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"Deadeyes", both past and present, are part of an honored tradition of soldiers that have answered the Call to Duty. The Call to Duty springs from the Nobility of Service-the Warrior Ethos and Army Values that have been handed down to us throughout the history of this great nation. It is the legacy of those who have gone before-the many thousands of soldiers who have answered the call from the earliest days of the Revolution, on through all the dark times when freedom has been lost to oppression, when people have cried out for rescue from tyranny. The Call to Duty binds us to our service and guides the course of action we take as guardians, as defenders of freedom, for this great country of ours. In the terrible winter of 1776, enlistments in the Revolutionary Army were ending and the fate of a fledgling nation appeared uncertain. Urging soldiers to continue to fight for freedom, Thomas Paine wrote his own moving call to duty: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." The Welcome Home Warrior-Citizen ceremony was created to demonstrate the thanks we have for those that did not shrink in this time of crisis. It was developed to honor, in a small measure, soldiers who have willingly answered their nation's call to war. The 96th Regional Readiness Command has its own unique history of soldiers that have willingly answered the Call, of which you are a part. Over the years, thousands of soldiers from the 96th have been deployed to fight in various campaigns. During the Okinawa campaign, a technical sergeant displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the Call of Duty. When a powerfully conducted predawn Japanese counterattack struck Sergeant Beauford T. Anderson's unit's flank, he ordered his men to take cover in an old tomb, and then, armed only with a carbine, faced the onslaught alone. After emptying one magazine at pointblank range into the screaming attacker, he seized an enemy mortar dud and threw it back among the charging Japanese, killing several as it burst. Securing a box of mortar shells, he extracted the safety pins, banged the bases upon a rock to arm them and proceeded alternately to hurl shells and fire his piece among the fanatical foe, finally forcing them to withdraw. Despite the protests of his comrades, and bleeding profusely from a severe shrapnel wound, he made his way to his company commander to report the action. Technical Sergeant Anderson's intrepid conduct in the face of overwhelming odds accounted for 25 enemy killed and several machineguns and knee mortars destroyed, thus single-handedly removing a serious threat to a company's flank. Now in 2006, we are an army at war for a nation at war. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, US Army soldiers have participated in a determined and relentless campaign to defeat enemies who challenge our way of life. This is a new reality that soldiers understand all too well: since 9/11, American soldiers have witnessed more than a battalion's worth of their comrades killed in action, more than a brigade's worth severely wounded. Their sacrifices in the Global War on Terror have liberated more than 46 million people, but this is not all. The Army Reserve plays a unique role in this campaign; we are citizen soldiers, and as such, we do not just do our military jobs, but we donate our time and energy to the civilian community as well. I agree with Thomas Paine that every man and woman who risks their life for freedom, for something greater than oneself, is a hero. And I am so proud that I am a part of the ranks of men and women who created a country during the Revolution, who freed a people from slavery during the Civil War, and liberated a continent during World War II. Our uniforms, equipment, and even our faces have changed over 230 years, but I took the same oath as men and women who have gladly sacrificed their own lives to protect freedom and their fellow soldiers. I answered the same call of duty to place my mission first and to serve with honor. I am still moved by the soldiers who have come before, and the soldiers I have the privilege of serving with every day. Deadeye Ready! |
Deadeyes Answer