AMVETS National Commander Message

A Holiday Message from Commander Fry

December 22, 2011

To our men and women serving in the Armed Forces, it is because of your honor and commitment that we are able to enjoy our freedoms here at home. Even as the war in Iraq comes to a close, thousands of you still serve overseas, fighting to protect our freedoms for, as we know all too well, war does not take a holiday. Your loved ones, too, are enduring the heartache of separation. So to you, our brave heroes serving in harm’s way and your families, I offer my sincere thanks and deepest appreciation this holiday season.

As members of AMVETS, we will remind those around us of the emotional importance of this time of year to the troops who are so very far from home. After all, they are honoring our nation with their service, while fighting to keep our country free. If it weren’t for their sacrifices, America would not be the place that it is today. And at the heart of it all, what they are fighting for speaks to the very essence of the meaning of the holidays we celebrate, and to our core principles as Americans.

While we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers, let us not forget the troops who never make newspaper headlines. From the Korean Peninsula to North Africa, and the Balkans to the Middle East, the United States military is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world. Some are even sailing the seas, protecting our shores from afar. Their mission should never be taken for granted or forgotten.

The debt of gratitude we owe this 1 percent of Americans who have volunteered to bear the burden of the cost of our freedom can never be adequately repaid. The least we can do is to give them more than a passing thought. As we enjoy our holiday revelry, keep in mind that someone in uniform is making your joy possible. The AMVETS Family understands the sacrifices of which I speak, and the importance of remembering those actively serving and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will never forget.

As you continue to make preparations to celebrate this holiday season, let us all consider in sobriety that freedom is truly not free. You as AMVETS know all too well what this means.

In that spirit, on behalf of AMVETS, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, or happy holiday in the tradition of your faith. May the New Year bring you peace, tranquility and prosperity.

May God Bless America.

Gary L. Fry
AMVETS National Commander

Donations and your Membership provide support for our preservation, education, and outreach programs like the USS Arizona Memorial.

Donations and your Membership provide support for our preservation, education, and outreach programs like the USS Arizona Memorial. Your contributions will ensure that we Remember, Honor & Understand the history of Pearl Harbor, World War II in the Pacific, and Kalaupapa. Together not only can we preserve and protect the memory of crucial historical events, but we can help make that history relevant to new generations.

Wall Photos

Donovan Lazarus (in white) accepts the charter for newly-formed AMVETS Hawaii Post #1 from AMVETS National Commander Gary L. Fry on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, at the USS Arizona Memorial. Cmdr. Lazarus successfully launched Post #1 within two weeks of first inquiring with the National Membership Department about the cha...rtering process, and is now working toward organizing the first-ever AMVETS Department of Hawaii. For information about starting a new AMVETS post in YOUR area, contact AMVETS National Membership Director Harry Neal: hneal@amvets.org; He'll get you into the game!

AMVETS [American Veterans] National Commander Pearl Harbor Day Remarks

Commander Gary Fry will observe the 70th anniversary of the "day that will live in infamy" in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The following are his remarks.

It is a privilege to be here today to honor the men and women who fought and gave their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Forever entrenched in our minds as “a day that will live in infamy,” the United States was attacked, and the strength of our nation was tested seventy years ago today.

The sky over Oahu was clear and blue that Sunday morning and America awoke in peace. But at 7:55 a.m., this tranquil scene was shattered as Japanese aircraft bombarded the Naval outpost of a dormant Pacific Fleet. Targeting the battleships moored in Pearl Harbor, the enemy planes struck hard and fast. They bombed the Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam.

The attack was over in less than two hours, but the devastation was overwhelming. Twenty-one of more than ninety ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet were damaged or sunk. More than three hundred aircraft were hit or destroyed. But most overwhelming of all was the loss of more than 2,400 lives and the injuries inflicted on 1,200 others.

The sinking of the battleship USS Arizona remains the most recognized symbol of that tragic day. Today, more than 1,100 men are still entombed within her rusting hulk. As an organization born of World War II, AMVETS has made it a point to honor those heroic individuals for their sacrifice. Our efforts to raise the necessary funds to complete the USS Arizona memorial and, later, the wall bearing the names of those aboard who died, testifies to this ongoing commitment.

And while much of the world has yet to fully realize the peace and freedom for which these men gave their lives, we remain determined that they shall not have died in vain. The Japanese struck a savage and treacherous blow at our peace-loving nation on December 7, 1941. The attack triggered a global war of unprecedented proportions and forever changed the course of world history. Our enemies were unaware at the time that their attempts to weaken us brought them only short-term success. Responding to the attack, Americans joined together in an all-out effort to win the war, which we thankfully have not had to repeat since. It was this unbreakable unity, sacrifice, and national resolve that ultimately became our most effective weapons.

On that fateful Sunday afternoon, an editorial appeared on the front page of the Honolulu Star Extra, which foretold the role of our national unity. It stated, “In this crisis, every difference of race, creed and color will be submerged in the one desire and determination to play the part that Americans always play in crisis.”

Today not only marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but also an unhappy yet inevitable milestone for the veterans’ community. Today, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will observe this day in history for the final time as an official organization. Congressionally chartered in 1958 with more than 18,000 members, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association now numbers less than 3,000, and most members are in their 90’s. Because of dwindling numbers, the Association has announced it will be forced to forever close its doors at the end of the month. This serves to remind us all of the fleeting opportunity we have to, honor, celebrate, engage, and learn from this vanishing generation of heroes, our greatest generation. They are national treasures all, and we must make every effort to appreciate these heroes among us.

Finally, I ask you to keep our servicemen and women in your thoughts and prayers throughout this holiday season and beyond. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan coming to a close, it is our duty – not as AMVETS, veterans, or veterans’ advocates – but as Americans, to ensure we provide for the needs of our newest generation of returning war fighters. We must give them every opportunity to pursue their goals and dreams: to further their education, to find meaningful and lasting civilian employment, to receive the care and treatment they need for service-connected injuries and disabilities, and to provide for their own families once they return home. This is our charge, and we will not fail them.

With our nation and her allies challenged by those who wish to do us harm and threaten our very way of life, it is our responsibility to uphold the principles upon which America was founded. We can do our part by supporting those who are being called upon to defend these principles, carrying forth the legacy of heroism demonstrated at Pearl Harbor. As Americans, we are able to choose freedom because of the bravery of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on this day 70 years ago. We are proud to honor them. May we never forget their noble sacrifices for generations of Americans who followed.

Thank you, and may God bless America.