Speech at the Barbour County Veterans Day Parade and Memorial Ceremony

Nov 11, 2009 -- 12:51pm

 

Good Morning and thank you very much to everyone who's turned out, and to Dave Rowan for inviting me.

 
Let me start by saying - “I don't deserve to be here.” When I was invited to speak to you today, I was very hesitant to accept. I'm not a veteran. I'm simply a guy with some opinions and a talk show. But I did accept....because I come from a family with a long history of military service, and I know that THEIR experiences have brought me closer to them and given me a look at several perspectives I otherwise wouldn't have.

 
In my career, I've been honored by my peers a number of times – but I assure you I'm humbled today...and this is without a doubt the greatest honor and privilege that's been bestowed upon me. And for that, I thank you.

 

 
My father, Larry Perdue, was a Vietnam Veteran. It was something he didn't talk about very often. I can remember clearly only one conversation we EVER had about his experience before he passed away two years ago. But before he died, my father turned his attention to writing. He wrote and had published his autobiography. At the time of his death, he was working a book about his Vietnam Experience. I've read through most of his manuscript and I'd like to just read a couple of telling paragraphs from it.

 
On landing for the first time in Vietnam, under enemy fire, my father wrote this:

 
“I don't think that at that point I was thinking much about death or dying. In fact, I'm not sure that I was thinking much about anything at all. It was all too sudden, and the change came quickly from serenity to a harsh, violent reality! A reality that people do, and will, kill people that they don't know, for reasons they're not really sure of. Thinking back on it, there were very few times when not coming home ever became an issue. Just as I somehow knew I'd be in a war when I grew up, I also knew that I'd be coming home. Not necessarily unscathed, but not dead either. There were a few occasions when I thought that I really might die, but somehow it never sank in that it could actually happen. I can't attribute it to drink, drugs, or faith in God. I really don't know where that feeling of confidence came from, although I'm relatively sure that it did not come from bravery or fearlessness!”

 
And regarding his return home, these were my father's words in what would have been his second book:

 
“Everything has a price and freedom is no exception. Now and then, when that freedom that we all seem to enjoy so much is compromised, war becomes necessary. War begets death – and that's the long and short of it. Over 58,000 of us died in Vietnam for the privilege of living in a rich, free America, and the vast population of this country either didn't or couldn't understand, or just didn't care. I'm not sure which. What I AM sure of is the harsh realities of their hatred we experienced upon our return.”

 
Although I disagree with many of the other opinions my father expressed in his book, these selections really give you an idea of how our veterans returning from Vietnam felt. One of the reasons we are gathered here today, in my opinion, HAS TO BE to make sure that NONE of our men and women serving today EVER feel this way about their service again. Regardless of what you feel about the motives or the war we are engaged in, we must never blame the soldiers who fight them.

 

 
Right now, our government is engaged in a serious debate over reforming health care. Don't get me wrong – I do think it's an important topic – but when you hear about it, you hear words like “battle” and “life and death decisions.” We need look no further than last week's events in Texas to realize the REAL BATTLES are being fought by our fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters in fatigues at home and abroad. If having universal healthcare is akin to giving people the tools they need to fight life and death battles, then how can we, in good conscience, continue in our failure to give our military the tools THEY need to win their daily life and death conflicts? One thing my father told me – and I firmly believe it – about Vietnam, was that no force assembled on this planet can defeat the United States Military – IF we are ALLOWED to win. We cannot continue to go to the game and handicap our soldiers...we cannot spot points to the opposition and force our men and women to battle from behind.

 

 
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak with a local hero. Now of course, he didn't consider himself a hero, but WE all do – that's Sgt. John Hoxie. On the day I spoke to him after the Alderson Broaddus homecoming parade, John was tired and worn out. He was exhausted and trying to continue his long recovery. But I asked him one question that affected me. And I think he knew what I was asking before I finished. I asked him if his injuries and his experience at any way affected his resolve or his thoughts about his service. Halfway through the question Sgt. Hoxie perked up – his eyes lit up – and he started to smile. Without hesitation he said NO – ABSOLUTELY NOT. He was MORE dedicated to completing the task at hand. Let's make sure that Sgt. Hoxie and the other men and women in the military have that chance – to complete the task at hand!

 
I want to say that I'm glad I accepted the invitation to speak to you today. Too many times we say “thank a veteran today” with about as much sincerity as when we say “how are you” to a stranger on the street we've never seen before and probably will never see again.

 
And though I never enlisted and I never fought, I lived with my father and my uncles and my stepfather and step-uncles, and grandparents and step-grandparents who DID fight....not only during the time they were enlisted, but for many of them, every day of the rest of their lives. Because the battles they fought and the things they experienced never left them.

 
Coming here today gives me a chance to say something to my dad that I never got to say. And I will close by saying it to you all. With more sincerity than you know – please realize and know that you and your service as veterans is respected and appreciated. And let me say what we all think but don't say nearly enough. It's a simple gesture. And it's one you deserve on a daily basis.

 
THANK YOU!

 

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The End of An Era - My Thoughts on the Passing of Michael Jackson

Jun 25, 2009 -- 10:36pm

Well I've finally had an event that has motivated me to share my thoughts with you all - the passing of Michael Jackson. 

For the first time in my life I felt compelled to immediately partake in the "mourning" or "celebration" of a celebrity's life and career and the end of that life.   And I couldn't understand why, but when I heard that the King of Pop was dead, I couldn't resist the urge to drive to my local music store and pick up a three-disc set of his music spanning his career.  Then it hit me.

I'm 33 years old.  I was six years old when "Thriller" was released in 1982.  I remember it vividly - six is an impressionable age.  It was the time of "Live Aid" and Friday Night Videos or whatever your local network equivalent was.  I had kids in my second-grade class who competed in televised Michael Jackson dance-alike contests.  We were drinking Pepsi the choice of a new generation and Michael Jackson.  We all had or new someone who had the signature single glove or the red zipper-laden leather jackets.  And like it or not, we ALL liked it.  We often reject the current fad that others embrace so as not to be part of the crowd - but we knew this wasn't a fad.  Didn't we? 

For people of my age group in particular -the ones who remember watching "Thriller" on tv in the retail store ....buying up the vinyl album...and being a bit scared by Vincent Price's voiceover ....we remember Billie Jean and PYT.  Say Say Say.  It was everywhere.  And we grew up with Jackson's changing music.  As we got older and Jackson got, well, different, he moved, for many of us, into that "secret pleasure" category.  We would NEVER admit it publicly and in fact would vocally protest, but we were listening to his stuff and in spite of our desire, we LIKED it.  Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror.  Eventually we got even older to the point where now we claimed Jackson as part of our childhood.  We started to embrace the fact that we helped produce an icon.  A legend.  Then, again, Jackson got, well, different.

The popular phrase for a few years, and I'm sure it will be in the coming days, is that for all the weirdness and allegations about Jackson, you cannot deny the talent that he possessed.  So as I sit listening to my new cd's chockfull of childhood memories, I feel guilty.  I honestly do.  Jackson's life has been fascinating to the point of over-saturation.  And I understand that once the legal cases came, it became news.  But I have to now reevaluate the way I look upon celebrity.  Artists, particulary the most genius of musicians and performers, are eccentric by their nature.  It's in their genetics. It's what makes them what and who they are.  For some, that genius is celebrated and embraced by the public and the media for their entire career.  For others, like Jackson, he probably will get his just due only in his passing.  And what a shame that is.  The man was at least in part forced into the sheltered life of a recluse by our peering and critical eyes.  He was hidden away for years and the world was denied what undeniably could have been life-changing performance and art.  I'm guilty.  So are many of you.  And we're the ones who lost out.  The fact is Michael Jackson was never convicted of a crime but was convicted in the court of popular opinion.  He became an oddity not so much as a result of the celebrity he sought but for the prying of a scandal-seeking tabloid industry. 

It's time we start judging an artist for their art.  A performer for their performance.  We should never have to say that someone was "weird, but man what a talent they had."  Instead, why not just look at the talent and reserve your judgement of weird for yourself?  I do feel guilty for the way Michael Jackson was treated.  And I thank him for all he did for us and for music.  So to quote another band in the middle of a resurgence in popularity, ABBA, let me just say....Michael, "thank you for the music."

 

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New Blog!

Apr 09, 2009 -- 2:20pm

Hi everyone! Check back very soon to read this blog!

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