Tomorrow, November 11, is Veterans Day, a day when we unite to honor our service members, past and present, remember their achievements and thank them for their service.
Our longstanding tradition at Groton and Quonset Point has been to hold annual Veterans Day observance ceremonies outside, with employees from each shift gathering together. This year, due to COVID, we’ve had to take a different approach to ensure our collective safety.
Please take a few moments to view this year’s videotaped programs. While we can’t assemble together, I believe this year’s speakers did a great job adapting to the situation—they’ve provided a meaningful observance of the day that holds such a special place in our hearts.
Every Electric Boat employee serves our country by coming to work each day and producing the most capable submarines to equip our warfighter with an unfair advantage. That advantage ensures the freedoms we all enjoy. In an 1863 letter, Abraham Lincoln captured well this sentiment:
Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as he best can, the same cause — honor to him, only less than to him, who braves, for the common good, the storms of heaven and the storms of battle.
For those of you who have been a part of the U.S. military—our veterans, active-duty service members, guardsmen and reservists—thank you for putting the cause of freedom and needs of others before yourself. We owe an eternal debt to all the service members who chose to set aside their personal ambitions and dreams to ensure the well-being of our great nation. Thank you also to your families for the sacrifices they’ve made to enable your service.
Our veterans give us the opportunity to live in freedom today and an opportunity to look forward to tomorrow. Thank you for honoring our veterans today and every day.
