Colonel Ken McAlear's Veterans Day Speech, 11/10/23
Colonel (Retired) Ken McAlear served as the guest speaker at the Lake Lure Veterans Day Program on 11/10/23. The following includes his introduction and his speech for those who could not attend.
Colonel (Retired) Ken McAlear is a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He is a 1965 graduate of the Air Force Academy; a 1978 graduate of the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College where he earned a Master of Military Art and Science degree; and a 1985 graduate of the National War College. He was a Command Pilot and a squadron commander, a wing commander, the Chief of Airlift Forces Division at Headquarters Air Force in the Pentagon, and the first Deputy Director of Operations for the U. S. Transportation Command. He was the acting Director of Operations at the start of Operation Desert Shield, responsible for the initial movement of personnel and equipment for all participating U.S. forces engaged in operations in the Middle East.
Among Colonel McAlear’s awards and decorations are the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, 2 Meritorious Service Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, and an Air Force Commendation Medal. However, the awards that mean the most to him are the Distinguished Flying Cross and the four Air Medals he received while flying 127 combat missions in the C-130 during the Vietnam War.
Ken has been married to the former Virginia Ryan from Tipton, Oklahoma for 56 years. He tells me that she has truly been the wind beneath his wings.
Veterans’ Day Speech by Colonel (Retired) Ken McAlear, United States Air Force,
November 10, 2023, Lake Lure, North Carolina
Thank you to the town of Lake Lure for honoring our veterans each year. Thanks to Jeff Geisler and the staff of Legends for providing the venue and the always delicious breakfast. And thanks to Kathy Johnston who always shares her beautiful voice with us.
It is my privilege and pleasure to be here today to honor one of the most important elements of our free nation – veterans of our armed forces. As you know, Veterans’ Day is actually tomorrow – the 11th day of the 11th month established to commemorate the ending of WWI at 11 o’clock on that day in 1918. But today is also a very special day – it’s the Marines Corps birthday. Happy birthday, Marines! Semper Fi!
I cannot overstate the value and importance of our nation’s military veterans. And let me be clear – that includes women who are serving in ever-increasing roles. Do we have any female veterans with us this morning? Thank you for your service, ladies.
The American fighting man and woman established our independence and has served with distinction in every war since. Millions of men and women have answered the call to bear arms in defense of our liberties and our way of life and in support of our allies.
Service men and women have the ultimate liability clause in their contracts – they could literally die for their employer – their country. Over a million have paid that ultimate price, but just as many, if not more, gave up limbs, eyes, health, and peace of mind after seeing and enduring the horrors of war. There is no escaping the images that one takes home at war’s end.
Throughout our history men and women have taken the responsibility to serve, defend, and protect their families, their neighbors, and their fellow countrymen from whatever evil transpired, and whether they served on the front lines or in support in the rear echelon, they served honorably and capably in whatever jobs they were given. A service man or woman may not have served in the jobs that they desired – in the MOS or AFSC that they wanted -- but they all served where needed and to the best of their ability. They made sacrifices that are innumerable, and that included large periods of time away from families. Veterans did not avoid the draft by fleeing to Canada, or by claiming conscientious objector status.
A combat soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine doesn’t know how he will react when the bullets start flying, but they all hope they will accept the challenge and serve in the best traditions of the military services.
Modern day movies with their advanced technology have been able to more realistically depict warfare, although nothing or no one can accurately depict the horrors of war. But I invite you to see the movie Saving Private Ryan if you haven’t already seen it. Steven Spielberg did a pretty good job in the depiction of the D-Day invasion at portraying some of the revulsions, fears, shocks, and mesmerizing deaths of war. Two thousand five hundred and one (2,501) American soldiers and sailors died while establishing a beachhead to begin the liberation of Europe from the control of Nazi Germany. While that was a horrific cost, 749 soldiers and sailors lost their lives in a dress rehearsal for the invasion that was conducted off the coast of England in April 1944. This practice exercise for the invasion was such a disaster that General Eisenhower considered postponing or even canceling the invasion.
Unfortunately, even today, too many men and women die each year in training for wartime duty. I read just last night that this past Tuesday the commanding officer of SEAL team 8, one of our best warriors, died due to a training exercise injury.
I would like to call your attention to two portraits that are hanging in the Rutherford County Court House in Rutherfordton. They are oil paintings of two local boys who were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Korean War – two young men thrust into a gruesome and deadly war, who rose to the occasion and distinguished themselves in combat. Private First Class Bryant Womack and Corporal Jerry Crump died while saving their comrades. Take a minute to go by the Courthouse (just leave cell phone in your car – they are not allowed in the building) and read the accounts of their heroism -- it will make you proud of the young men this county, this state, and this nation have produced to protect us and the world from tyranny.
Before I conclude my remarks, I want to pay tribute to a special group of dedicated supporters of our veterans – the spouses who become single parents – both mom and dad -- for extended periods of time while the service member was deployed – in peacetime as well as war – those who kept the home fires burning and the families functioning. I know that the first letter I got from Ginny every time I deployed would always tell me about the washing machine that started leaking, the car that broke down, or that one of the kids had to be taken to the hospital within an hour after she saw my aircraft wheels retract as I headed across the ocean. – I see some young people with puzzled looks on their faces. Oh, I think I know what is puzzling them – letters are how we used to communicate before cell phones, texting, and email. We took a piece of paper and put words on it with a pen or pencil, put a stamp on it, and mailed it, hoping it would get to our loved one in 3 to 5 to 7 days. All of us older veterans know that the happiest part of any deployed day was “Mail Call” – that is, if you had received mail!
But getting back to the wives who kept the family together and on track while we were deployed -- these spouses also tolerated frequent moves across the country and around the world. Ginny reminded me once that we moved 17 times the first 25 years we were married. So would all spouses of veterans please stand and be recognized for your contributions to the strength and success of our armed forces. Thank you, ladies!
Now a request for all parents – teach your children patriotism. Freedom is not free and patriotism doesn’t come naturally. It needs to be taught. Impress upon your children how fortunate they are to live in the United States and enjoy the freedoms and privileges that it offers. Teach them to respect the flag and to be thankful for all of the veterans that have protected and defended it since the Revolutionary War. Impress upon them what valuable assets veterans are to our freedoms and to take time to just say thanks at every opportunity.
President Abraham Lincoln warned us that if we do not care for our veterans, one of these days we won’t have any veterans to care for. Twenty-two veterans a day commit suicide because of the horrors of war that they experienced on our behalf. Let that soak in – 22 suicides a day – over 8,000 suicides a year! Please do what you can to support veterans and veteran organizations. There are many good charities that support our vets. Find one and lend your support or make a donation.
In closing, I would like for all veterans in attendance to please stand.
Elbert Hubbard is the author of a very significant quote, one of my favorites. He said:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight – nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety -- is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free unless made so, and kept so, by the exertions of better men than himself."
Ladies and gentlemen, these men and women standing before you all were willing to fight and potentially die for their country, their families, and their friends. They put their fellow Americans’ safety ahead of their own. They have kept us free.
Veterans, may God bless you, your families, and the United States of America. It was an honor to be on the same team with you, and I thank you, and I salute you for your service to our nation.
