Jacobs Helps Dedicate Western New York National Veterans Cemetery

 

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) participated in a dedication ceremony for the Western New York National Veterans Cemetery in Pembroke, New York, this morning. Below is the transcription of Congressman Jacobs remarks:

Senator Schumer, Secretary Wilkie, Under Secretary Reeves and every single veteran and citizen in this community involved in this effort – thank you for making this day a reality and thank for the great honor to participate in today’s ceremony. 

This is a day that has been long in coming. Due to the COVID situation and the severe limitations on attendees, so many of the veterans and community advocates who fought for this cemetery are not here today. Let me say to all of you that are not here, who would be here under normal circumstances, thank you.

To all those that have been involved in this effort, who over a decade ago started on this journey and I’m sure confronted many roadblocks, many naysayers along the way, you persevered, you did it! Let me say once again – thank you and congratulations on job well done.

Let me also say that you were right all along in your efforts to get this cemetery here in WNY, because our region deserves this cemetery, our veterans deserve this cemetery, the family members of our veterans deserve to mourn, pray for and visit their loved one’s in our region not 100 miles away. The veterans and their families earned this right, our WNY region on a per capita basis has far more veterans than so many other areas in our state and our nation again you earned this, you deserve this and we thank you for your service to this country and your service to this community for making this cemetery this day possible.

 

But as those who have worked so hard for this cemetery to become a reality know very well, this place is much more than a cemetery, much more than merely a place to lay to rest our loved ones and our veterans. The importance of this place is much more significant, it is a place to honor and hold-up that for which our veterans fought, served and sacrificed – that is the American ideals. Faith, freedom, family, and respect of the rule of law.

 

No one has ever captured the import of the veteran cemetery better than Abraham Lincoln, in his Gettysburg Address, which he delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg. That hallowed and historic day at that Pennsylvania Battlefield part of what Lincoln said was the following:

“…The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us –that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

To conclude, just as President Lincoln said so many years ago it is likely few will remember what is said here today as well. but we must never forget what our veterans and military have done and do every day to preserve our freedoms. We need to do our part and this veterans cemetery is certainly a profound step in the right direction. Thank you.