Good Morning Marion.
It is my distinct pleasure as a Veteran and Service Member to recognize and honor our Nation’s Veterans. Today, we reflect on what it means to serve. We reflect on the driving factors to serve and the sacrifices that come with military service.
Regardless of whether you served in the Marine Corp (to which I wish a Happy Belated 247th Birthday), or whether you served in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, or Space Force, the call to serve is the common denominator that fortifies the strength of our Armed Forces.
Another commonality among Veterans is the Oath of Enlistment. The Oath of Enlistment is an oath that every service member must promise and adhere to for their entire military career. If entering as an officer, you would take the military Oath of Office.
In recognition of our Veterans’ devotion to serve, I will now recite the Oath of Enlistment:
“I … do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
To add to the commonalities that exist among our Veterans, it is important to reflect on who our Veterans were before committing to serve. They were recruits.
The accepted ages of recruits into the Armed Forces range from 17 to 39 with the Air and Space Forces accepting the oldest recruits. For those of you old enough – and there are quite a few of you in the crowd – take a moment to reflect on who you were at 17, the age of our Country’s youngest recruits. What were your goals? Life experience? Influences? Had you already graduated high school? Were you submitting college applications? How were you spending your free time?
Now think about your 20s and 30s. What are some of your most memorable moments? Did you earn your college degree or second degree? Did you earn a certificate or license from a technical school? Did you start your family? Were you able to negotiate your salary and start your career? Did you buy your first home? Did you get your first pet that was not the family pet? Did you welcome your first child? Did attend your 10th and or 20th year high school reunions? Did you lose loved ones or friends?
Most folks can relate to these life experiences and goals, as they are not overly unique. Now think about coupling these life events with military service.
So what does it mean to serve in the Armed Forces? The following is a brush stroke’s glimpse of what serve looks like.
Service is sacrificing time with your loved ones, spending your weekends in support of base exercises and missions. Forgoing holiday rituals and dinners in order to deploy overseas. Missing birthdays and sometimes memorial services and funerals. Not having an opportunity to say goodbye or honor our loved ones. It means missing your child’s firsts … first words, laugh, crawling, or walking. For some, it means uprooting your family just when you started to lay down roots.
Service also means exploring a new part of the world. Integrating into a new culture by eating foreign foods, listening to music, and observing culture and societal norms outside of your own. Having the chance to travel to other bases in order to receive additional training to further your professional development.
Service is opportunity. Providing many the ability to earn a living, while learning a new skill that will benefit our country. Allowing folks to earn educational benefits for themselves or to transfer to their family.
Service is belonging to a community of other servicemembers who often become an extended family member.
As for me, service meant independence. I enlisted at the age of 18. I knew that I wanted an opportunity to go to college without incurring debt, and I wanted to live in my own space as I was living with my grandfather. And living with my grandfather, rest his soul, meant that I had a curfew and rules. I also wanted to travel the world, especially Spain. I took three years of Spanish in high school and daydreamed about eating paella in Spain. Regardless of the military benefits, I understood that I would need to adhere to a lifestyle that demanded selflessness and there was no way I could avoid adhering to rules … just my Grandpa’s.
All this to say that today and all of the past Veterans Days I reflect on my reasons for reciting the Oath of Enlistment. I reflect on my commitment to serve and how those reasons evolved and change over the course of my first enlistment up to my current enlistment.
So, whenever you go to thank a Veteran for their service, it is my hope that you feel a sense of connection to what it meant for that Vet to serve. It is also my hope that families can continue learning more about their loved one’s service, and that the familial bonds of service amongst brothers and sisters in arms continues to build lasting relationships.
Thank you again for being here this morning to honor our Nation’s Vets. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Veterans present in the audience. Thank you for your service, as it my honor to serve.
Town of Marion Veterans Day 2022
By Mandy Givens
Editor’s note: The following is the keynote address shared by Marion resident and Technical Sergeant of the Massachusetts National Guard Mandy Givens during the town’s Veterans Day ceremony on November 11th at Old Landing.