I really appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today and share this special time of recognition for tremendous service to our country. Being on this campus is a particular joy for me. Missouri State is very close to my heart; I was an undergraduate here, then a graduate student, now I am honored to represent this district in the MO General Assembly. And my oldest son, Thomas is a student here right now. The university's public affairs mission is certainly exemplified by events like this one, which brings together campus faculty and staff and community members.
Back when I was first on this campus, in the late sixties, this country was at war, as we are now. As a young woman from a small town, I had grown up knowing the importance of military service. In Cassville, we celebrated Decoration Day, (we usually call it Memorial Day now), we decorated the town in patriotic colors for the Fourth of July, and we honored our veterans on Veteran's Day.
But the realities of war and the demands of military service were not things I really understood at all until I came here to attend college. Here, I met young men headed into an uncertain situation in Vietnam. I took classes with professors who had fought in both World Wars and in Korea. And then, I had an opportunity to travel overseas with a USO tour. These experiences changed me forever.
Traveling overseas to Japan, to the Philippines….was just like getting a whole college education in just a few weeks. I had never been so proud to be an American, nor had I ever understood before just how fortunate I was to have a military in place ready to go anywhere, do anything to defend this country. I realized how extraordinary it is, that there are people willing to invest their very lives to secure the safety of people they will never meet.
As a teacher, and now as a legislator, I often talk about the idea of investing in the future. We do that every day in the classroom; we do it with taxes that go to schools as well as to roads and bridges. But military service is the very highest possible expression of investment in a democracy. As a nation, we know the importance of security and we must make an investment of resources and personnel to secure that democracy.
I am saddened to be standing here with this country again at war, with our young people again in harm's way. But no matter what an individual's opinion may be about this current war, there can be no doubt that this nation very well-served by those brave women and men in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Nothing is more important than recognizing all who served and who are serving now.
It seems like a lot has changed in the world since I first came on to this campus. Hairstyles, clothing, tattoos for everyone, computers for everyone, piercings every where. But what's essential about this country is very much the same. We have brave men and women willing to put themselves into harm's way to protect our freedoms.
I can never fully understand the sacrifices you and your families have made for you to be able to serve your country as you have and as you do, but I want you to know just how deeply I appreciate those sacrifices. Because of you, we all sleep better at night, because of you, we get to be here today, enjoying this wonderful event, because you were willing to invest your time, your expertise in the armed services on our behalf, we enjoy liberty every day, even to the point where we take it for granted.
Thank you for your unending devotion to democracy and your selfless sacrifice – I am honored to be here with you today.
