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May 26, 2023 - Stew Peters Show
48:34
THE TRUE MEANING OF MEMORIAL DAY
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Time Text
In
the Trenches with Teddy Daniels
I never thought that this is where I'd settle down I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown They gave me this plot of land Me and some other men For a job well done There's a big white house that's on a hill just up the road The man inside he cried
the day they brought me home They folded up a flag And told my mom and dad We're proud of your son And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've
done I can rest in peace I'm one of the chosen ones I made it to Arlington But Daddy brought me here when I was eight.
We searched all day to find out where my granddad lay.
And when we finally found that cross, he said, Son, this is what it cost to keep us free.
Now here I am a thousand stones away from him.
He recognized me on the first day I came in And it gave me a chill When he clicked his heels and saluted me And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company And I'm thankful for those,
thankful for the things I've done.
I can rest in peace.
I'm one of the chosen ones.
I made it to Arlington.
And every time I hear 21 guns, I know they brought another hero home to us.
All right, folks, welcome to In the Trenches with Teddy Daniels.
Folks, that was Arlington by Trace Atkins, kind of Fits the theme of the show today.
Obviously, we're heading into Memorial Day weekend.
And, you know, folks, I want to thank you all for tuning in.
I absolutely love, love, love my audience.
And, you know, it's not you guys that do this, but the majority of Americans think Memorial Day weekend is a three-day weekend.
Go party, drink beer, go out on the lake, make asses of themselves.
You know, Memorial Day weekend, folks, is to honor those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this nation.
For the people who go out and act like jackasses on Memorial Day weekend that they have the right to go out and act like a jackass on Memorial Day weekend.
You know, folks, I obviously served.
I was wounded.
I lost friends that I knew and served with.
You know, I have several memorial bracelets.
You know, here's one here.
I switch them up as much as I can.
You know, every day for me is Memorial Day.
Every day that my feet Hit the ground.
Every day I open my eyes and take that first deep breath of air in the morning.
It's because there were men that sacrificed everything.
Their lives.
For me to be able to live the life that I can live.
For you to be able to live the life that you live.
And I knew some of those men personally.
And every day is Memorial Day.
Every day I wake up, it's a thank you.
You know, and sometimes thank you just isn't enough.
And if you've ever been to Arlington National Cemetery, to me, folks, that is hallowed ground.
My parents took me there when I was a kid to show me what it costs for this nation to be free.
A price that was paid with lives, blood, and horrors.
It's a hollowed It's a hallowed field of white tombstones.
It's like a garden of stone.
Everything precisely laid out.
I've attended, unfortunately, I've attended military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.
And forgive me if I get a little emotional today, folks, because it does touch you.
Especially when you know the person underneath that flag draped coffin.
I think we've lost our way as a nation to where we truly don't understand the price that was paid for freedom The price that was paid for us to do as we wish, say as we wish.
Pray to whatever God we want to pray to.
Think whatever we want to think.
You know, I've been to other countries around the world, folks, and third world shithole countries, and they don't have the freedoms that we have here.
They just don't have them.
And it's a heavy price, it's a heavy burden to be a free nation.
You know folks, we just came out of 20 plus years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Before that we had Vietnam, then the Korean War, World War II, World War I. And obviously the Civil War.
The lives that were lost.
And you can't look at the numbers.
You have to really grasp it.
You have to look at an individual number.
In an individual sense, if you've never visited the Vietnam War Memorial, I suggest you do it.
If you've never visited Arlington National Cemetery, put that on your list of things to do.
I've already had the talk with my family.
You know folks, as a Purple Heart recipient, I qualify to be buried at Arlington.
And that was a no-brainer for me for the day that I take my final breath.
That's where I want to go.
I want to be surrounded by heroes.
I want to be surrounded by men who gave it all.
Men who stood for something.
Men whose blood Helped forge this great nation.
And, you know, my family's on board with that.
You know, folks, I have four sons.
And it's not so much for me.
I think it's for my kids.
That they can stand tall.
And say, you know what?
My dad's buried in Arlington.
Place of honor.
Because that's something that I'm going to instill in all my children.
And like I said, folks, a lot of, you know, what really pisses me off is I see, you know, Memorial Day sale.
And, you know, they show a fat guy grilling hot dogs.
And, folks, that's not what Memorial Day is about.
Kind of like Christmas isn't about Santa Claus.
We need to step back as a nation and think about the sacrifices that were made.
And I do.
I get a little emotional this time every year because I do have friends that aren't just buried at Arlington, but Lost their lives in combat wearing this nation's uniform,
wearing this nation's flag on their shoulder, and doing whatever it took to protect the American way of life.
You know, people say a lot of corny stuff like, you know, baseball and apple pie is what America's about, but let me tell you, when you're a thousand miles from home and some godforsaken country, you know, you come out of your hooch in the morning and you see that flag flying high over that outpost and it just, it gives you a sense of pride.
And to me, folks, you know, I come from an athletic background.
I team sports, played Division I football.
You know, we weren't playing for us.
We were playing for the people in the state.
I was a guard for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
There was no pro team.
You know, we were it.
And, you know, when I came out of that tunnel every game day, it was...
I'm playing for the people of West Virginia who look forward all week to this game and they're looking for a win.
When I saw that flag every time flying high on that piece of rock that we were embedded on, I wasn't there for me.
I was there for the American people.
And that was a big burden to carry.
But that's what truly motivated me in combat is my nation and the people in this nation are depending on me to get a job done.
And it's almost as if I felt like I was taking The sole burden of that conflict and putting it on my shoulders that that was the motivation that I needed.
You know, I am here for my country.
I am here for the people in my country.
And you know, folks, there's a I went through a couple videos for today that I really, really, really want to share with you.
And I've always been a big fan of Jocko Willink, the Navy SEAL commander from Ramadi.
The guy's an inspiration.
Very intelligent man.
And I found a video.
Called the heaviest flag.
And I'll tell you this.
Again, if God forbid you ever have to attend a military funeral, folks, it will rip your heart out.
Both of my grandfathers served in World War II. I've attended both of theirs.
And I do have the folded flags.
From those two amazing men.
I've attended the military funerals of men that I served with, men that I was in other units with, and it's gut-wrenching.
And Jocko Wilnick actually did a little piece on it to where he kind of talks about what that's like.
So let's go ahead and run that.
I watched through my peripheral vision.
And It's something that I learned to do in the military.
I learned to stand at attention and look straight forward, but still see what's going on around me.
And I could see.
I could see the honor guard take the flag off of his coffin.
Their sharp uniforms.
Their white gloves.
I watched their crisp, well rehearsed movements as they went through their procedures.
Without shifting my eyes, I focused back on his coffin.
I was still trying to process it all.
So much emotion.
So much joy.
So much sorrow.
So much light and laughter and love.
So much life.
All now boxed up and silent in that wooden casket.
gone the honor guard continued with their predetermined movements one fold at a time precise hands moving like craftsmen As they carry on, the red and white stripes of the flag are consumed by the blue field with its white stars.
The flag is finely folded into a neat, thick triangle.
The leader of the honor guard, a second-class petty officer, grasps the flag into his hands.
He executes a sharp facing movement, takes a step, and then executes another facing movement.
He's now looking directly at me.
Our eyes are locked, but expressionless.
We both know we have a job to do.
He marches forward.
He halts just in front of me.
I slowly and precisely raise my right hand from my side and render a sharp salute.
I pause.
I gradually lower the salute and then put my hands out to receive the flag.
He moves it forward into my hands.
I clench it.
The flag is heavy in my hands with pain and grief.
I feel the weight.
A weight I can barely support as it tears at my soul.
He takes one step back and renders a slow flawless salute.
It is my turn now.
I execute a right face.
I take six steps forward.
I focus on my breath.
I clench my jaw in order to get some control over my emotions before she sees my face.
I execute another right face.
I am in front of her now.
I take two steps forward.
She whispers a quiet moan of anguish.
It is the loudest noise I have ever heard.
I stop in front of her, still looking straight ahead.
I bend down onto one knee.
I look at her.
Her heart is broken.
Tears are trickling down her face.
And yet she smiles at me, as if to say, it's okay.
I feel my emotions start to rush to the surface.
I want to break down.
I want to cry.
But there is procedure to follow.
And I am a military man, and I know to follow procedure.
I then say the words.
On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Navy, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation of your loved one's honorable and faithful service.
I place the full weight of that flag with all its agony and torment into her hands.
Thank you.
Thank you.
She looked down at it and pulled it in close to her chest and absorbed it all.
Then she looked back at me.
Thank you.
I break protocol.
Your boy was my hero.
I told her.
I loved him.
And I always will.
She smiled.
And she nodded.
She already knew that.
Her eyes returned to gaze at the heavy flag in her arms.
I leaned in and gently kissed her on the forehead.
That kiss was not only from me.
She knew that too.
I stood back up and assumed the position of attention.
Amen.
I rendered the proudest salute I could possibly muster.
I took one step back.
I performed a right face.
And I marched off and assumed my position back in the ranks.
The guns were fired.
The bugle played its solemn notes.
And my friend was buried in that sacred place with many of my other friends, our brothers in arms, now together again. now together again.
And above it all, soaring in the sky was our flag, Old Glory.
Bearing upon it the weight of a million souls who gave their lives for it.
bearing upon it the burden and anguish of mothers and fathers who gave their precious children for it and yet it flies It flies carried aloft by freedom.
And by the precious memories of those who sacrificed everything to give us that freedom.
Please.
Please.
Remember what that flag represents.
Thank you.
Thank you.
and why it flies.
Folks, Jocko kind of lays it out.
You know, when you see a flag being presented to a widow...
We're a small child who lost his daddy.
That's Memorial Day, folks.
You know, and I think it might have been General Patton.
Don't quote me on this, folks, but I think it may have been General Patton, who said, don't mourn that such men died, but rejoice that such men lived.
Because their legacy and their sacrifice lives on.
And a lot of folks don't know a lot about the sacrifice.
A lot of folks don't understand what goes on in foreign countries and armed conflicts when it's kill or be killed and, you know, you're a rifleman And then kind of what our country thinks about that at the same time.
So I do have another video.
It's a speech that was written by Andy Stumpf.
And it's actually read by Jocko Willink.
And it's incredible.
And I love it.
And it's something that I really wanted to share with you.
So let's go ahead and run that speech.
In a country that most people would struggle to find on a map, in a compound that few possess the courage to enter, men from my previous life took the in a compound that few possess the courage to enter, men from my previous I'm a man.
In that compound, they found men that pray five times a day for your destruction.
Those praying men don't know me, they don't know you, and they don't know America.
They don't understand our compassion, our freedoms, and our tolerance.
I know it may seem as if some of those things are currently missing, but they remain at our core and always will.
Those men don't care about your religious beliefs.
They don't care about your political opinions.
They don't care if you sit on the left or the right, liberal or conservative, pacifist or warrior.
They don't care how much you believe in diversity, equality, or freedom of speech.
They don't care.
I'm sorry you've never felt the alarm bells ringing in your body, the combination of fear and adrenaline as you move towards the fight instead of running from it.
I'm sorry you've never heard someone cry out for help or cried out for help yourself.
Relying on the courage of others to bring you home.
I'm sorry you've never tasted the salt from your own tears as you stand at flag-draped coffins bearing men you were humbled to call your friends.
I don't wish those experiences on you.
But I do wish you had them.
If you had them, it would change the way you act.
It would change the way you value.
It would change the way you appreciate.
You would become quick to open your eyes and slow to open your mouth.
Most will never understand the sacrifice required to keep evil men like those from that distant compound away from our doorstep.
But it would not hurt you to try and understand.
It would not hurt you to take a moment to think of the relentless drain on family, friends and loved ones that are left behind.
Sometimes for weeks.
Sometimes for months.
Sometimes for years.
sometimes forever Ideas are not protected by words I Paper and ink may outline the foundation and principles of this nation, but it is blood, only blood, that protects it.
In that dusty compound, a man you have never met gave everything he had so that you have the freedom to think, speak, and act however you choose.
He went there for all of us, whether you loved or hated what he stood for.
He went there to preserve the opportunity and privilege to believe, to be, and to become what we want.
This country, every single person living inside of its borders and under the banner of its flag, "Oh, that man." We owe that man everything.
We owe Him the respect that His sacrifice deserves.
Saying thank you is not enough.
We send our best and lose them in the fight against the worst evil this world has to offer.
If you want to respect and honor their sacrifice, it needs to be more than words.
You have to live it.
Take a minute and look around.
Soak it in.
All of it.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
You have the choice every day as to which category you want to be in, in which direction you want to move.
You have that choice because the best among us, the best we ever had to offer, fought and bled and died for it.
Don't ever forget that.
Folks, the one thing I like in there, how in that speech, you know, it says that I don't wish any you know, it says that I don't wish any of these experiences on you, but I do wish that you had them.
Thank you.
I think if people experienced a lot of things, they would value life more.
They would love this country more.
They would appreciate their freedoms more.
They wouldn't roll over to an authoritarian government.
They wouldn't be okay with an unjust justice system.
If people experienced what many have experienced, a lot more people would be standing up in this nation to keep this nation great, to keep this nation what it was, to keep this nation With the principles that it was founded on.
And that does bother me.
That truly, truly, truly does bother me.
But folks, let's take a real quick break.
And we're going to come right back.
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All right, folks.
Thanks for staying with me today.
And, you know, I'm not saying...
Don't enjoy this weekend.
I want everybody to enjoy this weekend.
Again, I feel it's just become a big marketing ploy for corporations to run sales and make money on the bodies and the lives and the memories of those who sacrificed, gave the ultimate sacrifice for this nation.
And I do have a problem with that.
I do have a problem.
Memorial Day sale.
I have a major problem with that, with corporate America kind of hijacking Memorial Day to profitize their companies.
I have an issue with that.
But as far as the families out there, I truly, truly, truly want everybody to have an incredible weekend.
Go grill, go out on the lake, Spend time with your families.
Spend time with your kids.
But just make sure you take a second and you find a soldier's name who gave that ultimate sacrifice.
You find somebody who gave it all for you to enjoy this coming weekend with your family.
And trust me, there's a million names out there.
Find one and just say thank you to that person.
Just know that you can enjoy the weekend that you're having because that person gave their life for you to enjoy it.
Sorry.
I get, like I said, folks, it's Memorial Day.
I think about this every day with the friends that I lost, but, you know, it does hit me.
Just be grateful for those.
I was actually on a Zoom call earlier today and somebody said to me on this call, they're like, Teddy, you're a hero and this and that.
I'm like, no.
No, I'm not.
I'm the farthest thing from a hero.
And this gentleman said to me, well, I saw what you did in Afghanistan and that was some crazy stuff and this and that.
Like, no, man, you are a hero.
I'm like, no.
You know who the heroes are?
The heroes are the men that didn't come home.
They sacrificed more than I ever did, more than I ever could.
Those are the heroes.
Those are the ones that'll never get to hug their kids, never get to kiss their wife.
Some of these young men were so young.
They'll never Never had kids, never got married.
Just a life that they'll never enjoy and never experience.
So, you know, while you're out this weekend as well, live a life that you would be proud to live for them.
And I think about that a lot.
I really do.
Why would I be miserable in life when these guys don't even get to take another breath?
They would have wanted me to live the best life that I can live.
And I do.
I do.
I try my best every day.
I hit rough patches, but knowing that they don't have that opportunity, knowing that they don't have that privilege, You know, I say to people, you know, man, I'm getting old, I'm getting up there in years, and somebody told me, you know, growing old is something denied, is a privilege denied to too many.
So I should be thankful, and I am.
Like I said, sometimes you just got to take a step back and look at the big picture.
Folks, enjoy your weekend.
Don't drink Bud Light, because I know my folks won't be drinking any Bud Light.
And hug your kids, hug your families.
Find the name of a soldier who gave that sacrifice, and just under your breath, say, you know what, thank you.
Thank you.
And I'm going to thank Command Sergeant Major Kevin Griffith.
Killed August 8th, 2012, Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
He was a good man.
A man I considered a friend.
And that's who I'm going to be thinking about this Memorial Day weekend.
Folks, I'm going to leave today with this And it's pretty powerful.
It's a changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.
I love you folks.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
And I'll see you guys back again on Monday.
Take care.
Take care.
There, there.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to be able to get a chance.
I am the test coordinator, also third in the regiment, United States Army.
Commander of the Relief, whom will be unknown soldiers, the ceremony that you are about to witness is the changing of the dog.
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