U.S. Army Major General Jimmie Keenan shares message to all during Veteran’s Day Program
(Seguin) – Messages being shared this Veteran’s Day should not only be for veterans but for all Americans.
Sharing Seguin’s message during this year’s Veterans Day Program was Major General U.S. Army (Retired) Jimmie Keenan. Keenan was invited by the Guadalupe County Veterans Council to serve as this year’s guest speaker at Veterans Park.
Keenan recently served the nation as Deputy Commanding General for the U.S. Army Medical Command and as Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
U.S. Army Major General Jimmie Keenan shares message to all during Veteran’s Day Program
In her message to all, General Keenan reminds citizens that you cannot have an America without veterans.
“What I want to tell our veterans today is thank you for your service, for your sacrifice to our country. We know through the VA that there’s over 17 and half million veterans right now that they serve and there’s even more out there and it really is a message of ‘we want to thank you today but we should be thanking you everyday’ because you donned the cloth of our nation when many others wouldn’t and for the sacrifices that you gave for our country so that we have the freedoms that we have today to protest, to have elections. We take all of that for granted because we don’t realize what enables us to have those freedoms and it’s our service members who selflessly have served our country and their families who stood there beside them,” said Keenan.
It’s during these times of uncertainty that Keenan also believes that the word “united” is more important than ever. She says the country has been under attack by COVID-19 and believes we all play the role of a solider.
“What we have to do is understand that this country was found on principles and freedoms and that right now, what we all need to do is be uplifting each other and taking care of each other. COVID is very dangerous. I’m a nurse. I have patients across Texas and Florida and I have patients here in Seguin and we are so concerned about making sure that we are all doing what we need to do to take care of not only our veterans but each other, reaching out and making sure that people have what they need whether it’s food, whether it’s medication or just somebody to talk to because when you are isolating, if you have a high risk condition, which is important to do, it can be very lonely so taking the time to reach out to your neighbors, to reach out to your friends, to reach out to someone that you may not normally connect with to see if they need anything — that’s what we all need to be doing is supporting each other,” said Keenan.
Even as politics works to divide us, Keenan believes that everyone has a responsibility to keep moving forward.
“I think we have to remember that we are all in this together and that again, our country was founded on freedom, the right for speech, for free speech and that even when we don’t agree on necessarily the same policies, that we can all come together because we are all Americans,” said Keenan.
Throughout her military career, Keenan has also served as chief of staff for the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command at the Pentagon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Public Health Command in Maryland and as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Southern Regional Medical Command. Keenan currently serves as the senior vice president for Enterprise Clinic Operations, WellMed Medical Management.
Although this year’s Veteran’s Day Program was modified and did not include the community parade, organizers say this year’s event saw a large turnout. They also thank those who took the ime out of their schedule to attend this year’s program.