Hoyer Attends Leonardtown's Veterans Day Parade and Memorial Ceremony
LEXINGTON PARK, MD –Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) paid tribute to Fifth District veterans at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Leonardtown, Maryland. The parade is one of the largest in the state of Maryland. Immediately following the parade, he delivered remarks at the Veterans Memorial Ceremony in Town Square. The parade and ceremony featured military units, local military families, police and emergency personnel, and more. Below are his remarks at the Memorial Ceremony as prepared for delivery:
"Thank you, Mayor Burris.
"Every year, I look forward to this parade – not only because it pays tribute to the men and women who have served our country in uniform but because of where it takes place.
"Leonardtown is, of course, a very special town – the seat of St. Mary's County, which is the birthplace of our state, and home to some of the finest people in all of Maryland.
"But, in many regards, it is like thousands of other towns across America, a snapshot of our country and everything that makes it exceptional.
"And from the banks of the Patuxent to the shores of the Pacific, from the Great Lakes to the Great Basin, young men and women from towns like this one, who were raised to cherish our country and all for which it stands, answered the call to wear on their sleeves the flag they held in their hearts.
"They left behind their Main Street and their Washington Street.
"They left behind their places of worship and their communities of faith – and drew on that faith like never before.
"They left behind their corner stores and their ‘olde town pub,' their red-brick post office and Friday Farmer's Market.
"And they left behind their tree-lined streets and the family and friends who would say hello as they passed by each day.
"But when they shipped out, the memories of those hometowns and the people there surely sustained them and gave them strength to face the most difficult moments of their lives.
"For it is towns like this one we speak of when we talk about the 'home of the brave.'
"Their courage had a beginning, a place where it was formed.
"And it must be our charge to ensure that the places that gave these men and women the courage to face battle ought to be places where they can come home and find the love and care they need to face what comes next.
"So as we honor those who have served, let us always make certain that we are doing so by making sure our veterans have the health care, educational opportunities, job training, and affordable housing they need when they come home – so they can continue to serve our country as members of communities like this one and keep making them places that instill our values in the next generation to answer the call.
"May God bless our troops and our veterans – and may God bless the men and women who care for them and defend them in Leonardtown, in St. Mary's County, throughout Maryland, and across our great nation each day.
"Thank you."