Army Reserve Ambassador honors ‘Greatest Generation’ on Veterans Day

Published Nov. 13, 2014
By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris
99th Regional Support Command

PARKVILLE, Md. -- Nearly 100 senior citizens - including two-dozen military veterans - entered the community room at the Oak Crest Village retirement community, moving slowly and deliberately to their seats.

Among their ranks were two-dozen former service members, but even they didn't move as quickly as they once did, such as when faced with drill sergeants shouting at them to double-time, or the mortal threat of enemy fire surrounding them on the battlefield.

These warriors' weapons and wheeled vehicles have been replaced with walkers and wheelchairs; their uniforms now consist of polo shirts and baseball caps showing where and with what unit they served; and the sounds of barked orders and crack of gunfire have given way to friendly chatter and soft music playing on the radio.

But what hasn't faded for these members of America's "Greatest Generation" is the enormity of their service and sacrifice, and the debt owed to all uniformed men and women who have served their country since the first shots of freedom rang out at Lexington and Concord nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago.

Paying some small part of that debt were the staff at Oak Crest Village who honored these veterans' service by hosting a Veterans Day ceremony at their Gardens Terrace facility Nov. 11.

Speaking at the event was Army Reserve Ambassador Robert H. Beahm, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Vietnam War veteran who spent 30 years serving in the Army and Army Reserve before retiring as a brigadier general.

"We're here today to celebrate the strength, courage and dedication of you, our veterans, who not only wield the hammer of conflict, but also shape the world of lasting peace," Beahm said during the event. "On Veterans Day ... the world stops in silence to pay tribute to the heroes of the battlefield who never see themselves as heroes."

The event also included a reading of the poem "In Flanders Fields" by Lisa Hackett, programming coordinator for Oak Ridge Village's assisted-living facility, a prayer by Don Moldovan, chaplain of continuing care, and the singing of the national anthem.

"When the canons of World War One were silenced, we thought we'd fought the 'war to end all wars,' but as history proved, we still needed our military," Beahm said. "The brave actions of you, our veterans, endure on the pages of history."

The Army Reserve Ambassador (ARA) Program was established in April 1998 for private citizens to promote awareness of the Army Reserve and the identified goals and objectives of the Chief, Army Reserve. While not all ARAs have military experience, many are retired officers or senior noncommissioned officers who wish to remain engaged in military affairs. Each state and territory has at least one ARA.

"Just as a nation rallies for it troops in times of war, the same country must rally for its veterans in times of peace," Beahm said. "We owe you more than our silence, our memories and our thanks."

For more information on the ARA program, visit http://www.usar.army.mil/community/ambassadors/Pages/default.aspx