Before the Words Were Spoken. Why I Waited to Share My Memorial Day Speech. By David J Leavitt (05/26/25)

Please take a moment to read this beautiful Memorial Day Keynote speech, delivered by Rep. David Leavitt on Memorial Day 2025 at Rock Creek Cemetery, Hansen, Idaho.

As a veteran himself, Rep. Leavitt knows the true meaning of military service and the sacrifices of fellow soldiers, their friends, and their families.

Rep. Leavitt’s introduction to that speech is below:

As I sat down to prepare my Memorial Day keynote for Rock Creek Cemetery, I found myself wrestling with something I hadn’t anticipated. Writing a speech is never easy, especially when it carries the weight of honoring those who gave their lives for this country. But this speech wasn’t just about history, ceremony, or words—it was personal.

I thought about sharing it early. Posting a draft here on Substack in advance of the ceremony, giving my readers a glimpse of what I planned to say. After all, I often share my thoughts and drafts as they come together. But this time felt different.

This speech carried memories that belong not only to me, but to a brother in arms, Specialist Ray Hutchinson, whose story I would be sharing for the first time publicly. It also spoke to the deep legacy of Rock Creek Cemetery, and to the families of those resting there. To publish these words before I stood at that podium felt, in a way, like speaking them out of turn.

There’s a sanctity to standing in that place, among the headstones, speaking to those gathered to honor the fallen. I wanted to honor that moment—by letting my words be heard for the first time as they were meant to be: in the air, among those who gathered, with the weight of the day’s meaning behind them.

Now that the words have been spoken, I’m sharing them here with you. This is the speech I delivered at Rock Creek Cemetery, with my heart laid bare. It’s a story not just of history, but of memory, of courage, and of hope.

Thank you for walking this journey with me. I hope these words resonate with you, as they did with me.

Click the link to read the full text of Rep. Leavitt’s Memorial Day Keynote Speech.