‘A war to preserve our freedom’
American Legion National Commander Mike Helm speaks to attendees on Sept. 11 at Post 35 in Hampton, N.H. (Photo by John Raughter)

‘A war to preserve our freedom’

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National Commander Michael D. Helm summed up the rationale behind The American Legion’s support for the global war on terrorism during 9/11 observances at Post 35 in Hampton, N.H., on Sept. 11.

“If you remove all of the politics and policy-wonk discussions about regional conflicts, what’s really at stake is the safety of our great communities from those who want us dead,” Helm said. “When groups like ISIS issue ultimatums telling people to convert to their warped brand of religion or be executed, how can anyone deny that this is a war to preserve our freedom?”

The annual observances at Post 35 honors New Hampshire veterans who have died in the line of duty since the terrorist attacks 13 years ago. The posts Global War on Terrorism Monument sits in front of the Legion post and includes the names of 64 Granite State servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice since Sept. 11, 2001.

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was also at the monument’s rededication, which included the addition of two new names.

“We are here today to rededicate this memorial monument, unveiling two new names, names of two men who gave their lives to preserve our freedom,” Hassan said. “We come together to honor them, to thank them and to remember them because they made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never truly be repaid, but a debt that we must always strive to honor.”

Added to the monument this year were the names of New Hampshire Air National Guard Master Sgt. David L. Poirier and Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Garabrant. Poirier, 52, a former postmaster general in Atkinson, N.H., died in a non-combat related incident while deployed to Qatar.

Garabrant, 19, was killed on June 20 when a roadside bomb detonated in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. A graduate of Conval Regional High School, Garabrant made national headlines when school officials told him he could not wear his uniform to his commencement ceremony in 2013, a situation that Post 35 Commander G. Berkley Bennett recalled during the rededication.

“Brandon wanted to wear his Marine dress uniform to his graduation, a request that was denied," Bennett said. "But he obeyed the wishes of his principal. When he graduated from Marine Corps boot camp, he got on a plane and graduated high school the very next day, in his cap and gown. But underneath that gown was a Marine Corps T-shirt!”

Bennett reminded the audience, which included relatives of the fallen servicemembers, that the monument is “for the mothers, the fathers, the sisters and brothers, for the wives and the children of those whose names are engraved in the stone.”

Poirier, Bennett said, was remembered by his military commander as “the consummate guardsman. He was a technical expert in his field, he had a gift for teaching others, he volunteered for every deployment, and he was the first one through the door during state activation in time of crisis.”

Bennett reflected on the pride Post 35 Legionnaires have taken since dedicating the monument in 2006, the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks. “This is our humble small-town-America monument," he said. "It doesn’t have the grand, sweeping scale of monuments in Washington, New York or Boston. And God knows that as a backdrop, our post building is no rival to the Capitol or Lincoln Memorial. But it is our monument, and it is here today. And we of Post 35 fervently hope that you, the families, gain some small measure of comfort, knowing that your loved ones are forever remembered through this monument.”

The greatness of those on the Hampton Global War on Terrorism Monument and other fallen heroes was remembered by Commander Helm.

“The men and women who die on our behalf represent the best that America has to offer,” he said. “Without people willing to sacrifice their lives on our behalf there would be no America.”

And a strong case was made that the monument that sits in front of American Legion Post 35 at 69 High Street in Hampton, N.H., is the finest granite in the Granite State.