Speech
Disabled American Veterans
Remarks of Governor Judy Martz
Kalispell
6/7/2002
Thank You. Commitment to God, community and country are this nation’s greatest strengths: they have enabled us to rise to past challenges, and they will make us able to rise to meet the challenges we confront today.
Most of you here know exactly what is needed to meet great adversity, and what it means to do your duty even while faced with the loss of family and friends, the destruction of your surroundings, and the threat of personal danger.
You faced the unthinkable with courage and determination, and you have already learned the lessons with which our nation is struggling once again.
Thanks to each and every one of the veterans here today for defending that legacy. [start applause]
Today, it is fitting to reflect on your achievements and those hard-won lessons; to remember that as a nation we have [pause]
Montana’s record of patriotism and national service makes this an excellent group to gather and welcome on this day, those who have prepared a remarkable legacy for us.
From our nation’s soldiers, we have learned the true qualities of heroes.
We also learned from them the importance of shared purpose, selfless dedication to duty, and a strong sense of community during hard times.
Our country is again facing threats to our security, our livelihoods, our families and our communities.
In times like these, we as Americans and Montanans are rediscovering those lessons.
We can draw on that history to help us preserve our national unity and the solidarity of our people in the face of danger.
Hard times like these show the true spirit of this country, and its courageous and incredible people.
Hard times like these bring us an appreciation for the triumphs that ordinary people can create by doing their duties; showing courage in enduring what they must, and becoming leaders through service to their friends and fellow-citizens.
These are the lessons we have all drawn from the police and firefighters in New York City, and from the passengers on the flight that crashed in an empty Pennsylvania field.
It is in those moments of struggle that we see in our leaders, friends, neighbors, and even in ourselves, the flame of heroism that so often goes unnoticed. This event is a review-course in the lessons we should have learned over the last sixty years. It is also a moment to say “thank-you” to some of those who taught us those lessons.
To all the veterans who are attending this meeting, I extend my warmest welcome and my deepest gratitude.
Montana has approximately one hundred seven thousand (107,000) veterans. In addition, one hundred forty thousand (140,000) Montanans are family members of veterans. That totals nearly two hundred fifty thousand, or just under one-third of Montanans with a direct connection to veterans in our state.
On behalf of all Montanans, I thank each of you for your service, and your courage. And, thank you for reminding us that we need heroes, and that those heroes are all around us.
I also want to extend a general thank you to the organization. Approximately ten (10) percent of our state’s veterans are identified as disabled.
All of the members of Disabled American Veterans and its respective auxiliaries are to be commended for your commitment to serving disabled veterans, at all levels.
And your services go well beyond the disabled veterans of our state to benefit many non-disabled veterans as well – all based on membership fees and donations.
The breadth of services your organization provides is impressive. From tracking and lobbying national legislative initiatives, to helping veterans and their families submit claims, to disaster relief for veterans following disasters like floods and tornadoes, your organization truly puts the needs of our veterans first.
One of the most visible examples of your outreach is the DAV transport service – the vans that travel throughout Montana to bring disabled veterans to Fort Harrison where needed medical care is available, or to Whitefish, Missoula, Great Falls, Anaconda, Billings, Miles City, Sidney, Glasgow, Bozeman and Helena for outpatient services.
For so many of our veterans, the DAV vans represent the only means of transport from their home to a veteran treatment facility. Montana has only one VA Hospital and there are distinct challenges for many, many veterans to be able to access the services due to travel and distance.
How many of you here today have either used the DAV vans, or volunteered to drive them? [pause] What a great impact this service has on each and every one of you.
Last fiscal year alone, the state’s DAV vans traveled over seven hundred thirty thousand (730,000) miles, using over thirty thousand (30,000) volunteer hours in the process of transporting fourteen thousand (14,000) veterans.
I had the privilege of visiting Fort Harrison earlier this year, and, purely by chance, ran into an old high school friend.
[personal anecdote about Governor's visit to Fort Harrison]
This was just another reminder for me that our veterans – that you – are not just nameless faces. You are our friends, our neighbors, are parents and our children.
To all the veterans who are here, I again extend my warmest welcome and my deepest gratitude.
On behalf of all Montanans, I thank you for your service, and your courage.
And, thank you for reminding us that we need heroes, and that those heroes are all around us. We will never forget these lessons.
God Bless.
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