“We are who we are because of the places we have been,” John Gwizdak told the crowd at the Veterans of Foreign Wars cemetery Monday.
And Gwizdak, VFW Quartermaster for the state of Georgia, has served his country in many places, including Viet Nam. He has received four awards of the Bronze Star, among many military awards, during his tours of duty throughout the world.
He told those gathered that soldiers who have died for their country were “committed to something larger than themselves,” and he was honored to speak on Memorial Day “on top of this beautiful hill.” The hill was the summit of the VFW cemetery, with graves of many veterans seen below.
More than 100 people attended the ceremony which was hosted by the Grant Reeves VFW Post 7720 in Cornelia.
Gwizdak reminded the crowd that “freedom isn’t free,” and said that those who have fought in a war “are my brothers.”
He said he was asked once if movies about war portrayed war realistically.
“No,” he answered. “It’s one hundred times worse than you can put on film.”
He said the colors of the American flag are a representation of the sacrifices people have made “for the freedoms we enjoy.”
“The red is for the blood,” he said, “and the white represents tears of mothers and daughters,” of soldiers at war.
“The blue is for God’s Heaven.”
“All this happened,” he said, gesturing toward the cemetery, “because someone had the intestinal fortitude to go and defend freedom.”
People who were enjoying the beach during the Memorial Day holidays, “wouldn’t be there,” he said, “had some people not stormed a beach many years ago.”
Memorial Day 2015
VFW Cemetery in Demorest, GA
(click photos to enlarge)
