05/27/2025
On this Memorial Day, US Air Force Colonel Frank Farrelly delivered a powerful reminder of the true cost of our freedom. He honored the sacrifice of fallen service members—especially young men and women like 1LT Mark Dooley—who gave their lives for a cause greater than themselves. Through heartfelt stories and historical perspective, he called on all Americans to remember, reflect, and live in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice. We thank Col. Farrelly for his inspiring words and his service to our beloved Nation. Here is his speech:
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Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I want to begin this speech with a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for taking your time out of so gorgeous a day to show your reverence and patriotism on this sacred holiday and to honor the men and women who gave all in the service of this nation.
Since the moment Cain first raised his club against Abel, war has been a tragic, but undeniable part of the human condition. Whether for just or unjust reasons and methods, offensive or defensive in nature, or whether fought close to home or in foreign lands on the other side of the planet, the vast bulk of all fighting is done by our youth. We send our men and women at their physical prime to focus all of their youthful strength, stamina, and that sense of invincibility that we all have in our late teens and twenties towards difficult missions intended to achieve political ends dictated by comfortable elected and appointed officials often worlds away, both geographically and experientially. And while the tools and tactics of how we fight have changed dramatically from the close and personal muskets and bayonets used by George Washington and his ragtag Continental Army in our American Revolution to the standoff weapons, precision bombs, drones, and stealth technology of modern war, one thing has and always must remain constant: War is an inherently human endeavor, with human cost, devotion, and sacrifice. When our Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and sailors are sent out to exert focused violence upon others, the enemy always gets a vote on the outcome of that battle. Men and women pitted against each other in mortal combat will fight with shocking ferocity and tenacity, and, sadly, being on the side of right does not guarantee one’s safety in these situations.
When our young men and women raise their hand and volunteer to serve in our nation’s armed forces, the reality of that risk is not hidden. On the contrary, it is a driving force for many to take their oath and serve. We all understand the simple reality that the beauty of this very community, the blessings of liberty, the wonderful way of life we enjoy as citizens of our United States, and indeed the very idea and aspiration articulated in our Founding Documents that is America come with a price tag. No less than Thomas Jefferson himself is regularly credited with stating that “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance;” an axiom that proves to be no less true today than when put forth at the founding of our nation. So, when becoming one of the less than one percent of American citizens in the modern day who volunteer to serve in uniform, it is clear to all of us that the oath comes with a blank check of devotion to the people and Constitution of the United States.
So how does one reconcile that knowledge of potential mortal peril with the need to actively charge into terrible and dangerous situations in service of one’s nation? It is a question that every Soldier, Marine, Airman, and sailor can only answer for him or herself. But for many, it is the faith that their cause is just, their service is a calling in which they can rightfully feel eternal pride, and that any sacrifice, though desperately unwanted, will be made towards something so far beyond oneself that the price is worthy.
This sense of the value of that potential sacrifice is often captured, to the best of every troop’s personal linguistic ability, in letters to loved ones written before combat, just in case… A beautiful, though heart wrenching example of this was penned by then First Lieutenant Mark H. Dooley of the U.S. Army. Lieutenant Dooley was the beloved son of a retired Lieutenant Colonel and C-5A Galaxy pilot from my very unit at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, NY. He grew up in nearby Walkill, New York with an example in his father that instilled a desire to serve and protect those around him, particularly those who could not well protect themselves. To this end, Mark Dooley not only earned his commission as an Officer in the Army and the Vermont National Guard, but also became a respected Deputy Sheriff in his adopted home of Windham County, Vermont.
On September 19, 2005, Lieutenant Dooley was leading his Scout Platoon through an operation in the notoriously volatile and dangerous city of Ramadi, Iraq, when he was hit by fragments from a roadside bomb. In an instant, his life, with so much potential, so much promise, and so many unfinished goals, was snuffed, leaving an unfathomable void in the lives of his family, his fellow Soldiers, and countless friends.
What was left behind though was a letter, caringly delivered to his family by his fellow soldiers. Lieutenant Dooley’s father, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Pete Dooley has shared this letter for others to see the caliber of man he and his Wife, Marion, raised. Here are the contents of that letter:
"Dad, Mom and Charlie; "It is immensely hard to put into words raw emotion or put down on one piece of paper what you want people to remember you by. However, if you're reading this then I am not able to convey either in person. The best thing I can state is how much I love all three of you. It was only by God's grace that I was born into the family that I proudly call mine. Parents whose unconditional love supported me through times that others would have surely given up, and a brother whose patience and pure heart set the example I could only hope to have imitated. "The defining points in my life were the times when I had hard realizations that everything Dad had tried to help me avoid came true. Those painful lessons made me the person that I am, and although I had always wanted to change them I knew they all happened for a reason. Pappy, I always tried to think what you would have done, or how you would have handled a situation. The times that I succeeded were the times that I followed your example. My failures were the times that I chose to ignore your solid wisdom. The greatest boast I could ever make was that I was your son. "Mom, I have no delusions that reading or even hearing this letter read can fill my absence. Please forgive me for not being able to be there; but also remember that my leaving was in the service of something that we loved, and that most people can't comprehend its scope. Cherish in your heart that it wasn't done for any abstract reason like a flag or a foreign government's success, but our sacred honor. I love you mom, you(r) embracing love and support fueled the fire that burned through the hard times to keep me going. Don't be angry or let sadness dominate your heart, be proud. Remember that we will all be united again, and that God's knowledge is greater than we can understand. Faith insures us that his plan is the right way. "Charlie, I am so proud of you that it hurts just to think that I won't be there when you continue to grow and shine. God has infinitely blessed the world with your presence. Don't change, just continue to refine. Remember that a good run can make stupid small things disappear, and that a funny movie is time well spent with family and friends. Most of all don't ever let restrictions be put on you, anything is possible. It is perseverance that most of the world lacks. "Time will ease pain, and the best way to pay respect is to value why a sacrifice was made. Remember time is a gift, use it to enjoy life. My last request is that you continue to live fulfilling happy lives with God's hands holding you safely. I will see you all in God's perfect time. "With Loving Affection and Endearment, Mark"
I bring all of you this letter because I think it perfectly encapsulates the very purpose of Memorial Day. With the mantle of uniformed service being carried by a smaller and smaller portion of our citizenry as generations go by, it is easy to see Memorial Day in an increasingly abstract and conceptual manner. That is not an indictment of any of us, it is just a recognition that it is harder to connect with the idea of honoring the sacrifice of our fallen troops when we don’t personally know any Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, or sailors much less any who we have lost in battle.
Yet, as First Lieutenant Mark Dooley’s letter so poignantly reminds us, it is the individual lives, with their deep value and promise that were cut short so that all of us can enjoy all that is America and our way of life, that we honor today. Lives of men and women who understood so personally and fully the value yet totality of their sacrifice, that have earned our eternal gratitude and reverence.
Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero once stated that “Poor is the nation that has no heroes; but poorer still is the nation that having heroes, fails to honor and remember them.” It is on this day that we take the time to heed the wisdom of Cicero and to pray in gratitude for the caliber of citizens willing to sacrifice all for the benefit of every American, both in the present and the future. But that gratitude and honoring of our fallen comes with a charge to all of us for the other 364 days of the year. That charge is to truly honor their sacrifice by continuing, in the small yet critically important ways we each can contribute, to forge and refine a nation worthy of their sacrifice; ensure that we are one people committed to the ideals and aspirations that define our nation and that we never, ever lose sight of that human element of war, lest we grow to commit to it too cavalierly or invest in deterring it to anemically.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and may God richly bless all of you and the United States of America.
—US Air Force Colonel, Frank Farrelly
