HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- In a memorable speech that stirred up images of the nation’s proud legacy of freedom and of the U.S. flag as a symbol of Americans’ hopes and dreams, one of the nation’s highest ranking Army officers told a luncheon group of more than 600 business and community leaders that their continued support is essential for the Armed Forces to continue in its mission of defending freedom’s frontier.
“As we celebrate our Armed Forces, we should be mindful of the storied legacy of its six institutions, and what they have meant over the last 247 years -- one year older than our nation,” said Gen. Ed Daly, commanding general of the Army Materiel Command. “It’s a legacy steeped in character, values, courage and the heroism of its number one focus and our most important asset -- the American service member.”
Daly’s remarks were made during the annual Armed Forces Celebration Luncheon June 29 in Huntsville, the highlight of a week of Chamber of Commerce-hosted activities celebrating the nation’s military and the local community’s connection to the Department of Defense through Redstone Arsenal.
“I would like to recognize all those who support the Armed Forces, through a myriad of different ways. Your support is essential to our mission,” Daly told the attendees.
The luncheon included the presentation of 2022 inductees into Redstone Arsenal’s Good Neighbor program, which recognizes local citizens who have made long-lasting and notable contributions to the installation and its workforce. The inductees were: retired Brig. Gen. Bob Drolet; Gold Star Mother Annette Hall; retired Command Sgt. Maj. Charlie Miller and the Chamber’s Mike Ward. Daly and Lt. Gen. Donnie Walker, AMC’s deputy commanding general and Redstone Arsenal’s senior commander, made the presentations.
“Thank you for your dedication to serving our service members and their families. You are all great examples of the unity and synergy the arsenal shares with this community,” Daly said, referring to the inductees.
Daly expressed his appreciation to the less than 1% of the U.S. population who choose to serve the nation as Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Guardians or Coast Guardsmen as well as DOD civilians. He also recognized Gold Star families, military families and the community that provides support to service members.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our Armed Forces families: the spouses and family members who sacrificed, and in many cases are separated from their loved ones and service members for anniversaries, birthdays and other major life events because of deployments, missions and major training exercises. Families are the fundamental core to our strength,” Daly said.
Daly said events like North Alabama’s Armed Forces Celebration showcase the vital community support that ensures the nation’s strong and resilient military.
“I stand here, humbly, as a Soldier in the greatest Armed Forces the world has ever known. Part of an Armed Forces that is ready and relevant. Part of an Armed Forces that is a major element of national power. And part of an Armed Forces that stands on the shoulders of giants who have served in this great profession of arms for the past two and a half centuries,” he said.
Mentioning European allies and partners and especially the people of Ukraine, Daly said the synergistic integration of efforts from all services, and across all domains, is more important than ever. The nation’s nearly 2.2-million service members are the best-led, best-equipped, best-trained and most lethal force in the world, he said.
In closing, Daly referred to the words of the national anthem and to the wall-to-wall U.S. flag hanging behind the podium, saying the questions asked in the anthem speak to the heart of the nation. Written during the War of 1812, those questions are still relevant today.
The first question, Daly said, begins with songwriter Francis Scott Key, imprisoned on a British warship off the coast of Baltimore asking fellow prisoner John Skinner on the morning following the bombardment of Fort McHenry, if he can still see what they had seen as the sun set the previous evening, which was the American flag “gallantly streaming.”
“The second question starts out hopeful, saying how they caught glimpses of the flag throughout the night, thanks to the light created by all of the rockets and bombs,” Daly said. “But then it ends with Key asking Skinner, as the sun rose over Fort McHenry ‘… does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave … o’er the land of the free … and the home of the brave?’
“Think about it. That question is asked every time our national anthem is performed. And it’s our duty to answer it. So, does the Star Spangled Banner still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? Thanks to the brave men and women of America’s Armed Forces, and the free people of this nation who support them, the answer has been, and remains today … yes!”
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