Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in WWII.
My uncle Sammy Berman, the son of Jewish immigrants from Vilna, won the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in WWII. He repeatedly declined invitations to speak at his community's Memorial Day events. In 2016 he finally agreed. Here is his speech: I have declined to speak at such events in the past. I decided to accept the invitation today because so many of those with whom I served in WWII are no longer with us and I want to share with you what we learned in the war and its aftermath. Today we assemble to remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country. It is right and important that we remember and grieve with the families, the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, who lost loved ones in America’s wars. Today, we honor the warriors, but never war itself. I fought in World War II in the Army Air Force. Some of my brother soldiers were lost in that war. It was a just war, a war that had to be waged to defeat fascis...