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Arrows Pay Tribute on Memorial Day

Arrows Pay Tribute on Memorial Day

At the Needham Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 26, 2025, Joseph Koh '26 gave a wonderful speech in honor of those who have bravely served our country, especially our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom. A group of fellow Arrows and Assistant Head of School Michael Nerbonne were also in attendance. Earlier in the day, Carter Rich ’27 was invited to sing the national anthem on the Needham Town Common.

Koh's Memorial Day speech can be read below:

My fellow Americans,

We gather here today to honor the ultimate sacrifice of those American heroes and heroines who came before us. It is my privilege to speak today on behalf of our fallen, those who have laid down their lives that we may continue to live in freedom. The call to military service is a virtuous one. It brings together men and women from across the country to secure objective, the preservation of the safety and freedom of the citizens of the United States of America. There is no higher civic obligation than to serve in defense of nation’s sacred values, for service requires an outpouring of heart, mind, and soul in one’s every step, breath, and prayer. To serve in this capacity is to know one may not make it home, and yet so many choose to do so because they understand the monumental ideals which they are protecting. I have yet to encounter any serviceman or woman who does not hold themselves and those around them to the highest standard. Every veteran is so, because attributes such as responsibility, selflessness, and sacrifice are intrinsic to the very nature of service. Service is sacrifice. Sacrifice is love.

Father John Arens, the Chaplain at St. Sebastian’s School and Marine Veteran, once told me, “Do not pray for a light cross, but pray for a strong back”. Truly, we all have a cross we must bear. It is easy to stray from responsibility, to cower in the face of danger, but it is the veterans we commemorate today who have fully embraced their crosses for us. It is the veterans who have prayed for a strong back. It is the veterans who have set aside their own personal desires, and have instead, in an act of utmost selflessness, given their lives that we may live. These vets are the toughest, bravest America has to offer; thus, it is exponentially more moving to see one cry at the death of a brother in combat. It is unlike anything I have ever witnessed; it is a testament to the humanity of these men and women. In full uniform, these adults are reduced to tears, this is how much they care, this is how much they are willing to give. Remembering our upstanding veterans, I would now like to share with you the story of Douglass Albert Monro.

As I recently found out my admittance to a one-week summer program at the United States Coast Guard Academy, the school which I hope to attend one day, I find it fitting to recall the heroism Monro, the only Coast Guard recipient of the Medal of Honor, which he was awarded posthumously. Monro enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War, telling his sister that he had chosen the Coast Guard because its primary mission was saving lives. At the age of 22, Monro was responsible for navigating landing craft full of Marines along the Coast of Guadalcanal Island. Just an hour after landing on the western coast of the island, U.S. Marine forces were overcome by Japanese bombing raids, and were driven back to the beach, where they spelled out in muddied T-shirts the word “HELP”. Monro volunteered to rescue the Marines from enemy fire, driving his landing craft forward, even with Japanese forces nearing the beach. As the Marines re-embarked on the landing craft, Monro navigated his vessel between them and enemy fire, providing much-needed protection. He was struck by a single machine gun round, losing consciousness momentarily. Upon regaining consciousness, he asked “Did they get off”. Assured of their safety, he died with a smile on his face knowing he had successfully accomplished his mission. Monro’s is only one of the countless stories demonstrating such valor. His sacrifice, and all those sacrifices made by our veterans, are never in vain.
 
Thank You. God bless our veterans and God bless America.