Greatest Generation Memorial Remarks by J.B. Walsh '50
Thank you, John, Father Cooke, Mayor Brown, Senator Thompson, Art Forman - Vice Commander of the American Legion of Erie County, and friends all.
We have come here today to dedicate this memorial to the “Greatest Generation” and, since this is Veterans Day, or as we of the Greatest Generation called it when we grew up, Armistice Day, this is a most proper day to do this. But first I want to give thanks to all who made this Memorial possible: Jim O'Conner who got me started on undertaking the class of '50's 55th alumni reunion; Frank O'Brien who conjured up, with me, the concept of a Greatest Generation Reunion, the members of my class of '50's 55th year reunion committee who voted to invite the other classes from 1941 to 1953 to participate, and the members of those other classes who acquiesced and all who served on the Greatest Generation Reunion committee whose names are listed on the back of your program. A special thanks to Bill Cotter and Bob Wischerath who chaired the monument committee, the marvelous craftsman at Stone Art Memorial -- Bill Koch who spent hours researching and creating this monument, and his father sic.{cousin} Tom Koch, the owner of Stone Art Memorial, Father Tunney who assisted with the artistic design, Don Barnett, Ray Jacobi and John DeLuca who chaired the GI Scholarship committee, all the staff of the College who played such a critical role in the operation of the reunion and of the fund raising for this event particularly, Amy Johnson, Marion Mittler, Erin Hartnett and her staff, a special thanks too to Father Cooke for letting us do all this and to Pat Greenwald who spent hours and hours riding herd on us all, Bob Maynard who came from Connecticut to tell us of the heroism of Joe Driscoll, Tom Brokaw who’s book inspired us and who has sent us a greeting which will be shown at the Continental breakfast, and an Extra Special thanks to all who have contributed so generously in contributions or bequests to this memorial and to the G.I Bill Scholarship fund, including Herb Shafer, my dear friend, who is here and is our largest contributor, a fund that now through those donations and bequests is in excess of $92,000.00 and climbing.
The memorial we dedicate today, which visually illustrates what Tom Brokaw has written in his Book, "The Greatest Generation", portrays the journey of the members of the Greatest Generation through the depression years with its breadlines and other financial hardships into the war years with its victories, defeats, conquests, and great personal sacrifice, and then through the school years made possible primarily through the G.I. Bill where we, along with millions of Americans, were given the opportunity to enhance our talents to the benefit of our country and the world.
We, who lived through and participated in that historical era, have worked to raise this monument, not merely that we will be remembered, but, primarily that those after us will not forget the lessons of that era and take heart from them.
Love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it as an ordinary consequence of citizenship, rather than some extraordinary burden of citizenship, is a lesson that resonates loudly from the way in which the Greatest Generation faced and dealt with the challenges that were thrust upon it. But another and equally important lesson of a more personal nature to be learned from the Greatest Generation is that, when troubles and dangers to your very existence come along, if you face them and deal with them with the same courage, faith, hope and concern for your fellow neighbors as the persons who lived and persevered through the era of the greatest Generation, you can and will overcome those adversities, and the worst of times will be transformed into the best of times for you and yours.
It is, therefore, our hope that this memorial, while heralding the lesson of love of country and duty of citizenship, will also be a stone of strength for all members of the Canisius family and all our neighbors, so that when any of them are troubled and feel overwhelmed by their problems, real or perceived, they can come here and take new strength from the spirit of the members of the Greatest Generation as symbolized in this stone memorial.
Our G.I. Bill scholarship likewise is meant to keep alive what was given to us: - the opportunity to have a college education so the promise of our talents could be realized and the world made a better place with more opportunities for those who come after us.
It is our hope that others, who have benefited or will benefit from the education of those who went before them will continue to contribute in donations or bequests to that scholarship fund so this effort and promise that we make now can continue as our eternal flame of remembrance.
I wish also to note that although this memorial is geared principally to reflect those from Canisius College who served in the armed forces and attended college on the G.I. bill - as both Tom Brokaw wrote in his book, “The Greatest Generation”, and as Ken Burns in his remarkable series on “The War”, illustrated, the Greatest Generation, includes not only all the more than 12 million men and women under arms in World War II but also all those who served on the home front in defense factories, and other vital occupations and who felt the pain of loss of family and friends who gave their lives in that endeavor. We have included too, in our reckoning of the “Greatest Generation”, not only those who served in World War II but those who served in the forces of occupation and the Korean War as well since those events were, we believe, postscripts to World War II.
The City of Buffalo is a prime example of a community that was called on to make all the effort and sacrifices that went into the depression and wars. So this monument fittingly is a memorial to the citizens of this City as well as our own alumni.
When we conclude this ceremony, the Bugler will play taps in memory of those members of the Greatest Generation who have passed on to their eternal reward. But as those tones fade away, the Greatest Generation will report for duty again. This time in our new posting, here at this memorial, our duty will be, to be an inspiration for patriotism and a source of hope and resolution to members of future generations so that when they are troubled with problems that seem to be overwhelming they can come here and learn from the example of the Greatest Generation to successfully deal with those problems for their happiness and well being and we hope that we will be as successful in these tasks as we were in the previous tasks set before us during the era of the Greatest Generation and we will do all this again Ad majorem Dei, et Patriae, et Canisiani Gloriam
God Bless you all, God Bless Canisius, God Bless Buffalo and God Bless America!
-- J.B. Walsh ’50