Thank you General Tuxill for your kind introduction. On behalf of Governor Martin O’Malley, let me say congratulations on your Department’s 2nd Annual Unity Day celebration. I am very pleased to be here.
The theme of this celebration is that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” There is a “synergy’ at work which means a large organization, is better, stronger, more flexible, and able to accomplish tasks far beyond expectations than the total individual contributions of its members. For those of you in the Military Department, this is especially true.
Your ranks represent all walks of life in our state. Each of you comes from different cultures, backgrounds, and religious traditions. And while your backgrounds are diverse, each of you is a contributor to the accomplishments of the missions of this Department and a contributor to the ability of the State of Maryland to protect and serve its citizens.
With approximately 5 million citizens in Maryland, this department, with more than 7,000 employees and volunteers, has demonstrated its public service for the welfare of our state and our country. More than 5,000 Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the Maryland National Guard have served with distinction in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Cuba, Bosnia, and our border with Mexico. Our emergency management folks have coordinated the use of Maryland’s resources not just for disasters and emergencies in Maryland, but across the country. The uniformed volunteers of the Maryland Defense Force have provided unselfish professional assistance to the Maryland National Guard and many of its programs such as the Freestate Challenge Program at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.
They are the only State Militia to have been deployed outside their state and their country…Hurricane Katrina, Bosnia, and the Rosebud Native American Reservation in South Dakota.
We are all different – we all come from somewhere else, but we are all family in that we do our jobs for a common good
You are America’s melting pot. All of you contribute to the greatness of our state and our country. The resulting stew tastes much better with everybody contributing to it. The whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. You see before you booths representing foods and artifacts of many different backgrounds and cultures. Celebrate and enjoy that diversity.
Thank you for inviting me.