Freedom is the United States' greatest legacy, built and preserved by American soldiers who have fought and died on battlefields across the world and deserve to be remembered for their service, DeKalb County resident and Army Col. John King said Wednesday.
King – also Doraville's police chief – serves with the Georgia Army National Guard and commands the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He was selected by the county as the featured guest speaker for its Veterans Memorial Day Program held at Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur.
"If you look back at our history, something about America jumps at you. Over and over, time and time again – although admittedly not always – we do not conquer but free nations," he said. "Neither Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, the Philippines are represented in any of the stars on our flag. They could have been. If we had wished to establish an empire like many great powers before us. We do things differently in America. Freedom is our history and our legacy to our world."
See the video above for his full speech. It begins at 19:28.
If you want to know more about King, here's an excerpt from his bio on the City of Doraville's website regarding his military experience, but there's plenty more interesting about him:
In addition to his role as Doraville’s Chief of Police, King serves as a colonel in the U.S. Army and Commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. With deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Chief King served as the Military Advisor to Deputy Minister of Interior for Security for Afghanistan an agency of over 96,000 police officers. He has won many awards for military and public services including the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantry Badge, meritorious service medals, and a NATO award for his service in both Bosnia and Afghanistan, among others. He also received the El Salvador gold medal for achievement in 2006.
What do you think about Col. King's speech? Any remembrances for veterans living or dead? Tell us in the comments section below.