Morton Dean: Let Veterans Feel Loved, On Memorial Day And Always

CHATHAM – Morton Dean, whose career as a journalist brought him to battlefields around the world, knows that many veterans appreciate being thanked for their service. But he thinks twice before offering that comment now, after his best friend shared his feelings on the topic while speaking at a Memorial Day observance several years ago.

Dean introduced the crowd to U.S. Army Capt. Paul Bucha, a Medal of Honor recipient who was severely injured in Vietnam, who told the large crowd that he was delighted and moved to hear strangers thank him for his service. 

“He said, ‘You know, that was a wonderful thing to hear. It’s just now catching on all across America,’” Dean related. “‘But do you know what we’d rather hear?’ And there was silence in the crowd. And he said, ‘We’d rather hear you say that you love us.’ It was kind of stunning, coming from a tough looking guy, a guy who had been through it all.”

Dean, who produced the documentary “American Medevac” about the experience of wounded U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, was the keynote speaker at Chatham’s Memorial Day observance Monday. The holiday is an opportunity for Americans to give thanks for the freedoms that veterans have provided us, “and also to say thank you, thank you very much, to those of you who are serving our country now, who did serve, and the families of those who lived through the terrors of their family members being overseas in wartime,” Dean said.

“I believe that all of you are here for that very reason: to say, ‘We love you’ to our people...who serve in uniform, and our people who left their homes to serve in harm’s way,” he said. 

Monday’s observance at the Chatham Community Center featured remarks by Brian Miner of the public ceremonies committee, as well as an appearance by 102-year-old Sgt. John Zippo, U.S. Army, Ret., of South Chatham, a veteran of World War II. 

“It’s really an honor to have you with us today,” Miner said.

Deacon John Foley of Holy Trinity Church led the group in prayer.

“We pray for the families who carry both pride and sorrow in their hearts today,” Foley said. He asked for blessings for first responders and active service members. “Guide us as a community to be worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf to care for one another,” he said.