This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members from Alan Levine, president and CEO of Ballad Health, on Friday, May 26. Memorial Day 2023 is observed on Monday, May 29.
Good morning:
So many of our colleagues inside Ballad Health, and so many of our partners outside our system, have chosen to serve our nation in uniform. Today, as we begin the Memorial Day weekend in remembrance of those who gave their lives, I also want to give thanks to those who have sacrificed, and continue to do so, in the name of protecting our great nation.
In 1996, I had the opportunity to be the Republican Nominee for the Florida House of Representatives. As I was only 28 years old at the time I embarked on that journey, there was so much I had not yet been exposed to in my life. Even though my own father served in the United States Air Force, that was before I was born, and he never really shared much about his experiences. He came home from service and set out about his career selling candles and gift wrap. My dad was always a hero to me because he worked so hard. And while he’s gone now, my one regret is that I never really understood what his experience was in the military. Myself, I attended a military preparatory school (a United States Navy NJROTC academy), but that was the limit of my own involvement with the military. So, at the age of 28, I set out in a primary to earn votes, and learn what I could.
One day, when I was walking door to door meeting people, I came upon a husband and wife named Clyde and Bonnie Hurst (I kid you not … their names were Bonnie and Clyde). They were wonderful retirees. Clyde had worked for years for General Motors on the plant floor – a job he secured upon returning from his service in Vietnam. When I knocked on their door, they invited me into their home, and offered me some iced tea. We sat and talked for more than two hours.
Clyde shared with me his experience in the military, and showed me his Purple Heart award. I had never in my life, up to that point, met a Purple Heart recipient. Clyde shared with me the story of how he was shot – twice. How he, and his unit, thought he would die. How his colleagues carried him and refused to leave him behind – even at their own risk. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not someone who can focus for very long – but for that two hours, I was in a trance, listening to their story. As a young kid who was not really exposed much to the difficulties faced by people who serve, nothing was more penetrating to me than sitting with someone who came close to death and yet never lost their faith or love for their country.
When I left Bonnie and Clyde that day, they insisted on putting my sign in their yard, and they became my most committed volunteers. They worked morning, noon and night on my campaign. When I won the hard-fought primary (I beat a sitting state committee person), I actually think Bonnie and Clyde were happier than I was. And it was on to the general election.
To say I got whipped pretty good is an understatement. In that election, it was Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole – another military hero. Very few Republicans won in Florida that year unless they were incumbents. The night I lost, I was almost too exhausted to be disappointed. But I will never forget the moment that Clyde put his arm around me and told me, as someone who served, and received a Purple Heart, it was all worth it to him as long as young people like me were willing to step into public service to serve in the best way we can.
Those words were really powerful to me. This was not merely a political activist (he had no interest in politics). This was a man who took seriously his service to our nation, and believed in what he was doing for it. I felt very small when he said those words, because all I did was put my name on the ballot and meet a lot of people. He, on the other hand, put on the uniform, went to another country, and got shot.
From that day on, I sought, and still seek, those who have served, and with each new person I meet, I am just as in awe as I was the day I met Bonnie and Clyde. Just last month, a man who became a close friend of mine, Gen. Gary Harrell, succumbed to an illness he fought for almost two years. Every time I saw Gen. Harrell, he would give me a hug (which almost broke my ribs every time) and would share stories with me about all he had seen during his service. He had commanded Delta Force, led our forces overseas during combat in very difficult situations, and most importantly, was responsible for young men and women who had died in service. He would share with me how he would talk to their families, and the burden he carried with each one who perished.
I can’t imagine how heavy that burden was for Gen. Harrell, or for any leader in our military who is responsible for so many young lives. Gen. Harrell, himself, came close to death in combat, having taken serious injuries under fire. But, true to form, Gen. Harrell never spoke of his injuries or lasting effects from them. He spoke mostly of the people he lost. I know that, today, he is with them and his savior, continuing to thank them for their service to freedom that we all sometimes take for granted.
Today, the blood of thousands of Americans lay all over the world; people who believed in our freedoms gave the most precious gift a person can give – their lives. It is only proper that we set aside a day to celebrate them, and to remember them.
One of the first Memorial Day celebrations in the United States was by newly freed enslaved men, women and children on May 1, 1865, in Charleston S.C. It was not long after the Civil War ended that members of the U.S. Colored Troops and some locals organized a ceremony to bury Union troops who died. They honored the dead by singing hymns and placing flowers on their graves. This celebration evolved into what became known as Decoration Day, where many Americans began hosting tributes to the war’s fallen soldiers, decorating their graves.
Eventually, Union Gen. John Logan called for an official nationwide day of remembrance on May 30, 1868 – and this date was chosen because it did not fall on the anniversary of any particular battle. And finally, in 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace. Then, in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, which asks Americans to pause and observe a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. local time. Many organizations observe this. In fact, Amtrak trains blast their whistles at 3 p.m. Major League Baseball, NASCAR and others do take a pause. And each Memorial Day, the President requests that all governors order the flag to be flown at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds and naval vessels. U.S. citizens are asked to do the same.
This Memorial Day weekend, I hope you each find the time to pause and reflect on the gift our dead soldiers have given us. Our freedoms, our right to speak and be heard, our relative economic opportunity, ALL the things that we hold dear as a republic … it’s worthy of this moment, and of sharing with our children just how precious this gift is.
Have a wonderful weekend. And to those who will be working over the holiday weekend, THANK YOU! The sick and vulnerable don’t have the option of pausing … and it is because of people like you that they get some relief and comfort.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
Alan
