Remarks by George W. Casey, Jr., former Army Chief of Staff, Sept 25, 2011.

Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for joining us to commemorate Gold Star Mother’s Day and to celebrate the contributions of a group of women that, perhaps more than any other segment of our society, have “borne the burden” of sacrifice so that this great country can continue to prosper.

Norma asked me to do this months ago. So long ago, in fact, I was still on active duty. I officially retired on the first of June. So I said to her, “Norma, I’m happy to do it, but you need to know that I will be retired then and won’t be the Army Chief of Staff. She said, “That’s fine. I want you.” And what Norma, wants Norma gets. So here I am.

Frankly I welcomed the opportunity, because it not only gave me the chance to recognize the accomplishments of your wonderful organization, but also to thank you personally for what you have done for almost 85 years and for what you continue to do for our veterans, our wounded warriors and their families. Thank you.

Now I will confess that preparing only my second speech in retirement was more challenging than I thought. I looked around for the speechwriter, the researcher, the aide and the secretary and found that I was indeed an Army of One. So I set to work on the internet—something that would have certainly shocked my former staff—to gather information about today and began to organize my thoughts.

I noticed that the ceremony was being held at the amphitheater here at Arlington Cemetery. Over the past 4 years I have gathered here with you every Memorial Day and every Veterans’ Day to remember the more than one million men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.

One year, on Memorial Day, I went from the wreath laying here down to the Mall and delivered a speech at the Vietnam Memorial. And then, my wife and I walked from there to the Korean War Memorial and from there to the World War II Memorial. As we did that, I was struck by two things: I was struck first by the scope of the sacrifice from those wars—over 400,000 dead. Secondly, I was struck by how lucky we are as a country to have generation after generation of Americans who believe so strongly in the values and ideals that this country stands for, that they are willing to put their lives on the line to secure them. We would not be what we are today, the greatest country on earth, without that sacrifice.

And I will tell you that that willingness to sacrifice for this country would not have happened were it not for groups like the Gold Star Mothers that support the families and the veterans that have born the burden of those wars and that send a message to those who have lost loved ones that their sacrifice and that of their loved ones are recognized, appreciated and will not be forgotten.

I will tell you, that your work will only get more important in the years ahead. For today we are dealing with an all-volunteer force that has been at war for a decade—a decade, it’s really hard to believe it’s been that long, but the 10th anniversary of September 11th was only 14 days ago.

I was at Ground Zero on September 10th and helped lay a wreath at a memorial to those who lost their lives that day. On September 11th, at 0846 in the morning—the time that the first plane hit the first tower, I began a trek by bicycle with over 250 wounded and recovering service men and women from our hotel in the Meadowlands of New Jersey to the three locations where Americans lost their lives that day—the world trade center complex, a field in Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon. The ride covered about 570 miles over some pretty good hills—Shanksville is about 2/3 the way across Pennsylvania. It was very moving as the wounded warriors met the survivors who had lost loved ones that day along the way. In a particularly touching moment at the Shanksville memorial, we helped Todd Beamer’s mom and dad raise the flag over the memorial. All of the survivors we met shared a common commitment to never forget what happened that day and the pain that it caused over 3000 families across America and the world.

It is this commitment to never forget the sacrifices made by Americans, and particularly those who die in the service of their country, that make organizations like the Gold Star Mothers essential to our ability to sustain this magnificent all-volunteer force in the Second Decade of this war. For make no mistake about it, we are involved in a long-term ideological struggle against a global extremist network that is out to attack us on our soil and to destroy our way of life. We will continue to need your support for a long time to come.
I want to take a minute to recognize the personal courage of the members of this group. You are an example to us all.

Recently, I was exercising my new-found internet surfing skills and I came across an article in the Rapid City, South Dakota Journal about one of your members, Delain Johnson, that I felt really captured the spirit about what Gold Star Mothers do. It is this spirit that is the reason that your country celebrates you today.

Delain lost her son, Cpt Chris Soelzer, in Iraq in 2003. She admits that it was a “really, really lonely time”, especially since it was early in the war and the assistance programs for survivors had not matured to the point where they are today. Delain, like all of you sitting out there today, looked to find a way to channel a mother’s unfathomable grief in a way that would honor her son, Chris—to “perpetuate the noble principles for which they fought and died” as your motto says. So she helped start the South Dakota Chapter of American Gold Star Mothers. “We’re a service organization,” she told the reporter. “We heal through giving—helping communities and veterans.”

American Gold Star Mothers replicate the courage that Delain showed every day across this country. You should know that your country not only recognizes and appreciates your sacrifice, but is awed by your courage and by the commitment you have collectively made to transform your grief into continuing support to our veterans, our wounded warriors and their families.

On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for what American Gold Star Mothers do for our veterans, and thank you for the example you have set for all Americans for generations. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.