My name is John H. Hodge. I was in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of World War, II, a unit of the 82nd Airborne Division. I was inducted into the military service in 1942, at the age of 18, and discharged in December 1945, at the age of 22.
What does it mean to be Patriotic?
In searching for words to describe how I feel on Veterans Day, and being Patriotic, I came across a story written by an 8th grade student, which was the granddaughter of one of my fellow comrades. I would like to share part of her story at this time. When she was in grade school, she learned the “Pledge of Allegiance” later, “The Star Spangled Banner”. She said they had to look at the flag while this was being done and she did not understand why. But as time passed and she grew older, she started hearing stories from her 83-year-old grandfather who fought in World War II. He was very graphic and told gruesome stories about that war. He described the bloody battles and how thousands of men and women were killed in front of his very own eyes.
When she asked him why he would risk his life to be involved in the war, he simply said, “I did it for you”. She said, he didn’t only do it for me, but for everyone in this country. He did it so we could have the many freedoms, we enjoy today. Then she realized why we stand, take off our hats, put our hand over our heart, and say “The Pledge of Allegiance” and in singing “The Star Spangled Banner”. We do it for our Country, for the Veterans who fought for our safety and freedom. She did it especially for her grandfather, who risked his life for her and everyone else in this country. It is my personal feeling that we too, risked our lives for the same reason. It was my privilege to attend the 50th Anniversary of Normandy in 1994 and hear the people thank the American Veterans for helping liberate their country.
(This speech was given by John H. Hodge, Jr. at Sharon Memorial Park on November 11, 2010.)