FARMINGTON -- Sgt. Marshall Kennedy, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, offered one of his favorite quotes by George Orwell in describing the meaning of Veterans Day.
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Afterward, Kennedy said, "That's what Veterans Day is all about."
Kennedy was the featured speaker for the annual Veterans Day program hosted last week by Farmington High School. The high school choir beautifully sang the National Anthem to open the program and the high school band paid tribute to veterans by playing theme songs from each military branch. Veterans stood as their military flag was presented and posted.
All Farmington High School students, 9th-12th grades, attended the program held at Cardinal Arena.
Kennedy, who lives in Farmington with his wife and three young sons, joined the Marine Corps in August 2003 and was deployed four times. He served in Iraq for three tours and then was deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan, in January 2011. About six months later, he was severely injured from an improvised explosive device resulting in the loss of his left leg below the knee, right leg above the knee, lacerations to the left forearm, left shoulder injury and a mild traumatic brain injury.
Kennedy spent 17 months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in in-patient and outpatient rehabilitation. He retired from the Marine Corps on Dec. 30, 2012, and now is a student at the University of Arkansas and is in a work study at the University's Veteran Resource and Information Center.
Mayor Ernie Penn introduced Kennedy, telling about the veteran's career and injuries.
Coming up to the podium afterward, Kennedy said he does not like to talk about himself. He pointed out he signed up for the Marine Corps and knew from age 10, he wanted to join some branch of the military. Serving his country, he said, was instilled in him by family members who served. His grandfather was in the Korean War and other family members served in World War II. His family's military history goes back to the Civil War.
"What I did was very minute compared to what other people dealt with," Kennedy said. He named men he worked with on deployment, describing the heroic acts performed by his comrades. Those were the heroes, Kennedy said.
"I don't want to ask for special recognition. I was allowed to have the privilege to decide that's what I wanted to do and it was a pleasure to do it."
Serving allowed him to see the type of heroes this country produces. He said he is proud to call himself a Marine, that he was able to serve his country and can call himself a brother among all the other veterans in the United States.
Speaking directly to the students, Kennedy said he hopes they will come to understand the importance of serving and the pride that comes in serving the country.
"I'm not saying you all join the military," he told them.
What's great about America, he pointed out, is that students have a choice. They are not forced to fight but have free will, giving them the option to enlist if they want.
"You can do anything you want," he said.
That's not the case in the rest of the world.
"I'd rather be homeless underneath an overpass somewhere in a cardboard box in the U.S. than anywhere else in the rest of the world," Kennedy noted.
He wanted the students to be able to cherish this country, what it stands for and be willing to help where needed.
"Know that you have to push on and take that responsibility because you are soon to be adults and will be the next generation."
Kennedy and his family moved to Farmington with the program called "Homes for Our Troops." The organization constructed a new home adapted to meet his physical needs in Twin Falls subdivision in Farmington. They moved into the house in August 2013. Kennedy has prosthetic legs but also uses a wheelchair at times.
His injuries occurred while on a routine clearance mission in Afghanistan.
Kennedy "took a knee," which means he positioned himself to assess the situation, and when doing so, his left foot hit a pressure plate of an explosive device. He was thrown through the air and into a nearby wall. His legs were traumatically amputated and his squad members worked to save his life. Four days after the injury, Kennedy arrived at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Through the course of his recovery, he has had more than 35 surgeries.
General News on 11/18/2015