We as a country need to remember our “forgotten” military heroes, according to a longtime Naval officer from Burr Ridge.
“People forget about military personnel and what peril they face until we are involved in peril as a country,” said retired Naval Cmdr. Dale Bottom, who gave the keynote address at Burr Ridge’s annual Armed Forces Day Celebration Saturday.
Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub agreed, saying Armed Forces Day needs to be front-page news across the county.
“It’s never been too big,” Straub said of the annual day to honor active military. “Armed Forces Day should be one of the most popular holidays in the country. It gets a little bit lost because it’s not Memorial Day where we’re honoring our dead and Veterans Day where we’re honoring our veterans.”
Straub said one of the challenges of Armed Forces Day has is it is so broad, recognizing all five branches of the military.
“I would love to see it become more popular across every city, state and village around the country. It is so rare because it is the only one that celebrates those who are currently serving,” he said. “Fourth of July we certainly respect everyone who’s serving, but it is more important to do a day that specifically pinpoints those who are serving currently and all five branches of the military.”
Just having the opportunity to hear patriotic songs and take pride in being an American made the day special for Straub, who wore a red, white and blue tie.
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“It is so rare these days that you actually get to hear the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and ‘America the Beautiful’ all in one setting,” Straub said. “That I think is extra special and a great reminder of our patriotism, of our country.”
Straub, who said the Gettysburg Address at all 50 U.S. state capitols in 50 days during a trek a few years ago, said President Abraham Lincoln’s address conveys a message of hope for our country and is short enough to be remembered by adults and memorized by children
Westmont Navy veteran Marcel Levesque, who was on the USS Bunker Hill in 1945 when Japanese kamikaze pilots flew into the ship, killing nearly 400 of his shipmates, attended the ceremony.
“I enjoyed the program very, very much,” Levesque said. “It’s very touching, well organized and well done.”
Fellow Navy veteran Bill Wavak, also of Westmont, was supposed to attend another event, but changed his plans to attend his third Burr Ridge Armed Forces Day ceremony.
“This takes preference,” Wavak said. “It is a great event.”
Bottom said Armed Forces Day is an opportunity to recognize all the men and women dedicated to serving our country
“We recognize their personal sacrifice,” Bottom said. “In the past, we had a draft. Today, we have an estimated 1.2 million volunteers serving our country. These are not individuals we had to drag out of their house. These are individuals who are serving voluntarily. That is a big reason why Armed Forces Day is important.”
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press