Political Quotes

“tomorrow we celebrate Veterans Day, the day set aside to honor all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. This year, we observed the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, and our Nation's World War II veterans, the veterans of the ``greatest generation,'' have been on my mind a lot. Sixteen million Americans served in World War II--16 million. These veterans were a fixture in our lives. So many Americans grew up with a dad or a grandfather or a grandmother who had served in World War II. I was one of them. My favorite veteran, my dad, was a World War II pilot who flew Hellcats off the deck of the USS Intrepid in the Pacific. I came to know the values of the ``greatest generation'' through my dad-- humility, patriotism, quiet service. These warriors who helped save the world didn't brag about their achievements. They deflected praise. If they hailed any exploits, it was those of their comrades. My dad won the Distinguished Flying Cross--or, I should say, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, but that is not what he talked about. He did, however, talk about Cecil Harris, one of South Dakota's aces, whose advice for a deft maneuver saved my dad's life during a dogfight. It was a move straight out of ``Top Gun,'' only decades before the movie. My dad always talked about how South Dakota is the only State with two aces with more than 20 shootdowns during World War II.…”