The President’s Eulogy at Ft. Hood
President Obama’s words at Ft. Hood in honor of those who died in the recent massacre did what a eulogy is meant to do. His address, in the words of Plato, “extolled the dead and exhorted the living.”
(For the full speech and text, go here.)
I found his tribute to each of the dead — when he spoke each person’s name and in 45 to 55 words summed up their lives — particularly moving. “Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity and the decency of those who serve, and that is how they will be remembered.”
November 12th, 2009 at 12:03 am
The reading of the names of the dead and their associated bios was very powerful. I heard the speech on the radio, and yet I would have changed a few words after the next two paragraphs:
>Tomorrow is Veterans Day. It is a chance to pause, and to pay tribute - for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.
>For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us - every single American - must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.
## We need not {ONLY} look to the past for greatness, because it is {ALSO} before our very eyes.
Tom Brokaw’s book popularized the phrase “The Greatest Generation” in describing veterans of WWII. The addition of ^ONLY^ and ^ALSO^ preserves that distinction, while at the same time saluting the warriors who are currently fighting the wars in Iraq and AfPak. I admit my personal bias, my father fought in Africa and Italy during WWII, and my mother was an Army nurse, Stateside.
November 20th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Sean,
I like your simple additions. Two words change the meaning of the sentence (and the though) without doing it damage and with respect to those who went before.
By, the way, my father served in the army in Alaska during WWII, listening in on Japanese radio transmissions, and my mother was a WAVE stationed in D.C.