To Honor the Fallen

It is with a great sense of honor and pride, which I am going to give the following speech for all of those who have fallen at war. However, to my great dismay, I feel as if the world has been compiled on top of me. It is by my word that the brave men who have fallen will either leave this world with a legacy or nothing. The most challenging task which I

must conquer here today is to tell you, the people of this great country, the truth in a manner which will not be considered far-fetched or perhaps false. Those who have witnessed the war first hand, or have lost a loved one to the terrible nature of it, may find my statements to be accurate and just, whereas those who have no correlation to it might find my statements to be exaggerated. A man can only bear to hear others being praised for so long, at a certain point they begin to question their ability to equal the greatness of those being praised.

I believe I should begin with our ancestors, not only is it proper, but it is fitting. Without the sacrifices which they gave in years passed, our great nation would not be here to this day. Because of our ancestors, this country has developed from generation to generation and the result has been a land without prejudice, a land without oppression, but instead a land of democracy and of freedom. Because of their bravery, our country has a glorious past, and we the people can all have a great sense of pride to be a part of it. As for our own fathers, they deserve praise just as all of our ancestors, because they have done nothing but augment the nation which was given to them. As our generations continue to blossom and proceed into the next phase of their life, all we can try to do is live up to the legacy which was left behind by our forefathers, and continue to add to this great nation. As for all of our ancestors which helped to free this land of its tyrannical rule from the British Empire, every citizen is eternally in your debt.

A key factor to the greatness of America is our diversity. Our country is composed of all different ethnicities and this is what makes us so unique. We receive great minds from countries all over the world daily and not only do they bring potential, but culture, and culture is a valuable asset to have. Brilliant minds such as Albert Einstein have immigrated to America for reasons of oppression and injustice. People seek our land for our great freedoms and this is something which every American should be proud of. Without our high rate of immigration, our country would not have received some of the great minds it has seen and we would not be nearly as advanced and unique as we are today.
Furthermore, we are a people who know how to free our minds of business. We enjoy our leisure time and we have more than plenty of ways to spend it.

Ranging from professional sporting events to movie theatres to concerts, we have plenty of ways to rid our minds of cares for ample amounts of time. Our cities are some of the most magnificent the world has ever seen. Cities such as Chicago and New York, which host countless numbers of plays, operas, and exhibits, give us an insight into other cultures to the point where we feel as if they are our own.
The possibilities and luxuries in our land are endless. With hard work and dedication, a person can become whatever it is they desire, whether it be an oil executive or a math teacher. Our government does not control its people and force them into jobs which they see fit, everyone is given their own chance and that chance is our ticket to the American dream. This is the reason why America is such an amazing place, the world is truly yours.

Our constitution is of its own breed. We do not copy the laws of other countries, but instead we take them into account. We constructed our own ideals and with them intertwined ideas from other countries, thus producing a constitution of fair means. We are a democracy which favors the whole of our people, not the rich, not the poor, but the entire spectrum of classes. Class is not an issue in resolving a question of merit, and poverty is certainly not an obstacle which stops a citizen from achieving his goals. Any man and every man in our land have the chance to become great, and that is what makes this country worth fighting for. The freedoms which our government ensures excel beyond our political life, and into our everyday life. We are a people who are accepting, and we do not feel the urge to offend our neighbor by commenting on their private relations. “To each his own” is an ideal by which we as a majority thrive, and it has been successful in keeping our country at equilibrium.

Our military policies are completely different from that of our enemies. Our shores are open to the rest of the world, and we do not exclude any foreigners due to race, creed, or nationality. Although tragedies occur such as the attacks on the world trade centers, we are a people who unite in hardship. We are a people who falter but do not fall. But most of all, we are a people who rise to adversity. On September 11th, 2001 terrorists attacked civilians in our country in the most cowardly of ways. As a nation we united and rose above the atrocities which occurred. We reacted in a collected manner with dignity and honor; we did not act like savages and take out our anguish on their citizens.

Due to our nation’s success, certain countries have become envious and decided to consider us their enemy. We do not raise our young to believe that the greatest glory one can achieve is to take lives, including their own. We are polar opposites of the people who feel the entire world population, excluding them, is infidels. Culture, understanding, and refinement are the three keys which we teach to our children. Understanding of other people’s cultures and ideals are as important to us as education. This is the difference between us and the savage.

The men fighting in the Middle East are preserving everything about our way of life. They are protecting our freedoms and our liberties from the dangers of the outside world. The people who choose to threaten our harmonious way of life do not have the blessings which we have to lose and this is what truly fuels their fire. Without their strong character and bravery, our nation would be without security, and most likely, our nation would not be. The soldiers who died defending our nation decided not to run and hide in the midst of battle, unlike the cowards which they must face. Our honorable soldiers instead chose to die fighting, with honor, than to survive as a coward.

I have given praise for the soldiers who have fallen to the best of my ability. What is left now is for you, the survivors, to live up to the standards of our fallen. We all must understand and appreciate the power of our nation, and realize, none of this could be possible without the courage, honor, and immense dedication which was given by those who have died preserving it. We must save in our hearts a section solely for those whose glories will never wither away. For those who have lost a father, a son, or maybe even a friend, weep no longer, for they have gained an honor which will never grow old, and they will forever be immortalized on this earth.