Memorial Day Remarks by Captain Richard Glassen
Richard Glassen and his wife Patti have been Lake Lure property owners since 1994 and, full-time residents since 2020. Raised in an Army family, he graduated from the United States Military Academy with the Class of 1966 and served in the U.S. Army until 1970, including a tour in Vietnam, leaving the service as a Captain.
He later earned a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and spent 40 years in the construction industry as a project manager, estimator, and company owner, building infrastructure projects across North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern Virginia.
Richard retired in 2015 and enjoys spending time with his wife, three daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
The Town of Lake Lure was honored to have Captain Glassen provide special remarks at the 2026 Memorial Day Program. The following is a summary of his remarks.
"Good morning to our veterans and their families, friends, guests, and all gathered here on this special Memorial Day.
When Laura asked me to speak at this Memorial Day remembrance here at our beautiful—and now reopened—Lake Lure, I was both honored and humbled. This gathering is a cherished tradition in Lake Lure, and in 2026, as our nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, finding the right words feels especially important.
Since July 4, 1776, it is estimated that between 550 and 600 million people have held United States citizenship in this great nation. Of those millions, more than forty-one million Americans have served in the Armed Forces of the United States, defending the ideals proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and protecting the democratic form of government established by our Constitution and its amendments.
Of those forty-one million who served, more than 1.1 million gave what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” Today, we gather especially to remember those men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. But let us also remember those who returned home with wounds seen and unseen and all who answered their nation’s call in times of war and peace alike.
Across America today, and even in foreign lands where Americans rest, people are gathering in cemeteries, parks, churches, town squares, and memorials. Flags wave proudly along parade routes in cities both large and small. Families paused last evening to watch the National Memorial Day Concert from Washington, D.C. All these traditions remind us that remembrance is not passive, it is an act of gratitude and a sacred duty.
When I reflect on this history of sacrifice and service, I am reminded of the words from Isaiah 6:8:
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I.” Send me.”
There is no doubt in my mind that when their country called, each of those forty-one million Americans answered in their own way:
“Here am I. Send me.”
One of the most meaningful Memorial Day traditions involve our nation’s flag. This morning, flags across America were raised proudly to the top of the pole and then solemnly lowered to half-staff, where they stay until noon. That lowered flag honors the more than 1.1 million Americans who gave their lives in military service.
At noon, the flag is raised again to full staff as a powerful reminder that those lives were not given in vain, and that we who stay are committed to preserving the freedoms, responsibilities, and hopes represented by that flag.
As an Army “brat,” whose father served during World War II and spent 23 years in the United States Army, I learned early that military service is never carried by the service member alone. Families serve too. Spouses endure separations. Children move from place to place. Parents wait and worry. Entire families carry the burdens of service alongside those in uniform.
Today we especially remember the Gold Star families whose loved ones never returned home. We also honor the families who helped wounded veterans heal and rebuild their lives after war.
Everyone gathered here today understands our responsibility to those citizens who, over the past 250 years, answered the call:
“Here am I. Send me.”
Their courage gave us this nation.
Their sacrifice preserved it.
And our remembrance honors them.
Thank you again for asking me to speak today and for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the meaning and enduring significance of Memorial Day during this historic 250th year of our nation’s journey.
May God bless our veterans, our military families, and the United States of America."
