Speech: Memorial Day

Copyright © 2026

By Ralph F. Couey

Throughout our history, humanity has been embroiled in relentless conflict.  Centuries of battles and wars have left an indelible mark on our passage, creating a seemingly endless trail of graves.  General William T. Sherman famously stated, "War is Hell."  Similarly, General Dwight D. Eisenhower expressed, "I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."  Novelist John Ball poignantly wrote, "War is a tragedy.  The only reason a sane government engages in one is that the alternatives are even less acceptable."  Tragically, there have been crucial moments when such a hard choice became inevitable.  When faced with an attack, a response is imperative, or risk national destruction or extinction.

In this country, we mark December 7th, 1941, as the start date for World War II.  However, one could date it from 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria, or 1937, when Japan and China went to war.  Therefore, the war had been raging in some form for as many as ten years.  Our late entry into the conflict resulted from powerful political forces of isolationism and pacifism in the United States, driven by deep dissatisfaction with the outcome of World War I.  This created a strong aversion to America getting involved in what were termed "foreign wars."  Many believed that if we could hide from the world, the world would leave us alone.  But we learned that if we try to hide from the world, the world will still come looking for us.  We are too strong and too big to hide.

On that sunny December day, Japanese Naval aircraft roared over the Waianae Mountains to attack military targets throughout O'ahu.  We were not prepared for war.  Our weapons, vehicles, most of our combat ships and aircraft were outdated and outclassed.  America, however, responded with energy and determination.  Cutting-edge aircraft, including the Corsair, Lightning, and Hellcat would supplanted the underpowered and less capable Wildcat and Tomahawk.  The old four-piper World War I destroyers were replaced by the fast, agile, and heavily-armed Fletcher class.  We increased the number of aircraft carriers from just four on December 7th, to more than 20 in two years.  Shipboard weapons improved, replacing the slow-firing and inaccurate 1.1-inch gun with the fast and accurate 20mm Oerlikon, and 40mm Bofors autocannons.  The U.S. also developed the proximity-fused shell for the 5-inch guns, which meant the crews didn't have to directly hit and attacking aircraft, but just get close enough for the radar transponder to detonate the shell.  That development alone would be recognized as the key factor that enabled the U.S. to defeat the Japanese Kamikaze.

Not only did radar improve, but Navy task force commanders also learned how to use that information best in combat, enabling us to win many key battles at sea.

Now, we are not by nature a warrior culture.  Yes, we know how to fight, as our enemies have discovered at their cost.  Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto understrood that if this sleeping giant were awakened, Japan would lose the war.  But when the war ended, both in Europe and the Pacific, we happily made our former enemies our best friends, put away our weapons, and went home, back to a life of selling groceries and insurance.

World War II finally ended on September 2nd, 1945 when Japanese representatives signed the surrender documents aboard the Battleship USS Missouri, then anchored in Tokyo Bay, Japan.  That same site, on the forward 01 level, starboard side, has been preserved as a place of reverence and remembrance.  As General MacArthur said that day, "Today, the guns are silent.  A great tragedy has ended, a great victory has been won.  The skies no longer rain death; the seas bear only commerce.  Men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight.  And the entire world lies quietly at peace."  One of the Japanese representatives, Toshikazu Kase, reported to the Emperor that the General's words transformed the deck of that warship into an altar of peace.  

In those long years of bloodshed, approximately 69 million people perished throughout the world.  50 million of those were civilians.  Entire countries were laid waste.

Peace is often fleeting, yet the peace established on the Missouri that day endured for nearly five years, a time when much of the world was able to catch its breath and dare to look forward to the future.  While violence still occurred and people still died, it did not escalate again into a global conflict.  

We hold dear that day when we gathered here aboard the USS Missouri.  It is amoment we honor and cherish -- the day the world chose peace.  Let us remember that we possess the power to choose kindness toward each other, and to respect differing points of view.  Together, we can keep the flame of hope alive and remain connected to the better angels of our natures.  AS a species, we need only to embrace that better choice.  The real question?  Are we willing to?

Wars are fought by those in uniform, individuals willing to lay down their lives.  In a broader context, they fought and died for our country and the ideals of freedom and liberty.  However, in the micro-reality of the battlefield, they fought for one another.  Today, we remember and honor their willingness to serve and sacrifice.  We also honor those who have suffered the deeper, unseen wounds inflicted on their psyche, spirit, and soul.  Never in our history has the scourge of suicide among veterans struck so deeply and tragically.  This represents the true human cost.  Yet even in the face of their suffering, many of them, if the call sounded, would serve again without hesitation.

I look across this assemblage, and am moved by the sight of this sea of uniforms.  Your choice to serve is inspirational.  Your uncritical willingness to give what President Lincoln called, "the last full measure of devotion" humbles us.  I am reminded of Elenor Roosevelt's war prayer:

Dear Lord,

Lest I continue my complacent way, help me to remember that somewhere, somehow, out there, a mand died for me today.  As long as there be war, I then must ask and answer, Am I worth dying for?

All of us must live lives that create value and promise, giving meaning to the great sacrifice of those in uniform.  We should all be worth dying for.

I am an old Chief Petty Officer and a retired Intelligence Analyst.  I thus feel an unwavering connection to our mission and our people.  I sense that our nation, alongside our allies, may soon face the challenges of war once again.  I know many of you may find yourselves at the tip of that spear, the edge of that blade, serving with courage, leadership, and faith.  My thoughts and prayers are with each of you, as well as your loved ones waiting anxiously at home.  Take care of yourselves and those you lead.  Stand tall and unwavering in your resolve.  Stand strong in the knowledge of what you fight for.   And no matter where you give battle--land, air, sea, or space--make sure the enemy knows that battlespace belongs to the United States of America.