor yet he's hardly ever alone he's about 25 years old a senior second class petty officer who is fast becoming a seagoing
013veteran he has done it all filed weapons in war provided humanitarian assistance in faraway lands been attacked by the enemy and defended our freedom he has made Liberty calls in great cities and tiny villages where he was a tourist ambassador adventurer friend and missionary - who's to those less fortunate and representative of our way of life his shipmates remember him with pride and look up to him with respect I thought of those words this morning before the program as we gathered in the auxilary gym for coffee with the veterans we honor here today each one and veterans everywhere like the lone sailor took the oath and in their own time and place served the nation like those who had come before those now serving and those yet to come we thank them and those serving
014in the garden preserves and we shall never forget those represented by the empty chair our POWs and M IAS to the senior enlisting thank you for the commitment you are about to make you have many options and the fact that you have chosen military service says good things about you it's fitting that those who have gone before are sitting behind you this morning because they will always have your back soon we will hear the anthems of each of the five branches of service songs which bind generations of soldiers sailors airmen Marines and Coast Guard today we honor every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of our nation we must also remember that honoring those who have served isn't just about what we say here today it's about how we honor our veterans
015every day of the year and remaining committed to supporting them and their families in every way we possibly can it's been my great honor to be with you here today god bless our veterans and god bless america [Applause] we have really enjoyed working with and getting to know our state representative Chris May from being seriously engaged in workforce development and advocacy for veterans across our region representative May has proven to be a great friend to Brown County representative Mays prepared a few remarks of encouragement for us this morning and I would like to turn the podium over to him at this time welcome representative May thank you dr. hammock appreciate the introduction and I definitely appreciate the opportunity to to be here this morning ladies and gentlemen good morning thank you for allowing me to
016join you today for this very special ceremony honoring our servicemembers and the sacrifices they have made to defend our country truly appreciate the invitation the opportunity to personally say thank you to these extraordinary men and women last year I had the privilege of participating the annual US Army War College national security seminar in Carlisle Pennsylvania my good friend Colonel Coby short was attending the War College at the time and nominated me for the opportunity and Coby and I were classmates high school classmates at this four-day seminar we exam examined current national security issues exchanged ideas the program helped me great acquire a greater understanding of water defense community and its dedicated men and women do on a regular basis to protect our freedoms that we enjoy I'm so very proud of Coby and what he
017has done for our country and it goes without saying that he's made individually huge sacrifices and demonstrated honor and courage to serve and protect this nation but what I find that goes often overlooked is the tremendous sacrifice made by his family starting with his wife and children and these are the sacrifices that were made by you and our honored guests and their families today just as well my appreciation for our country servicemen and women and their families is truly indescribable you've inspired me with your love of country and I applaud you for the sacrificing of your time and talents to serve the greater good as a member of Indiana's General Assembly I've had the opportunity to ride and vote on legislation affecting all Hoosiers as we continue to work to make our state a better
018place to live and military veterans are essential to the social and workforce fabric in our communities most recently the Indiana House of Representatives enacted a new law phasing in the hundred percent income tax exemption for military retirement pensions by lowering their tax burden we hope the veterans will live here and bring their discipline and valuable skill set thanks to the law allowing veterans and surviving spouses to also indicate the status their status on state IDs driver's license and permit applications the state can now use this information to also contact them about those helpful resources another law that I co-author offers a similar way to recognize our country's heroes to ensure India and disabled Hoosier veterans license plates are updated to include the insignia of the veterans branch of service and conveniently the fees for these
019plates help fund the veteran's services just as well so much of this legislation we draft in the Indiana General Assembly is inspired by the concerns and the feedback we receive from our constituents including our veterans and the groups supporting our servicemen and women we know there is always more that can be done the more that we can do to support active members and veterans so please don't hesitate to reach out to myself or Senator Cook as we look for new ideas and new laws that can make life better for our military community you can find us online at the Indiana House Republicans dot-com web page we will continue to work on behalf of our veterans because it's the least we can do for all the have done for us and I thank you again for
020your service to our community and our country and I wish you a very blessed Veterans Day [Applause] next I would like to welcome two members of our local VFW who will introduce the finalists and winners of a voice of democracy and patriots pen essay contests after the awards are given the winner of the voice of democracy contest will read her essay would you please join me in welcoming our treasured members of our VFW mr. burden well it seems like this comes around lot faster every year but we had some excellent patrons pen and voice of democracy winners and essays this year they were real close so as I called out your name will you please come down I have a certificate for you as well as a medal so for a third place and even
021though I say they're third place second place in first place they're all winners they were excellent each one of them will be entered into our district essay contest from there they go to the state winners from there those to the national so third place pay trip in Leslie Austin [Applause] so we're achieving a certificate and a bronze medal [Applause] second place goes to Michael a Grayson [Applause] first place and I'd like to be a nerve dinner meeting tonight because this is gonna be a good one probably first place goes to Clayton Austin [Applause] right after the program if I can get all the winners to come back down here where we can get a picture so we can Center your essays into the district so please come back down just since the program is over
022flush the democracy third place those Tristan D shields see we see vivica wrong heaven [Applause] a chip [Applause] second place receiving a certificate a silver medal and also a check is M Allah Custer [Applause] and our big one last year she placed third place in it sa contest this year she placed first year Chloe Robertson [Applause] she will now read her essay [Applause] hi thank you I'd like to thank our local VFW for giving me this opportunity it's 7:00 in the evening in a small town called Frankfort Indiana I sit with my grandfather Phillip Stoops and the rest of my family as we wait in anticipation for our annual Thanksgiving dinner to commence my sister as usual is pawning through the stash of our family's centuries old photos and Diaries admiring relatives so distant I
023can hardly recall their names she pulls out an unfamiliar map from a well web the box unfolding it with great Greek look she says proudly inspecting her new discovery I found a map of seal my grandpa laughs and taking the map from her curious hands scanning it over with heavy eyes sole he corrects her I was stationed in South Korea after the war I knew my grandfather was a veteran my mother had shown me photos of him in uniform and he'd always emphasized the importance of America's military history to me and my sister he had given us books upon books chronicling the history of the world wars showing us planes and boats and weapons I seldom had names for my grandfather has always been a true patriot of the United States and his stories of
024military service the sacrifices he and thousands of other men and women have made for this country can inspire faith for the future and even the most pessimistic citizens what makes America great my grandfather would say is its history that is a history of triumphs of failures a history of resistance of mistakes and bravery America in itself cannot be viewed as only one thing as either perfect or flawed the United States is a product of all his achievements and disasters each experienced opening a new era for improvement the US has presided over incredible successes everything from defeating the tyranny of a deplorable King to maintaining military power that rivals those and biblical tales we have withstood a dozen Wars traveled to the moon introduced revolutionary ideas to our government and parietal freedom for nearly five hundred
025forty five million citizens across two centuries but success is not the result of perfect circumstances much of America's freedom is the product of years even decades worth of struggles to achieve true equality as promised for all citizens in the Constitution the United States has had to destroy the institution of slavery repeal laws infringing on the rights of minorities in combat prejudice held in the hearts of many Americans we have arguably abused our advanced technology killing 225,000 people in a span of four days during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki we have overstepped our boundaries involving ourselves in international matters only to worsen political strife how then one might wonder can my grandfather embody such pride in this country when he is well aware of its terrible mistakes how can a nation born from violence slavery
026and injustice ever redeem itself to the title of great it is because for each of these tragedies America has proven its resilience throughout the history of the United States we have forged alliances among ourselves in our opponent's learning from our mistakes to ensure that they do not occur again America is not only a melting pot cultures languages and people it is a melting pot of experiences that have shaped the way the world views this nation to be great America must not be perfect as no nation is capable of being so but rather it should embrace its imperfections and use them to catapult the country into a future of prosperity where mistakes are openly embraced as opportunities for improvement my grandpa like so many others has pride in his country not only for its greatness but
027for its failures what makes America great its history a history with successes and downfalls that have molded the country into the incredible world power it is today when my grandfather looks back on that old map of Seoul he sees his contribution to America's legacy he reminds us that an individual's experiences can be mightier than any war stronger than any tyrant and more significant than any amount of injustice the history of a nation is a combination of every citizens experience and there is no better indicator to America's greatness in the past it has overcome thank you [Applause] [Music] is crazy [Applause] good morning I'm Matthew stark I'm principal here at Bryan County High School the next section of our program is to honor those high school students would either made a full commitment or are considering
028a commitment to the United States military service first who is taking the oath already I would ask heat root to Sam and be recognized [Applause] keith has made a commitment to the United States Army we have two students in our seaman sea cadet program Tobey Smith and Brian Smith if you would also step out to be recognized [Applause] and finally Aaron harden Matthew minna-san Perkins and Haley hash if you would stand who are considering military service at this time [Applause] as Senator Cook has said is it is fitting that you stand behind them as of our recent grads or our soon-to-be grads as they choose to do military service to continue this long tradition of Brown County thank you again and thank you to our veterans just a few months ago on August the 15th
0292019 our nation suffered a great loss losing active members of our military is always devastating however August 15th was a day that our community will not soon forget Kelly Bruner is our principal of Holmesburg elementary school she and I would like to ask family of Staff Sergeant Andrew Michael st. John to come to the front so we can take a moment to honor and celebrate the life and service of this American Hero [Applause] staff sergeant Andrew st. John and his beautiful wife who's with us today and their children Max and Audrey Ashton withers taka veikkaus we're both elementary students at Holmesburg elementary school Staff Sergeant st. John ultimately graduated from Martinsville High School in 2009 when he made the selfless decision to enlist in the United States Army where he's a member of the Charlie
030Company 1st 325 82nd Airborne Infantry Division and later transitioned into the Army National Guard where he served for the last 10 years during his service he served in the Haiti humanitarian effort the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq war most recently he served as the observed controller trainer training fellow service members in an operation named wolf his life was tragically lost on August 15th during a military training accident in Fort Hood Texas we would like to present his beautiful wife Ashton with a plaque that will also forever be hung in the halls of Helm's burg elementary school we hope that this small token of our sincere sympathy and celebration of the hero who was your husband will afford you with the knowledge that your home loves you honors you and is always here for you
031friends will you help me in honoring this great American Hero [Applause] sure hi I'm Ashton I graduated here actually I grew up here my whole life but just FYI yeah this is a hard spot to be in but I'll tell you going forward life is short guys life is short so hug everybody love everybody use kind words right max kind words and and just just continue to love others okay because you don't never know what went at their time is or whatever so just if you can take that from this that would be great [Applause] like to transition a little bit here one of our own mr. Jerry Bell would like to take a few moments to talk about the Indy Honor Flight mr. Bell would you come forward please [Applause] I like this moment
032just to thank everybody from Brown County all the students and everyone that had anything to do with the Honor Flight I was on the Honor Flight October 26th and when we left DC and headed back they give us a large envelope and said it was our mail call we started opening those envelopes and it was all letters have appreciation from all the students in Brown County and all over Indiana we had letters from the elementary the middle school and high school and from the elderly from around the county but I want to just take this time to thank brent County's got some excellent kids and that reflects back on the teachers of Brown County and they doing a great job on raising our kids and I just want to thank old Olivia and it was
033a great honor flight and I just put you all in our hearts thank you [Applause] next up we have one of our favorite parts of our program our Brown County High School Wind Ensemble will play and the choirs from Brown County junior high school and Brown County High School will sing the pride of America veterans when you hear the song that represents your military branch we invite you to stand as we celebrate your branch of service [Music] you [Music] the United States Army [Music] the United States Marine Corps [Music] the United States Navy [Music] the United States Coast Guard [Music] the United States Air Force [Applause] I just like to take a moment to thank our outstanding musicians who are assisting with our program today we sincerely appreciate our Brown County high school bands led
034by their director mr. Matthew Finley as well as our Bronco new junior high school choir led by mr. Daniel wing and our high school choir led by Miss Christy Billings will you join me in thanking these talented students in their director mrs. Emily Llywelyn is one of our educators in the social studies department at Brown County High School Ms Llewellyn was selected as one of only 18 educators from across America selected to participate in memorializing the fallen a teacher professional development program from the National History Day organization throughout the memorializing the Fallen program mrs. Llewellyn participated in discussions and researched a service member who never returned home mrs. welland serous membrane rafin of Brown County Indiana Griffin was a member of the 16th Infantry Regiment first division of the United States Army we have asked
035Ms Llewellyn to share a little bit more about her experience and she will also tell us about the way in which she gave great honor to another boy from Brown County private ray Griffin would you join me in welcoming mrs. Emily Llewellyn [Applause] good morning as dr. hammock stated my name is Emily Llewellyn and I'm a teacher here at Brown County High School this past summer I had the opportunity of a lifetime which is what I'm here to share with you all as many of you know National History Day is a fantastic program for history students to practice their historical research skills with the potential to compete on the national stage in Washington DC every summer but National History Day also provides countless opportunities for teachers last December I was lucky enough to be selected
036as one of 18 teachers from across the United States to participate in one of their programs in collaboration with the World War one Centennial Commission and the pride scre military Library and Museum this program called memorializing the Fallen was focused on studying World War one and its impact here in America as well as in Europe World War one is often seen as simply being a stepping stone to world war two this program strove to highlight the importance of this war and the soldiers who fought in it beginning in January I became a student again reading books and articles about World War one as well as completing online discussions with other teachers and participating in webinars with a professor from George Mason University and a curator from the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery we learned about the humanity
037of the war about the tragedy inflicted on people both far and wide and about the cataclysmic impact this war had on the world all of this culminated and the trip to France and Belgium in June where we walked in the footsteps of the men and women of World War one perhaps the greatest learning experience of all was getting to see the place where this war was fought on our ten-day trip we went to countless sights seeing the battlefields of Verdun the Somme and Bella wood we walked in the trenches that are still there today experiencing what it might have been like for the men fighting we saw the physical impact this war had on the landscape to this day there are still crater holes from artillery shells that exploded over 100 years ago to a
038passerby they look like rolling hills that have always been there but imagine the intensity of the war to have significantly altered the earth to the point that 100 years later we can still see the impact we saw remnants of the war scattered everywhere like pieces of exploded shells littered across the ground ground from time and exposure to chemical warfare and signs warning of the live ordnance that still exists in the countryside we visited multiple museums including the underground caves that were used by the Germans where our French tour guide exclaimed his gratitude for American soldiers in World War one because he firmly believed without them he wouldn't have been standing there in 2019 and lastly we visited over 15 different cemeteries some of these were British and French where flowering bushes blooms next to the
039graves of the Fallen and personalized messages from the soldier's family where engraved on their headstones one cemetery was German where the headstones were crooked the weeds took over the graves and there were four men buried under one cross or star of david' the majority however were American cemeteries with meticulous landscapes neatly ordered rows of white marble headstones and beautiful architecture devoted to remembering the Fallen in their final resting place the main purpose of this program was for us to memorialize the Fallen we were told to select a soldier from our state to research and to then deliver a eulogy for at their graveside in France I selected private private ray Griffin from Brown County private Griffin was like many before and after him just a boy from Brown County who chose to fight and inevitably
040die for his country born in 1895 Griffin was the son of a farmer and lived near yellow wood lake with his parents and six siblings he attended the Jackson Creek one-room schoolhouse where he excelled the most in his scientific temperance and physiology courses Griffin was 16 years old in the eighth grade and did not continue on to high school instead he found found a career as a barber Griffin enlisted in the army one month after America declared war on Germany in 1917 he was a part of the Army's newly created first division serving in company I of the third battalion and the 16th Infantry Regiment his was the first American division to step foot in war-torn France in June of 1917 after six months of additional training in the French countryside Griffin left for the
041front before his death he experienced combat number of times gaining useful experience in trench warfare as well as frontal assaults unfortunately the experience he gained made no difference when on July 1919 at 1918 during the Battle of Swiss on he was killed after his death like other mothers of the Fallen Griffin's mother was invited to visit his grave in France as a gold star mother but she had to decline because of her poor health she stated god only knows how much I want to go but can she declined again in 1933 as griffons father was blind and in poor health she died in 1942 never having visited her son's final resting place to my knowledge I am the first person who intentionally visited Griffin's grave Griffin's memory never left his mother however while overseas Griffin
042made a pact with his friend Walter Howard that if one of them failed to return home the other would become a surrogate son to the mother of the Fallen Howard remained true to this pact traveling to visit Griffin's mother twice a year from his home in Oklahoma and later from West Lafayette Indiana he even sent her flowers on Mother's Day making sure that while Griffin could not be there he would never be forgotten Griffin was awarded the citation star for his service this medal was created as a way to honor the bravery of the soldiers in World War one many soldiers were dissatisfied with the medal however as it was only about five eighths of an inch big and so is pretty small and it seemed insignificant to them given all they had been through
043the army then changed the medal to the Silver Star which includes a citation star in its center as such any soldier who received the citation star could convert theirs to a Silver Star Griffin never had the chance to do this nor did his family instead over 100 years later I with great assistance from Stephen clay the president of the 16th Infantry Association worked on converting his medal for him it was a challenge to learn about private Griffin since he was never married and he had no children there was no family left who knew his story instead I had to pull it every possible thread and there were not that many I researched on ancestry I went to the Brown County History Center and scoured the archives I got files from the National Archives I reached
044out to the 16th and Tree Association and the First Division Museum in Illinois I read countless books and articles also I could simply learn about this man and the days leading to his untimely death in the end I learned so much about Griffin that I felt like I knew him personally which made my eulogy of him so much more special I would like to share my eulogy with you now so you can get to know a little bit more about Ray Griffin in the quiet sleepy countryside of southern Indiana lies the picturesque community of Brown County full of rolling hills and tiny villages that seem to be removed from the rest of the world this serene landscape however does not protect people from the tragedies in life and war when the United States entered World
045War one in 1917 Brown County sent 301 men to fight of those 12 perished private ray Griffin was one of those men for an errand ray Griffin On February 24th 1895 Griffin was the fifth oldest child of Sarah Park and Adam Griffin as a young boy Griffin attended the one-room schoolhouse in their community alongside his younger siblings Merle and freedom Griffin was 16 in the 8th grade and chose not to continue his education into high school instead he found work as a barber Griffin enlisted in the Army on May 9th 1917 he may have done this because of his family's military history his great-great-grandfather served during the Revolutionary War and his uncle volunteered to fight and separate injuries in the Civil War he may have done this out of a sense of patriotism and duty
046or simply to avoid the draft regardless of his reasons he enlisted in the Army 16th Infantry Regiment and was assigned to company I of the 3rd battalion shortly afterwards the 16th Infantry Regiment became part of the newly created First Division On June 14th 1917 Griffin set sail on the USS Havana arriving in France two weeks later there he began his intense training the next six months Griffin learned everything from rifle instruction to personal hygiene he and other soldiers spent time mastering the operation of machine guns grenades and Stokes mortars while also conducting road marches with full packs in October Griffin became ill and had to spend three weeks in the hospital shortly after he returned to camp the 16th Infantry Regiment packed up and marched through harsh winter conditions to the front for their first
047experience in combat Griffin experienced combat a number of times before his death most notably during the spring of 1918 incanting day where his regiment after successfully driving the Germans out of the village and off the high ground held the frontline for 72 days 72 days in the trenches without the opportunity to bathe delouse or change clothes while the Germans continued to test the American defenses with artillery and gas attacks I can only imagine the strength Griffin and his fellow soldiers must have possessed to endure such difficult conditions after his experience in the trenches Griffin and the rest of his division moved on to fight in the Battle of soir songs in July 1980 the soldiers resolved to win was observed by the regimental chaplain who wrote dazed with weariness from their long hike they pushed
048their way over barbed wire entanglements passed plunging artillery horses and rumbling tanks which blocked their passage through veritable seas of mud on and ever on through the night those weary bodies would straighten the men would hitch their packs a little higher grab their rifles a little tighter and plunge ahead nothing but death would or could stop them this fierce determination led them into success in the battle tragically Griffin would not see that victory as stood a Zinn to the battle and artillery shell exploded and shattered his skull he was buried on the field of Honor by his fellow soldiers one of them sergeant sergeant Walter Howard wrote that Griffin was a gallant soldier who was highly esteemed by his com ray because of your noble actions during the battle where you lost your life you're
049posthumously awarded the citation Star for gallantry in action and especially meritorious service this medal is the precursor to the Silver Star the third highest personal decoration for valor in combat family members of veterans can convert citation stars to Silver Stars unfortunately you really have no family left to do this your parents and siblings have all passed and you were never married and had no children well you and I are not actually related you could become my family so I decided to do when I went what no one else can and convert your medal so today I am proud to present you with your Silver Star thank you for your service and for your sacrifice you will never be forgotten [Music] [Applause] thank you all very much thank you this process was incredibly rewarding it's one
050thing to learn about history from books but it's quite another to actually witness at firsthand and the experience of researching Griffin's life and traveling to his grave is one that I will never forget he truly is part of my family now and National History Day has opened many many doors for me by providing me with valuable experiences and opportunities and one of them is actually happening later this week I was contacted by National History Day about a month ago and offered a spot on another trip like my one this summer except with a focus on World War two I mean this trip is a little different however as I get to share it with a student and so on Wednesday of this week's like two days from today Chloe Robinson a four-time state champion of
051National History Day and I are on our way to the Netherlands and so we will be spending thank you we'll be there for about five days our soldier this time is private private Claude Doty of Johnson County because we had to focus on the Netherlands American Cemetery and there are no brown Kony soldiers that are buried there Chloe and I have been researching private duties life extensively over the past four weeks and she will be delivering a eulogy for him this upcoming Saturday at his grave and we will return on Sunday we're both incredibly excited and we really appreciate the support of Brown County and all of our veterans and your service so thank you very much [Applause] pretty special lady hmm so every year we are honored to be joined by a veteran who
052has served our country and is willing to share with us some of his or her testimony today we will be hearing from our keynote speaker the executive officer and weapons program manager of NSWC Crane Lieutenant Commander Michael D lemons Braun County has developed a very special relationship with the NSWC crane base as we have realized through our work with the original opportunity initiatives that a career in defense of our nation is possible and with thanks to the new interstate only 60 minutes from downtown Nashville to the West Gate of crane Lieutenant Commander Michael D lemons enlisted in the US Navy on July 31st 1996 from Jonesboro Arkansas he attended basic training at the recruit training center in Great Lakes Illinois he served on two destroyers the USS Elliott DD 967 and the USS Carney DDG
05364 during his enlisted years to which he was promoted to chief petty officer his duty as chief fire-control Minh was maintenance and operation of the ship's gunnery stations including all 50 caliber 7.62 machine guns and the main 5-inch gun in November 2008 he was selected to the limited duty officer program where he received his commission as an ensign as the naval officer his first ship tour was USS John C Stennis CPN 74 stationed out of Bremerton Washington during his career as an officer he realized his dream and became the weapons officer for Special Boat team 22 directly supporting Special Forces teams including Army Special Forces Marines and the u.s. Navy SEALs in his 22 years of service he has completed eight deployments six to the Middle East one in South America and one in the
054Mediterranean his personal awards includes six Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals for Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals and the Global War on Terror expeditionary met he currently serves as the executive officer and deputy division manager for small arms division at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in crane he's married to the former Miss Holly Ariza and has three children as an aside I understand that lieutenant commander lemons is quite the deer hunter and even cut a hunting trip short so he could join us here today so on behalf of the deer that surely was yours today lieutenant commander lemons we are honored to have you with us today would you please join me in welcoming lieutenant commander lemon wow thank you thank you for letting me be here today my wife thanks you for cutting
055my deer hunting short I'm gonna ask for your attention for the next ten minutes I don't write things down I don't have a speech I speak directly from the heart so I ask that you give me your next ten minutes you'd rather spend it with me than in class I'm sure I'm gonna start by thanking my fellow veterans I know it feels odd sitting there I'm sure it still does I retire next year and we don't most of us don't feel like we did anything special we just did our job yet high schools around the country today are gathering you in the center and then recognizing your service I'm gonna literally throw this and recognizing your service and it's awesome that you feel humble doing it I love you I love that served with you
056for the folks out here you you might not I'm very loud by the way you might not understand it's very hard for us to tell each other that we love each other because that's not how veterans speak to each other you know how a veteran tells another veteran that they love them they make fun of them they find their weakness and you pick at it till no end if you could have been in the back room from 8:30 to 9:30 it was one hour of dad all against each other but that's how we spread our love for each other and that's that's how we know we fit in together so again I can said I'm very loud I'm gonna tell you a personal story of mine and it can get loud as I get eccentric
057so for some of you some of your pacemakers here hold on to those okay for some of my brothers here see I got to make fun of them so they know that I love them we've got everywhere from from from the Gulf War with me to World War two we have some World War two vets is that correct that's correct World War two World War two okay so we've got a couple of World War two vets if you get the chance today you need to shake these men's hand the opportunity is being lost his brothers in arms slowly disappear every year so it's the rare opportunity to get to thank them for their service but I thank all of you for your service but I'm gonna talk now that I've thanked you I'm gonna talk
058to you all about my favorite veteran group and then at the end I'm going to tie it into this school so do we have a history teacher in the crowd where's where all right so don't hold me a cat I don't like people standing behind me either so but look just don't hold me accountable because this is a story that was told to me and it was it it felt near and dear to my heart and it raises my spirits I tell it twice a week as I swear a new people into government service because it's important that I think you need to hear it so what I need you to do is go back in time with me I need you you're all high school students here some elementary or junior high school school
059here I need you to go back in time and use that imagination because right now you still have that wonderful imagination and I want you to go to a place with me okay I remember being in high school going through history class and I remember learning about World War two and I remember learning about the Civil War and everything else in here and of course I was I'm older but everything else in the history books seemed to just be a couple pages and I'm sure that's not true but it just felt that way but I remember the story of the war of 1812 and I slightly remembered just bits and pieces it wasn't until I was more senior in the Navy that I learned the importance of that war and how it had a haunted
060effect on us and what it means for this red white and blue flag hanging behind me right now so let's go to the war of 1812 and talk about some of my favorite veterans so it's the war of 1812 was basically our second Revolutionary War we all know the Revolutionary War right we celebrated July 4th 1776 we declared our independence and we got into a war with Britain the great mother country of the world and it was a war that we it was gonna be impossible to win so when they came to fight us they had to come from Britain to the United States or to America and they were gonna fight us and they brought the bare necessities we're just thirteen colonies it's an easy kill we'll go in well thump them we'll go
061visit some islands and we'll go back well that didn't work out very well for them you see and we warned and we declared our independence and we became our own country and we started to grow well the war of 1812 Britain was mad they wanted this piece of land they wanted this country so this time they came in full force and it came with a vengeance and to tell you the truth that they were winning they were winning this war they were marching from the north to the south they were burning our Capitol or White House our buildings our government they were destroying our country they were on their way from the from the oceans with their ships bombing our country they were winning this war we needed a turning point we needed something to
062drive us this is the story of my favorite veterans because our last stronghold was Baltimore Fort McHenry and it was it someone's brilliant idea as the war had progressed that the British had a lot of our prisoners out to sea they had a lot of American soldiers out to sea and we needed them back with some very smart people and they were they were kept in prisons at sea and we had a lot of Brisbane British officers as prisoners and our Shore commands on on land in America and someone came up with a bright idea hey maybe we should do a swap maybe we should talk to the British and make a swap because we need our men back I'm sure they need theirs so they sent a man by the name of Francis Scott
063Key does that ring a bell he was an Attorney General at the time and he was gonna go negotiate a fair trade so he goes out and I hope you're still there with me and your imagination that he goes out and he doesn't have 60 Evinrude on the back of this thing he's paddling and he makes it out to this ship and he comes aboard the ship and he's talking to the Admiral with the big hat Admiral we should make a plan we should be able to work out a deal where both civilized people I mean by men you need yours let's make a trade and after hours of deliberation and discussion they agree let's trade so they sent men ashore and they worked out the trade and picture this go down below decks with
064me with my favorite veterans in the world and that's what this story's about it goes down below decks where the prison is where the print where the American prisoners are and he's excited to give him good news and when he walks down he sees him imagine that his emotions when he sees just utter misery and despair men on their knees handcuffed together in iron shackles ceiling is not tall enough to stand these men knew that they were going to die but he was excited to give him good news because he was going to tell him I know just ten minutes ago you thought you were gonna die we've worked out a negotiation for your freedom you're gonna get to see your wife again you're going to get to hold your kids again you get to
065stand in front of your mother and give her a hug again and their spirits raised just a little and he was excited to give him that news and he goes back about decks and he tells the Admiral Admiral I've talked to my men and they're ready to go and the Admiral said well you see we're still good to go we have one problem you see he said what's that he said well after tonight technically it's all it's all a wash anyway your men are gonna be free I don't I don't understand what do you mean they're gonna be free he said well you see those you see in the distance there all those dots on the on the horizon that's the British Royal Navy they're on their way in you see your men we're gonna
066get to go home tonight one of two ways one of two things are gonna happen to get an end result you see the end result is any point this is where the song comes into play you've all heard the national anthem but do you understand what the words mean he said do you see over that rampart right there you see that red white and blue flag that you guys seem to love so much you see all that has to happen is that flag just needs to touch the ground it's just got to tell you the last remaining fort your last stronghold when that flag touches the ground the war's over all your men can go home no one has to die now there's two ways that that could happen you can send word ashore and
067tell them to bring the flag down no bloodshed will raise the British flag and go back to normal and no one has to die or remember those dots I just showed you on the horizon do you notice how they're getting bigger it's the British Royal Navy and they're on their way in and they're gonna knock that flag down and everything in sight around it your choice now put yourself in Francis Scott Key's position he had just gone down below decks he'd just talked to those prisoners and he told him you're gonna get to go home and now he's got to go tell them well you only get to go home when the flag touches the ground any normal person I want you to put yourself in that position any normal person in their right mind
068would say just bring it down we're we're Americans we'll fight next week well we'll regroup and we'll fight next month but I already have a taste I want to go hug my mother I want to go hold my wife bring the flag down any normal person in the right mind let's say that that would be what comes out of your mouth well Americans are not normal people and your American veterans are not normal people so these [Applause] so he was shocked and amazed when he went down below decks and told him that and when he came back up the Admiral the British Admiral with the smirk on his face it's like how'd that go and the only thing that those veterans wanted to hear was that the flag was never gonna touch the ground so
069what did America decide to do we're not bringing the flag down bring your Navy so sunset happens and we're all waiting for this song to be developed you could ask the question it's the flag still there sunset flags still there it's getting dark the flags still there those little dots are now full-size ships the flags still there begins to rain it's completely dark boom boom boom all night they're going to knock that flag down we're going to destroy the fort this will be our country again as the British naval cry boom ladies and gentlemen your song is being written at this moment you see when I picture the words of the star-spangled banner' I think it goes to on in your heads and most of our heads you hear the words the Rockets red glare
070and you picture a rocket going by you can see the American flag waving in the air right is that what you picture that's what I always pictured it was never expressed to me what the bombs bursting in air meant and its bombs bursting in air that's what told the prisoners down below decks that the flag was still there so imagine this craziness has to go on and someone's head when you know they're bombing your country and the only words that are the only you want to hear its boom boom because every time a bomb goes off that means what the flags still there so every time a bomb would go off the grin on the prisoners face would just get a little bit bigger and that American smirk would just get a little bit bigger
071say and bring it that flag will never fall and the Admiral looked at Francis Scott Key and said I don't understand it I hear your men down below decks they can't even see what's going on in there cheering he said Admiral what you don't understand is the American veteran the American warfighter would rather live on his feet and die on his knees and they will not give up and when that Sun rose the next morning all the ramparts stood a 32 by 40 foot flag that still sits in America today listen to the words of that song the next time you get a chance history teacher I challenge you to write that song down and show them the punctuation at the end of it it's a question mark the entire song is a is a
072conversation from your veterans to Francis Scott Key they only had one question it's the flag still there does the flag still wave over the land of the free in the home of the brave and do two men who fought in that battle that flag is still there and then they carried it on and do to the men and women sitting in front of you today the flag is still there how do I tie that into this high school I can tell you because show of hands from my youth in the crowd who have ever heard the words you're lazy you have no work ethic teachers adults I want you to look around and see that hey keep your hands up I'm sorry I don't mean to yell you that you have no work ethic you
073are the destruction of our country you could put your hands down how many of you you have heard those words and I see I have a 17 year old kid I might have said some of those to him but he is lazy you've heard those words I am here to tell you and I will take on anyone's challenge they couldn't be more wrong I can tell you that my dad stood at about me and then it started getting me to ask questions I asked my grandfather he told me my dad was the laziest piece of you they wouldn't believe and I'm like are you kidding me so I asked my great-grandfather my great-grandmother she told me that about my grandfather so it actually turns out that every generation thinks that the next generation is just
074gonna ruin everything I'm here to tell you there's no better generation than the one I'm looking at right now [Applause] and if you feel like you owe anything to paterns it's for you to succeed you carve your own path because these men and women out here fought for you to be able to do it that's really the only thing we asked was that you absorb your freedom and you use your freedom I am gonna be old and a nursing on one day and I want Wi-Fi so I need the smart people here to figure it out so I need you to make sure I live to a ripe old age you are absolute future I do what I do because of you I have kids of my own and I hope that you can carry
075on the legacy I'm retiring in Indiana next year I've never been in I've lived all over the world and I've never been to a state that's more patriotic and we're welcoming and I'm excited to retire here I'm a spy excited to spend the rest of my life here and surrounded by Indiana's and everything that you do for your veterans I want to thank you for allowing me to be here today deer hunting or not I was gonna be here if the school asked me to speak I will always be there for the opportunity to speak to the youth Thank You veterans thank you all of the teachers that are here say god Bless America and God bless the Brown County Eagles thank you [Applause] next up I would like to introduce our two sponsors of
076our very special Brown County High School history Club mrs. Alicia Adams and mrs. Emily Llewellyn and together they will update us on some activities of their club and they also have a very special presentation to share please welcome mrs. Adams and mrs. Llewellyn well good morning my name is Alicia Adams and this is a mrs. Llewellyn again each year we have the great privilege to stand here and speak on behalf of history club one of the most rewarding activities the club sponsors is the genes for vets campaign or brown county employees and community members donate money to the Nashville VFW for the last three years the street club has raised over three thousand dollars for local veterans aiding in memorial expansions and scholarships at the end of this ceremony we hope you also will participate
077by donating to club members that will be located in a gym lobby one hundred percent of the funds that you donate stay right here in Brown County supporting our veterans our students love our partnership with our local veterans this year one of our one of brown county's veterans received incredible recognition on the state level we'd like to bring the commander of the Brown County auto guard and member of the chaplain Corps Dave pate to tell you more about this extraordinary award good morning today is a special day not only we here to honor all of our veterans for their service to our beloved country but on behalf of the Brown County veterans coalition we're here to share with you that one of our own has been inducted into the Indiana military Hall of Fame the
078ceremony took place this past Friday November 8 2000 19 at the garrison house located on the grounds of Fort Benjamin Harrison on a northeast side of Indianapolis this distinguished shrine stated objective is to publicly emphasize the honor brought to our nation and the state by the sacrifice of Indiana military veterans and their families only 99 servicemen and women have been honored in this drawing honored for their professionalism bravery courage unselfishness sense of duty and commitment to others here are the names of the few the inductees Hoosier heroes who inspired others to be better leaders and better people Colonel Donald W Monroe among his many accomplishments he received six Sagamore of the well base Awards feature Charles B ho remember the now famous tuktuki airmen Colonel H where cook fired a pilot twice awarded the Distinguished
079Service Cross our nation's second highest award for valor Brigadier General Benjamin Harrison our 23rd President of the United States Jean Norbeck a wasp women's Air Force Service Pilots testing bt 13 bombers she was the only civilian woman in world war ii to receive a full military funeral Navy Reserves seaman third class earnest Ernie Pyle journalist war correspondent in addition to numerous news reporting and civic support Awards he was awarded the Purple Heart for his support to our nation last Major General Roy embargo aside from his significant military accomplishments he played a role in acquiring the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy for at-risk youth one of the 2019 inductees an army captain having served his country in Vietnam where he was a helicopter pilot has distinguished himself as an exceptional meritorious service by receiving the following medals
080and citation for service braun starred air medals basic through 13 with oak leaf clusters vietnam campaign medal with sixty device Vietnam Service Medal - army accommodation medals and a Good Conduct Medal he attended Hanover College and finished his coursework at Eastern Kentucky University and - his active military service he continued to serve the National Guard's and in his community as a police officer probation officer as well as making a living on the road as a professional driver for numerous bus tours this inductee is a strong advocate for veterans serving on bett tibet coordinator a member of the be a hospital veterans mental health advisory council he also served commander at the Vietnam vets in arc County Disabled American Veterans chapter - a member of the American Huey 369 American Legion Post 13 and veterans of
081the foreign post war 6195 and has been a long member the brown county Honor Garden this past summer the Brown County Veterans Home meeting room was named in his honor the County Commissioners made a proclamation declaring July 3rd 2019 a day to which to honor him he is a loving husband loyal friend to our veterans into so many others it is my honor and privilege to introduce the 2019 Indiana military Hall of Fame captain Henry Hank Marshall captain Marshall please stand so we can honor one of our very own here [Applause] Thank You Hank doesn't want to be called or recognized as a hero he just wants parents to be happy with their service to our nation he hasn't continued to inspire us with his love for others his commitment to our mission and even
082with his health issues that would have stopped most of us Hank just keep smiling and encouraging others I'll leave you with these words from Paul in Philippians 4:8 9 finally brethren whatever is true whatever is honorable whatever is right whatever is pure whatever globally well it's a good repute there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise dwelling these things the things you have learned and seen in me practice these things and a God peace will be with you thank you [Applause] thank you Dave for your kind words Brown County history club would like to present Hank with this commemorative gift to honor his service to our nation Thank You Hank [Applause] [Music] if tomorrow all the things were gone you worked for all your life and you had to start again with just her
083children and your wife you think your lucky stars to be living here today because the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that over Hey and I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free and I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me and I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today as a No and God bless the USA [Music] from the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea from Detroit down to Houston in New York to LA Brothers pride in every American Heart and it's time we stand to sad and I forget and I'm proud to be an American I'm free and I won't forget the men who
084died who gave that right to me and I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today cause there ain't no doubt I love god bless are you [Applause] veterans we hope that we communicated to you today how grateful we are for your service and how much we love you a quotation was shared with me by one of you who asked me to consider using it in my closing remarks today and I'm honored and happy to do that the quotation is from President John F Kennedy he said a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors the men it remembers and while we remember with deep respect those who knew the brutality and heart of war we are similarly reminded by you of ideals
085our nation holds precious like honor valor and service above self we are so grateful to the men and women joining us today those who have passed and any other veterans who served our nation so that we can experience the freedom that we are blessed to know today I am thankful for Larry C banks I am thankful for each of you thank you so much for joining us today it is our great hope that this program will bless you all a fraction of the way in which you have blessed us thank you so much [Applause] and at this time I would like to invite our Boy Scouts up to help us formally retire the colors veterans when the music begins our students will greet you and will dismiss you by rows to the auxilary gym we
086will have our picture taken first and then we would like to invite you all to stay for lunch we are almost dismissed students you are phenomenal thank you so much for your attention today enjoy the rest of the day [Applause] [Music]