Via speaks on honor at the 2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week luncheon

By Cherish Washington, AMC Public AffairsAugust 6, 2014

2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, served as the guest speaker for the second consecutive year at the 2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week luncheon in Huntsville, Alabama Wednesday, August 6. U.S. Army Photo by Ch... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, served as the guest speaker for the second consecutive year at the 2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week luncheon in Huntsville, Alabama Wednesday, August 6. U.S. Army Photo by Ch... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week Luncheon
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Soldiers, civilians, elected officials and business leaders from across the Tennessee Valley gathered to honor service members -- past and present -- at the 2014 Armed Forces Celebration Week Luncheon here Aug. 6.

Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, served as the guest speaker for the second consecutive year.

Paying tribute to one of his fallen comrades, Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, Via began with a moment of silence. Greene was killed while serving in Afghanistan the day before the luncheon; he was a part of the materiel enterprise family, having previously served at AMC.

Via also thanked the Tennessee Valley community for its support to the service members, Veterans and retirees.

"I can say, with all sincerity, that Huntsville, Madison County, and the Tennessee Valley area is the most welcoming, supportive, and patriotic areas in the entire country," he said. "The rest of the nation may celebrate the Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday in May, but every summer you gather to celebrate our Armed Forces with a week."

Armed Forces Celebration Week began as a small dinner hosted by the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce in 1984. It has grown to encompass an entire week of activities and entertainment.

"While much has changed in those 30 years, one thing has not -- and that is the appreciation this community has for its Armed Forces and appreciation the Armed Forces has for this community," said Via. "You've not only supported those of us in uniform - past and present - but you've supported our families."

The theme for this year's Armed Forces Celebration Week is: Honoring our Military. So Via shared thoughts on the word honor and what it means to our military.

"Honor is the bedrock value of our United States Army," he said.

Via spoke of the countless acts of valor on and off the battlefield since the beginning of the war, from the heroic actions of the most recent Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts to AMC's very own Maj. Gen. Jim Richardson, commanding general of Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command. Richardson led a mission to evacuate Soldiers during combat operations in Afghanistan, during which he and his team endured heavy enemy fire and did not leave a single Soldier behind.

Via reminded the crowded room that service members are still deployed in ongoing operations around the world.

"We must continue to face an uncertain, complicated, dangerous and rapidly changing international security environment," Via said. "Aside from ongoing operations in Afghanistan, during the past several months we've seen armed conflicts erupt in Egypt, Iraq, Ukraine, and Israel, along with the ongoing civil war in Syria, simmering tensions in the South China Sea, and North Korea firing rockets towards the South."

He added that these conflicts are ongoing amidst sequestration, declining budgets and plans to "significantly downsize" the Army's troop strength.

Using the past year as an indicator, Via believes that the nation's requirement for a ready and trained force has never been greater.

The luncheon concluded with a teaser of the Soldier Show, just one of many events occurring this week.

Armed Forces Celebration Week kicked off Saturday with the Huntsville Stars Military Night. On Monday, the community participated in a proclamation signing and Concert in the Park with performances by the AMC band.

Tonight, there will be a Soldier Show performance at 7 p.m. at the Von Braun Center here. Still upcoming is a Purple Heart ceremony, community softball games, and a Tuskegee Airmen Dedication Ceremony.

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