On November 11, 2006, I was privileged to speak at a ceremony in Lansing, Illinois, organized by Rich Dominiak, that honored our veterans. With one minor deletion mentioning local officials, the text has been reprinted below.

Guy Adams

The poem “A Combat Soldier’s Prayer” by Gary Jacobson, says in part:

          Tell me that I did not give my all for you in vain
          That brothers and sisters do not look upon my sacrifice
          With hate,
          Or even worse…
          Uncaring disdain.

It is far from disdain, and indeed it is a great privilege for me today, to be here among such highly honored veterans and esteemed citizens. Thank you all for coming. Whenever I see a veteran or soldier on active duty, I always take the time to thank them for their service. And to the veterans here among us today, my wife and I thank you from the bottoms of our hearts, for keeping America the home of the free and land of the brave.

It’s especially good to have God here among us today, is it not?

It was only 219 years ago that Benjamin Franklin said of God to those writing our Constitution:

Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that that an empire can rise without His notice? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

How do we honor the soldiers, sailors and airmen appropriately enough if we first do not to give honor to God? For it appears to me, that God and the American soldier have walked hand in hand over the last two centuries…

· Was God not there when our nation was founded? Many times the Revolution was at risk.

· Did God not give a special kind of courage to the brave defenders of the Alamo?

· Was a righteous God not there when the Civil War was fought to end slavery?

· Was the God of strength not there when a badly outnumbered Teddy Roosevelt stormed San Juan Hill?

· Was almighty God not present when our fathers – and even some of you here today – fought to save the world, no less, some 60 years ago, in one of the greatest conflicts the world has ever seen?

· When our brave Vietnam veterans came home to scorn and ridicule, was not the God of compassion with them as well? I think He was.

· And whether you believe in the current war or not, and I have seen some of the terrible wounds our soldiers have suffered in Iraq, I must ask you, is the God of mercy not with them today? He is.

So I think that God and our nation have been linked more than most people realize!

America, the beautiful, God shed His grace on thee. You see, our nation was founded on Godly principles, and God has therefore blessed it. Yet recently, our Supreme Court said that saying “One nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. But I’ll bet there’s not a veteran here today who would heed that ruling.

Some unthinkingly say that the faith of our veterans is nothing more than “foxhole religion”, but I think it’s really the simple reliance on the God of our fathers, and mothers, that our veterans believed in. It gave them the strength to go on and in all too many instances, to give their life.

In 1947 the highest court in the land actually said that there was a “Separation of Church and State” even though it’s nowhere in our Constitution.

Ø When storming a hill or taking a beach, there is no separation of church and state, is there? It’s only the simple prayer “God, give me strength.”

In 1962 this court also said that you couldn’t pray in public schools.

Ø If you’re fighting in a foxhole or outnumbered on enemy soil, no could tell you not to pray, could they? The prayer “God save me!” is unashamedly uttered again and again.

Our National Anthem says:

          Oh Say Can You See By The Dawn's Early Light
          What So Proudly We Hailed At The Twilight's Last Gleaming
          Whose Broad Stripes And Bright Stars, Through The Perilous Fight
          O'er The Ramparts We Watched, Were So Gallantly Streaming
          And The Rocket's Red Glare and The Bombs Bursting In Air
          Gave Proof Through The Night – That Our Flag Was Still There.

The only reason the flag is still standing today is because veterans out there in the audience like you, along with those who still lie on foreign soil, or who rest in the depths of the sea, fought to keep it there.

Guy Adams