(Spirit Lake)– Hundreds of people attended Memorial Day services throughout the region Monday, including one on the east lawn of the Dickinson county courthouse.
Among those speaking was Jason Reed of Spirit Lake. Reed, a member of the National Guard, returned last fall from Iraq. He thanked his fellow troops for their service and sacrifices while serving in Iraq and the war on terrorism.
Brigadier General Allan Smith, Retired as an assistant adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, was the keynote speaker. He called on everyone to remember those who have served and are currently serving the U-S in the war on terrorism and in Iraq. He called on everyone to hold faith deep in their hearts and to proclaim liberty, saying faith is the foundation of liberty.
Smith said the present war we’re engaged in isn’t being fought in just the battlefield, but it also wages “in the shadowy background where our enemy seeks to destroy us”. Because of that, he says we must never forget the atrocities of 911.
Smith added “Memorial Day is a time for remembering, a time for teaching, and a time for praying”.
He called on everyone to remember veterans of past wars and the 1.4 million men and women currently serving the country.
Smith challenged everyone to be more aware of what’s going on in our communities, the state, the country and around the world. He says it’s important patriots continue to educate theirselves, to guarantee our freedoms. Smith says it’s especially important to do that “based on what military strategists are saying…that the hostilities of the next major war may be fought to formalize an outcome that is already known”. He says “we must not, and cannot, squander the freedom that has been so hardly fought for.”
