Nebraska National Guard members join Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Senator Deb Fischer, Senator Ben Sasse, and the Adjutant General Major General Daryl Bohac in an unveiling ceremony of a William Jennings Bryan statue at the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward October 11, 2019. Bryan family members, veterans, and numerous distinguished guests also attended the ceremony. (U.S. Air Force video by Tech. Sgt R. Denise Mommens)
Transcript
National Guard members, Veterans and numerous distinguished guests attended a special unveiling ceremony at the Nebraska National Guard Museum, October 11th, 2019 in Seward, Nebraska. The statue of William Jennings Bryan represented Nebraska at the US Capital building from 1937 to October of 2019. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Senators Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse spoke of the honor to have Bryan’s statue on display at the museum.
Bryan went out across Nebraska and he made this famous speech in Hastings where he said, “Be a patriot, be a solider.” And he enlisted 600 more men than Nebraska’s target number because we’re Americans. Not because he was a Democrat or a Republican at that moment, but because we had a National moment that we needed to be united around. General Bohac and the men and women who are blessed to serve under his leadership, they’re honorable heirs to that tradition where we lay down politics at water’s edge and we say first, be a patriot, be a soldier. William Jennings Bryan fits really well in Seward, Nebraska. Thanks for being here today.
Bryan’s third great grandson, Jason Webber of Columbus, Nebraska attended the unveiling and was recognized at the ceremony.
I’m truly honored by it. My grandfather, he was an amazing man.
Reporting from Seward, Nebraska, I’m Air Force Technical Sergeant, Denise Mummins.