
Eternal Light Ceremonies 1948
This episode is from the WNYC archives. It may contain language which is no longer politically or socially appropriate.
Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri addresses the 30th anniversary of signing of the armistice at the lighting of the Eternal Light in Madison Square. Impellitteri says that Armistice Day, VE Day and VJ Day are symbols of victory and hope that underscore the futility of making war.
Moment of silence to honor the departed.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 69313
Municipal archives id: LT613
This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
How do you do ladies and gentlemen we're talking to you from twenty third Street Madison Square New York the occasion thing the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Armistice the twenty fifth anniversary of the lighting of the Eternal Light I thought a moment judge Marie summons the chairman of the mayor's committee for the celebration of this anniversary as addressing the largest somebody here in Madison Square judge some of. The modern American that are listening to the ceremony. It is my privilege to present the projecting opposition which function the Chaman of the mayor's committee. One of the outstanding civic leaders of our community. I know I'm selfish and devoted public affection I was a veteran but I loved. Bringing our own comrade the president of the city council and a vegetarian the acting mayor of the city of New York they are on the bench and in public Terry. Johnson. Clayton. General what brought. President Hugo Rodriguez Judge Paul P. right. Next I want to make. This thing which gets come right ladies and gentlemen we are gathered here today at this very historic trying. To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of the Armistice of the First World War. Under those with feelings of patriotic pride and earnest gratitude that I. Am the spokesperson for the city of New York I welcome you and joining with you and paying very humble respect to all those who by their supreme personal sacrifice gain eternal life to the ideals of democracy this day and nineteen eighteen March the final victory and what up to that time was the most devastating conflict in the history of the world through the years Armistice Day has become a symbol of hope for permanent peace and upgrade in the brotherhood of man I must this. Very day V.J. Day all are symbols of great victories by the forces of humanity over the forces of evil but believe me all at the same time are symbols of hope far far greater victory the victory of human decency over the dreadful and beautiful methods of war let us braced whether how big are the most the opportunity to carry this country proudly poet along the pathway of international peace and harmony I assure you that the study of the OP is foursquare behind the efforts of the United Nations. To work. For a lasting peace and I am certain that we can depend upon all veterans. The article organizations who have taken part in this ceremony. To lend us their and whole hearted support in a few moments we're all here addresses by New York comedy Legion commander Herbert the work and Major General Ross. Deputy Commander first army of the United States. Meanwhile may. Pause for two minutes silence and memory of our departed. Will be delivered I don't write heart got to be done again. Just. Place your dominant. Father and move away live and move and have a BEING be present with us as we assemble to remember all those who noblest high principles in times of war we pray to be true have been diabolic keeping all those gave their lives and prayed that they may go from strength to strength and heavenly kingdom has compassion on all who has. Comfort them in their loneliness and bringing them to us further knowledge of the I Love we die blessing up on bread. Stick and body in mind. Fill their heart with courage and confidence and give them peace and finally. Help us to be true lovers of our country and honor to the United States of America. That our nation. May be a source of inspiration. To all the nations of the world. As we recall past deeds of war may we result to work Ted facts. For the day when war shall be no more. And may the issues of the times be peace on earth goodwill to men and the further in the kingdom of love ALL Glory be to the Oh Father Almighty world without end amen. That's. Why. Formerly of the Metropolitan Opera. What. The. First of all. I hope you will be have. Passed one of the finest. Star-Spangled Banner that I have ever heard. We are very. I have. In August Gingrich audience and on this platform their New York County commander of the American Legion DR HERBERT We work will now address you afterward. Reverend clergy general wardrobe The thing with guests ladies and gentleman and fellow American veterans all we gather here today for the purpose of commemorating the arm of the school which concluded the Fourth World War I don't forget they offer a heartfelt prayers of fighting for the end of the European phase of the Second World War The later the complete surrender of Japan signifying the end of the war in the footsteps that's dreadful conflict and ranged from September first one thing thirty nine and during the unfeeling five years millions of humans and been killed most of Western Europe prostrate under the brutal cold of Iraq with terror they heretofore believed invincible I know than sufferable arrogant know no bounds they are economic as well a political life was disrupted right industries were destroyed and eventually lost their right that of the US Such they had to get the guns pointed out of the big collectivized and they were faced with an important mushing mobilized almost completely each according to his or her contribution to the cause the total war I think was then known nor had America or escaped on scale in the Pacific by V.J. Day upwards of three hundred thousand members of the armed forces that perished in the battle of died in the service another nearly quarter million have been wounded many of these deaths and to themselves died as a direct cause of battle. The nation itself I contributed from its roaring blast furnace with its mechanized industry and of almost limitless financial results of a seemingly endless stream of the law materials needed to appoint for the time the guns the plane the ships and other equipment desperately needed for the successful prosecution of the furcula enough for we were once again a nation which had twice in a generation parting the tide of battle from the last around so many problems were of Allianz but greatly weakened allies and to a glorious victory we had performed once again the miracle of transition from a nonmilitary and peace loving nation to a complete war economy up incredibly great weather to restrain the next flight the admiration and respect of the entire world friends as well as the enemy in our gratitude However let us recount the fair price of the fight exacted to achieve complete victory over implacable fold or the waste of the structure than calculable the cost in dollars with me a three hundred billion what a measurably greater and certainly more tragic of the loss of human life entailed the next real price that must be paid to satisfy the place you will appetite of the law of God whose greeting jaws of death namely no notes but piety and deep humanity and profound reverence we bought our head and memory and respect for our war heroes and heroines all gave their all in the supreme sacrifice and defending their beloved country and ensuring victory for our allies our debt to them is limitless an economy can be repaired by blood spilled can never be regenerated but what of the future have we finally got it conceivable cost to victory in the fight which the like arrived if that goal falls desperately desired by all mankind external peace on earth. All are about is expecting too much at least a rest but a transitory period of human happiness you're safe from war it's all the price high the what has been might be worth the game you'll know the answer as well as I possibly have the gun the firing oddly had a heroic death been easily going to target a reminder of war and grim Holocaust that we are war on but yet a foreign world war is of not imminent at least that had a couple of the prophets of doom be right all their infallibility of by no means certain we had better examine this thesis critically. We must face the issue squarely Honestly I don't flinch Inglese conflating the validity of a conclusion jelly I don't aimlessly feel tightly drifting down the road to impending disaster. When the doc while the want out of ominously only Europe and Asia and the storm broke the one hundred thirty nine America was totally unprepared Yet even then the American people but not entirely believe the law might come to light that American men what we call to fight once more in defense of a nation then came for a harbor of our soil had been desecrated by enemy treachery of America with a wall what certainly a beginning had been made by the United but the one hundred forty of the Selective Service Act. With a screening program that provided about one million men partially all fully trained before the infamous assault by the Japanese upon Parramatta from that time on we were able to land for them to conquer territory in the Southwest Pacific Iceland the north Africa as well as in England of course the American Legion heartily endorse and support of the selective service like the one nine hundred forty had there been in fact such a Selective Service System after the fourth world war often we as a legion of finally convinced the Second World War My number of stock of. The American Legion as consistently advocated the principle of universal military training and date of the axiomatic that a well prepared nation is the only bulwark against war provoking act of an aggressor nation again and again during the approximately quarter century following war law one of the Legion repeated this place to Congress for not going to such legislation they fell on deaf ears Those were the years when the passengers were on the ascendency it was popular the print labels of such organizations as ours such a militaristic yet the same propaganda was again being engendered with no secure peace in the world today by these same self-styled idea was proclaiming the same program which started so successful a joint passed years ago to feed American preparedness through there were treaties which outlawed war for the use of science battleships no trouble to get on vinyl back the bond our hands and shackle our determination to build even those emblems of an adequate defense while we've got a battleship rival powered by little prince at the same time marking the ideals of freedom and of everything America held dear we were to stay out of wars not a manly fashion the people too strong to be attacked but by shutting our eyes on the air by making fires appeal to the better nature of tyrannical dictator for respect no ideal but for that policy fatalism needed months and blame when oil was upon us we found more than twelve million men had to be trained for battle I'm diversified from twelve thousand miles apart because of the resurgence of pacifism once again we were sending money into battle with less than fourteen weeks of training but growing casually left for once again a monument to our folly. Unless and until the United Nations is going to shore is to kill world peace our national lady is in jeopardy of our existence of an independent nation remotely managed rather than with the last day of our plague resentful home with a day in hell of memory or as a final call by there's a preponderance of the bunch of that country well what could they reporting to one of the planes that once again untold millions of a really splendid new exemplifying all of the fine and noble an American man would be spared their identity their tragedy I am sure you will hear them say as one that in order to ensure our security we should maintain a strong maybe second to none that we should build a form of the Malaya power and the wish or an adequate reserve and France for the needed for any more of them but adequate preparedness commands of the system of universal mother through training be inaugurated without for the delays that a unified command them are on board with the Army Navy and they have borne on an equal level as a special THE WANTED with preparing the scientific research to nuclear energy at another scientific and technical field be continued and expanded in order to confirm it in the best interest of the nation and peace as well as the war that stockpiles of strategic material difficult to procurement during a more complete B.S. that was an adequately maintained that our nation maintain that's a very basic consistent with our policy of national defense and that finally they say when all abiding faith in the God of the UN The Marist poll guides and protect us all if we but look to Him for help then they say America must go forward I'm happy this prevail among men of good will at least they stop eleven made a great progress will have been achieved on the dream of peace among men. Can we do aught but give camp consideration when they're filing appeal but it doesn't make the place can we do less to ensure their only Parnell rests with. All Ronna that demand of money from us and we shall be less than grateful if we fail their plate. Thank you very much commend the work. I have a selection by the fire department by. Letters and. Rodman one of my. First English marching. Out of the World War One of my organization. That's of a police commissioner during the First World War. Sir the chairman of the mast Committee for the welcoming of homecoming for a World War One. Is an issue. And great. Resulted in the most from this demonstration in New York City has ever seen as a part of the World War one homecoming demonstrates the committee headed by a lot of money Wanamaker our record of flying on us that's a very nice spot where the colonel my now stands at. Twenty four freedom that event called the free us further up the new committee great victory rally at the New York Public Library. For you and for the first group as a primarily. The US was directed at the importance of Central Park all of these were dedicated to the valor memos and courage of our brave fighting men for their take devotion to their country following this great ovation but then mayor of the city of New York the honorable John F.. That's the brother ration of Law Society jewels of thirty War Memorial which the city of New York might approve hearings were held in the bar of us from the chamber of study all for a period of almost four years and no final conclusion was reached finally Rudman Wanamaker asked for them coming your way and structure. The pleasant German. Of the marriage Committee for the reception of the guests and over and above the. Foremost So those are the honorable Grover a way of. Preparing a plan for war mart not to exceed the cost of one hundred thousand dollars for which he was personally provided the fund Mr want to make or also expressed the hope that the memorial what take the form of an eternal life that was horrible for those who had given their lives and world war one. The result was that after many studies and money conferences a spike were selected and money. That's twenty four freedom. While the rest of New York war memorials for those who had made the supreme sacrifice this memorial could be called the light. The White Memorial of any. I've been for just this awful post since. It is so that. I don't find. I distinguished much and the great. That's. Why the memorial I've been directed to those who died and World War One and that's Nov eleventh nineteen twenty three other government has been paying annually to those who made the supreme sacrifice. In connection with this break. With the people of the city of New York Merrill Why are forwarded the following letter to the board of aftermath of the city of the art on Oct thirteenth nineteen forty eight addressed to the board of the general on November one nineteen twenty three. One of my distinguished service in the Merchant of violence that presented to the city of New York the turn a light located and mothers thought that's one of the four straighten that. War Memorial to commemorate the supreme not surprise made by those who died on the battlefield. During World War One. It is the only war memorial that we have above World War and it's already on the occasion of the twenty fifth anniversary Nov eleventh my. Father was a gift to the people of the City of God that I'm going to be made in the Red Cross of all of us during World War One. Lawmaker was not definitely always amazed and also organized and served as the first chairman of the most Committee for the reception of this thing. And rest of his loyal grateful and generous service to the people of the city of New York I recommend That's a matter authorized to present I'm going to have a good posthumous. Family. One of my good appropriate resolution very early on when your phone wire. This proposal. We are not allowed for a vote of the Board of us there are there is a following. And citation work by design a narrow. Citation read as follows. Right. Or. Wrong. For me to get. Up. And give. Them. The. Wire. One of. The following. I was going to. Get. My. Hair. All wrong. Your. Right foot. Your. Right. Father. Ron. Paul. Harvey of the people of the city of New York far. Better than the first time. I asked you to act that this very beautiful. Knocked off. For. Your. Family. The name want to make are so closely associated with eternal life because it was Robin want to make sure of that generation that that donated the eternal life to the city of New York and it has been burning and has been the focal point of the observation of reverence for the Victory Day here in New York City ever since that great occasion and now the young very interesting looking rather than want to make or this generation is voice Lee holding up the citation which he has just received from acting mayor and public Terry and of course the photographers are correlating the facts in the Facebook pictures and in time to comedy very interesting of course report back to these pictures as we so often do when we try to recapture the scene as it happened at the time and these photographs are so important in that particular matter. In public Terry is quite busy now getting Mr want to make a regulated zone that they want to make going to I think you acting mayor and the talent that. It is with mixed emotions that I great staff this memorial battle and grow. Naturally there is a feeling of ancestral right. And I am glad that my grandfather thirty years ago was a member of the mayor's committee and welcome the homecoming crew and I'm glad too that he chose this eternal light five years later then all of enduring peace in honor of our victorious troops and then commemoration of those who made the brains to Akra fight for the triumph of the free peoples of the world I am proud in the knowledge that he and his day was not merely a verbal proponent of heat but that he left to succeeding generations this beautiful and symbolic Morio to direct our way lite our course to the port of peace but much stronger than any ancestral pride is the deep feeling of personal you melody and responsibility which the acceptance of this honor engendered in nineteen eighteen with much easier to TALK OF THE than it is today and that year we had just spent eight the world conflict strongly determined that it should be the last one twenty five years later however world conditions were such that we again join forces with other democratic nations to more securely establish the rights of man then under attack by aggressive dictators and nineteen forty eight as we look about us we find the transgression of human rights still rampant in many countries. Since vide of the tremendous sacrifice of manpower and materiel in World War two that freedom and liberty of man must be maintained is indisputable. But we must mean other than war to preserve these rights we must use peaceful approaches to solve the problem. We cannot continue on the theory that our young men and women are expendable Instead we must promote better understanding between the peoples of the world we must overcome and tolerance we must cast discrimination aside we must try to understand the other man's point of view give it careful consideration. Search for the grains of truth in what may seem biased three boys instead of flatly rejecting the whole statement one Sir Alfred Zimmerman expert in enter national affairs was asked what in your opinion is the greatest obstacle between us and the building of enduring world peace he said to a promptly replied the small scale individual we must learn to keep an open mind remembering that in contrast to the vast field of knowledge which has been built up on many subjects each of us can but a very limited portion of our mutual understanding. And mutual understanding alone will lead to the harmony necessary for enduring peace and entirely gratifying to have so many of you present at these exercises today it is particularly inspiring to have so many veterans organizations where the first day above all others know the high price of war they have learned firsthand whether it's to replicate waste and horrible devastation. Every avenue of peaceful settlement must be explored to avoid plunging us once again into the debacle of self-destruction. You will forgive me for extending a special word of welcome to my own group the John Wanamaker American Legion post of Philadelphia for they have traveled almost one hundred miles to be here many of them left their homes before six o'clock this morning I also want to add a greeting to John Wanamaker post of New York thank you Mr involuntary it is with mixed emotions and. Once more I want to express my warm appreciation and gratitude for the honor which the city of New York has been thrown on me today I shall endeavor to fulfill the responsibility of its challenge and as I close I can think of no better message to leave with all of you than Abraham Lincoln's immortal words with malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us drive on through the work we are and to bind up the nation's wounds to care for him who is I'll have a blow on the Bible and for his widow and his offer to do all which we may achieve and Sherry's a just and lasting peace among ourselves and all nations. Thank you very much Mr One of my group for your very inspiring address my I also thank the members of the John Wanamaker totally American Legion who journeyed all the way from Philadelphia to New York to Apparently Sir Molly and to are sure that that the city of New York is deeply appreciative of their presence and also to let them know that in the city of New York they will receive the warm response and the warm welcome of all the people of Iraq that. We will now have a better selection by the part of the park on the land of the city of New York.