Honoring The Past

This is a a moving speech Richard Speight gave about honoring America's World War II veterans on the campus of his former University.

I'm a professional actor. That's what I do for a living. My job is to act out stories, whether they be 30 seconds or several hours.
But today, I want to tell you the story of three men…
Warren was born in upstate New York. He was the middle child of his Irish Catholic family…a family his father abandoned when Warren was just a boy. So, as Warren entered his teens, he found himself the man of the house…even though he wasn't the oldest. Warren's strong sense of responsibility and affable personality made him a natural leader. Warren went to school, then he went to work to help his mother pay the bills. He set his sights on a dark-haired beauty named Faye. His wit, charm, and meticulously clean appearance attracted the affections of this young woman from a neighboring town. The two were instantly smitten with each other and were planning to get married…when it happened.

Three men who did not know each other? Three men who were born and raised many hundreds of miles apart from each other?
December 7, 1941. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The United States of America was attacked, pushing the country head first into World War II. America needed a military - a big one. And we needed it fast.
A call went out to the young men of America. And without thinking twice, Warren, Tom, and Frank signed up.Frank joined the Air Force and was stationed in Norwich, England where he served on the ground crew of a B-17 bomber squadron.Tom also joined the Air Force.He went into the Aviation Cadet program, which trained him to serve as the navigator for a B-24 bomber. Warren joined the Army, and was headed for the infantry. But at his first orientation meeting, he heard about a new division the Army was starting. It was called the Airborne. These would be infantrymen, but they would travel by plane to the front lines then leap out, parachuting directly into the middle of the battle. Warren's interest was piqued.Warren volunteered.

Let me tell you about another man. A strapping young lad with a chiseled jaw and a winning smile. Arms like tree trunks, eyes that twinkle as brightly as St. Nick's himself. He smells like candy even when he sweats, and his dark brow and powerfully trim sideburns frame a visage so striking, men and women alike often stop in the street and say, "Daaang."

That man is me, Richard Speight, Jr. Two years ago, after months of auditions, I got cast in Band of Brothers, the true account of the war time accomplishments of the men of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne, 2nd Battalion, Company E. Easy Company. The 10 hour mini-series would air on HBO, but was being produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. I was freaking ecstatic. These men are both geniuses. They're my childhood heroes and my professional role models. And to get to actually work with them…the prospect was overwhelming. It was like going to work for Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. These were mythical figures, larger than life.

Now, theirs is not a generation of braggarts. They won't sit you down and tell you the story. To them, they simply did what had to be done. To them, what they did was nothing out of the ordinary. But you and I know otherwise.
Remember Warren, the young man from upstate New York who joined the Airborne? Warren Skip Muck. He's the man I portrayed in Band of Brothers. I never got to meet him. A German 88mm mortar shell landed directly in his foxhole in January of 1945 during a series of brutal attacks that would later be named The Battle of the Bulge and killed him instantly.
I did meet two other veterans who had nothing to do with Band of Brothers. Two other men who put their futures on hold and their lives on the line so that they could voluntarily defend the freedoms and liberties that we all so readily take for granted. I had opportunities galore to talk to these men about the war and their experiences. And you know what? I blew it.
Remember Frank? The New York boy who served on the ground crew of a B-17 bomber squadron. That man was Frank Novak, always-entertaining 7th grade science teacher here at MBA and namesake of the legendary homeroom 7-N. Hundreds of boys sat in his lab wearing goggles and playing with fire during his 36 years of exceptional service here. I had the good fortune to be one of them.
Then there was Tom. Remember him? The quiet, disciplined student who graduated from the Aviation Cadet program then served as the navigator for a B-24 bomber that flew countless bombing runs over German- occupied Europe? He is better known around here as Tommy…Coach Tommy Owen, history teacher and legendary head coach of MBA's varsity football team for over 30 years. He coached my father. He coached me. Anyone who plays varsity football for this school plays in his shadow in a stadium named in his honor. I learned so much during my three years of playing football under Coach Owen. And I stank. That's the mark of a great coach.
I knew and respected both of these men immensely. I did my best to learn what they told me to learn. It just never occurred to me to ask questions of my own. Now, unfortunately, it is too late. These two men both passed away in the last several years.
Here's the good news. There are still heroes among us. Take the opportunity you have right now to hear their stories. Talk to your grandparents, talk to your family friends, talk to people you know from church, visit the homes for retired teachers, talk to your teachers here.
Our country is facing many of the same fears and challenges we faced in the 1940's. And there are people in every part of this community, people you know, people you are related to, people you encounter all the time who have already done what we as a country are attempting to do right now. Talk to them. Ask questions. Interview them. Videotape them. Document it. So you can show your kids. So that their stories and accomplishments are never forgotten.
I challenge you. You are the last generation who will ever have this chance. Once they are gone, their stories are gone too. I missed my shot with Coach Owen and Mr. Novak. I never got to shake their hands and say thank you. I deeply regret that. But I've shaken the hands of countless other veterans. And those encounters have changed my life. I have never felt prouder of my country and the valor of its citizens than I do after talking to the men and women who have so bravely defended it and asked nothing in return. If you ever think you can't meet a challenge, if you ever think you can't overcome adversity, think of them. You don't have to talk about the bitter winters and bloody fights of The Battle of the Bulge for very long before you realize your life is pretty sweet.
I enjoyed working on Band of Brothers immensely and am very proud of the finished project. But my contact with the veterans, the real men of Easy Company, the heroes of the war, has been an experience I value beyond words.
I strongly encourage you to have the experience for yourself.
The process is effortless. The results are priceless.