A Salute to Veterans

 
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
November 7, 2025  

I come from a long line of veterans, a proud heritage that reaches back to the Revolutionary War. My great-great-great-grandfather came to America and served as an aide to General Lafayette. My grandfather served in World War I, and my father fought in World War II at the Battle of the Bulge.

My dad’s unit – the 11^th Armored Division – liberated one of Nazi Germany’s most notorious concentration camps: Mauthausen. Growing up, I heard fragments of that story, but Dad rarely spoke about it in detail. Years after his passing, my siblings discovered an old trunk of his. At the bottom was a camera with undeveloped film inside.

When the film was developed, we found photos from the Battle of the Bulge and from Mauthausen. Those photos made me sick to my stomach – they showed bodies stacked like firewood and trailers filled with dead victims. It was no wonder my father locked away the horror he witnessed. And it reminded me that we will never be able to fully comprehend or appreciate what our veterans have done for us – and what they continue to do.

When I visited Israel earlier this year and shared my father’s story, I met several individuals who were descended from survivors of Mauthausen – and they were blown away. For the first time, the humanity of the other side of that liberation struck home for me. And it gave me newfound appreciation for my father’s service, the service of all my other family members, and the service and sacrifice of every veteran of the United States armed forces.

We’ve come to a point in our world when everything has been turned on its head – there are those who call evil good and good evil. But the United States remains special. We’re special because we are the only nation on the planet that was founded on the bedrock principle that our rights, liberties, and freedoms are given to us by God our Creator – not the government.

But we can’t take that for granted. As Ronald Reagan wisely put it, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” That’s what our veterans have always done – from my great-great-great-grandfather and all those who fought during the Revolutionary War to those serving today.

My goal as Governor is to keep our state strong, safe, and free – but that wouldn’t be possible without all our past, present, and future men and women in uniform. We could imagine a world in which the Revolution failed – and the United States was not born – or in which we failed to secure freedom for the world in World Wars I and II. But we don’t have to do that because of the strength and determination of our veterans.

Their dedicated service is the backbone that holds our nation together. It serves as an example for us all – it reminds us that we too must fight for freedom.

To all of our veterans: Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank you for your continued service to this nation. Thank you for standing in harm’s way to protect our life, liberties, and freedoms. God bless you. God bless South Dakota. And may God continue to bless the United States of America!

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