by FTG-1 Norm Beznoska Jr., US Navy 1958-64, Strongsville, Ohio: When I was 17-years old, I proudly took the Oath of Enlistment in the United States Navy. Like the men and women who came before and after me, I took this Oath* seriously and its’ words mean even more to me, today, some 50 years later:“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed Over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
How can I forget the men and women I was honored to serve with in the Armed Forces of the United States? - Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen, who came from all parts of America. From farms of the Midwest, small towns of New England and the South, from the big cities of the West, the mountains and the prairies, and from all walks of life. I trusted and depended on them, just as they trusted and depended on me - for comradeship, for courage, and for our very lives. In a word, they were and will forever be my “shipmates.”
Recalling the words of an anonymous poem by a World War II Veteran, I ask you, my fellow citizens, whatever your opinions or beliefs, to respect and honor those who have and are answering the call to serve our country by saying “Thank You”, this 11th day of November:
who has given us Freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us Freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us Freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the community organizer,
who has given us Freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the Right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who was willing to give his life for you.
It is the VETERAN, who salutes the flag,
who served the flag and someday,
will be buried under that flag!
Keeping that Oath of Enlistment I took in mind, I can’t help but recall the words of Samuel Adams, a Veteran of the American Revolution:
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin”.
To my fellow Veterans, if there ever was time to remember we swore a sacred oath to always defend Our Constitution, and our countrymen, and prevent the ruin of our beloved country, let that time be today…Veterans Day 2009!
Remember: “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever." -- John Adams
Norm Beznoska is a Navy Veteran and known to his friends as "Navyman Norm." He and Mrs B. have 3 children one of them served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Navy pilot. He is a proud member of Rolling Thunder and subscribes to the ARRA News Service. He lives by the Navy motto: "Non Sibi, Sed Patriae".... Not for Self, but For Country!
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*Officers since 13 May 1884 take this Oath: "I, ------, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
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