Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) delivered the following remarks at the Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Good Morning. And I’d like to first of all note that the sun is shining on us today. And how many of you have been out here in the rain before? Yes, rain, shine, you have been here and this is truly the most beautiful day.
I want to recognize, of course, our Governor for his leadership, also for his service in the Army National Guard. Lieutenant Commander Peterson: thank you. We’re looking forward to your words. Fort Snelling officials: thank you. This always takes so much planning that people aren’t always aware of. And the Chaplain, thank you for your beautiful words, especially about putting our differences aside today of all days, just as our soldiers do when they take to the battlefield.
To our Minnesota servicemembers and military families, thank you. You are part of this proud tradition in our state of men and women who have served with honor, bravery, dignity, and humility. And when you are in a place like this, you can’t help but feel the gravity of the sacrifices made by our brave servicemembers past and present who were willing to lay everything down on the line for our freedom.
So as many of you know, I’ve attended this ceremony every year since being a Senator, the last few years were even more meaningful to me after my dad was buried here. He served during the Korean War. He was stationed in Germany, assigned to write anti-communist material to support America’s efforts in the Cold War.
But just as many of you are here, not only for your own loved one, but also for those that are buried here who may not have family members here today. I decided to look at some of those that surrounded my dad, where he is buried. And one of them you know, my dad was a sports reporter, so maybe it’s fitting, maybe it’s just a chance, but he actually, right near him, is the gravestone of Bob Williams, who was a star player for the Lakers who served in the Korean War in the Air Force and was actually the first Black player to play for the Lakers and made history when he joined that team.
My dad’s grave is also adjacent to the graves of three courageous men who took up arms to make sure that democracy would triumph in World War II, Private Charles Leslie Coenen, Private First Class Charles William Nelson, and First Lieutenant Archie Stein. Of them, only Private Coenen returned to see the end of the war.
The other two were killed in war. They died not knowing if the Allies would defeat tyranny without the knowledge that through their sacrifice, they helped ensure and protect our freedom and our future. And where America is still America. We get to live in that future right now because of their sacrifice. It is a responsibility we must all take seriously to remember the defenders of freedom.
In Minnesota, we have so many examples of our neighbors when called upon lifting up those memories. I think about the family that owned a farm, and on that farm was a horrific tragedy. When the helicopter crashed down of our Minnesota Army National Guard members, Sergeant Kort Plantenberg, Chief Warrant Officer Charles Nord, and Chief Warrant Officer James Rogers Jr.
That was in 2019. And when that happened without hesitation, that family put, raised a flag in their farm field and it is now a beautiful monument that many of us have visited. Last year, knowing that the local communities where these men were from also yearned to honor them, we worked on a bipartisan basis, Senator Smith, Representative Tom Emmer, and Representative Michelle Fischbach, to rename their post offices, Avon, Perham, and Winsted, after these three men.
How else do we honor the fallen? Well, by taking care of those who follow in their footsteps. This means making sure that veterans get the quality health care that they need. I’m proud of the work we’ve done on a federal and state basis, Governor, and legislators gathered today, to make sure our veterans homes are funded, our new veterans homes.
It means guaranteeing that veterans can get their disability claims processed. It means working to ensure that veterans can access their G.I. benefits. We were really very, very profoundly touched by all those that came up to help pass the PACT Act, and that’s about people who were stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan and other conflicts next to burn pits.
Many of them came back and died in our own country, including Amie Muller, whose husband Brian I’ve gotten to know. She died at age 36, leaving Brian and three young kids. She died of pancreatic cancer. Well, this year we said enough is enough. And we passed the bill that said finally our veterans will get the benefits they deserve without going through a bunch of red tape. 23 conditions are now presumptive conditions. And for our Vietnam vets, two additional conditions, including high blood pressure.
So we just asked, it’s really a year where people can apply. And if one practical thing comes out of today, in addition to our amazing emotion, I hope that you tell those who are in those groups to apply to get their benefits. They can call our office, they can go on the VA website, and make sure they get their due.
I want to end with a story that really touched me in the last year. Charles Frances Shepherd, a veteran who fought in World War I as part of the Meuse Argonne Offensive in France. I learned about him from his family who live in Faribault and Major General Shawn Manke of the National Guard and I, we got to give his family posthumously a Purple Heart.
On November 5, 1918, Private Shepherd’s squadron was spotted by the German Army and bombs began to fall. This is in World War I. One got too close and injured one of the corporals in his squadron. Refusing to let a fellow servicemember die alone, Private Shepherd and two others put the Corporal on a stretcher and sought out a first aid station, hoping there was a chance he would live. He did not, but they didn’t let him die alone.
Their group was spotted as they walked with that stretcher and shot by the German Army. Private Shepherd was hit by rifle fire and he took a bullet to the forearm. He was taken to a field hospital for treatment, and five days later, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice was signed. The war was won. He did make it home, but his Corporal did not.
As we reflect on that simple story, the story of an ordinary person doing extraordinary things, we are moved by his self sacrifice. His squadron refused to abandon their Corporal even when they knew he most likely was not going to live. Fighting on the front lines, they truly understood the weight of his sacrifice and felt a responsibility to honor it.
Memorial Day actually tasks each and every one of us with that same responsibility. Today we honor all of those whose spirit of duty never wavered even during the most difficult times. To all those who served, who are serving, or who are simply remembering a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice: today, we honor you and we pledge, we will never forget. Thank you.
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