Today, we remember with sadness those who gave their lives for their country, and for us, as well as those who have passed away since then, and yet, we also have a sense of joy and gladness for having known them and having shared a very special time with them. 

Fortunately, memory works like a good silver polish, removing all the dark tarnish of anxiety, exhaustion, loneliness, and even to a degree the recollections of pain and horror from the wartime experience.

What remains is a partly burnished glow of pride in having met personal demands greater than any that peace time was to pose. What remains as well is a kind of focused nostalgia for the innocence, the certainties, the idealism, the shared and agreed sense of purpose, that now sometimes seem to have been delayed casualties of the war.

Keep us ever mindful of that sense of giving of oneself and sharing with comrades that characterized our war time service. And now, let us continue to live our lives in such a manner, that those who know us will continue to say "those guys are really special"... Thank you.

Written and delivered by Hank Lefebvre on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Norfolk, Virginia, October 24, 1992.