11/12/2025
The speech I gave tonight at the New Berlin veterans day ceremony;
2025 Veterans Day Speech
Good evening, everyone;
I’m Michael Cody post commander American Legion New Berlin Legion Post 488. At this time, I want to thank Mayor Ament and his staff for inviting me to make remarks on behalf of our organization and all of you for attending this ceremony tonight.
Twenty years ago, today I was deployed to Iraq with the 890th Transportation Co. We were a medium trucking unit and we ran logistics convoys on some of the most dangerous roads in the world at that time. Christmas eve 2005 our unit had to run a mission to a base a short distance from ours. We had to travel through a town with many narrow twisting roads. Three days prior another unit attempted the same mission and they were ambushed and suffered some horrific losses. When we went through, we were given tank, air and infantry support. Completely unprecedented to receive all three even in a place like Iraq. Fortunately, the mission went off without a hitch and was a success. So how was your Christmas then?
When I came home in March 2005 America was a beautiful place. I truly appreciated what we had in this country and took time off to enjoy the land of the free. Others turned to drugs and alcohol to decompress I turned to road cycling. A light day for me was 40 miles and did my first century in the fall of 07 and my first millennium which was a bicycle trip around Lake Michigan in the summer of 08. 1038 miles in 15 days.
Fast forward 20 years and sadly this is not the same America I came back to. Our cities are overrun with crime and despair. We are more apathetic as a whole. The cost of living has skyrocketed; moral values and common sense are virtually nonexistent. People are not getting married or starting families or even getting pets anymore. We are fast becoming a society of lone wolves. New York has all but forgotten 911 and many noble organizations that better our society and bring us together struggle to recruit members and officers significantly slowing down their missions.
It is up to us to reverse these trends. Get involved in your community. If you see something say something, Be a good Samaritan and lend a helping hand to someone who needs it or even a visit to a lonely person and even though someone may think differently than you lend a listening ear.
Let’s bring back America to what it used to be.
Happy Veterans Day everyone and thank you all for attending.
Amen
Sincerely,
Michael P. Cody
Commander, New Berlin Legion Post 488
