Today, two of the nations finest officers, Lt. Brian Murphy and Officer Sam Lenda, were awarded the Congressional Badge of Bravery. The award was given for their heroic actions on August 5th 2012, the day my father Satwant Singh Kaleka, was gunned down alongside six others at the Sikh Temple of WI. I was honored to be able to present remarks to the officers and the community. Also in attendance from national and local leadership were: Sen. Johnson, Rep. Ryan, Rep. Moore, D.A. Santelle, The Milwaukee County Exec. Chris Able, Mayors Barrett and Scaffidi as well as the Sikh temple presidents of Oak Creek and Brookfield. I offer my highest gratitude to these two men for the countless lives they saved that day - including my mother. Though the sting of my fathers untimely death is still very much present, I am uplifted by his spirit of fellowship and selfless service as I now seek to serve my country in Congress. Youll find the text of my remarks below, alongside this excerpt: https://vimeo/102792851 FULL SPEECH Today we are here to discuss bravery, Bravery and honor is a cornerstone of the American spirit. It takes a brave person to venture into a very large and raw frontier, and an honorable person to do this with justice at their side. Law men and police officers have been doing this since the beginning of this nation’s history. Today we gather to honor Two of the Nation’s finest: Lt. Brian Murphy and Officer Sam Lenda. Sacrifice and hard work are also cornerstones of the American spirit. In the Sikh faith these two ideas are defined in the term Nishkam Seva. –Selfless Service— Countless times I’ve been near Brian and Sam and I overhear another praise them, and though they deserve it, neither Sam nor Brian accept it. They say it was my job, it was my duty. Today I am honored to have the opportunity, as a representative of the families of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin – to help commemorate the bravery and selfless service of these two fine men. Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal “Please Shout: Truth and justice are Timeless” The last words of Gurmukh Singh at the Saragarhi communication picket, deep in the hindu-kush mountains in 1897. The Sikhs who fought under the British army were defending India from an army of crusaders. Gurmukh Singh was the last of 21 Sikhs standing his ground and defending his post against an army of 10,000 invading parthans. Those 21 Sikhs were all that stood between the Parthan army and Ft. Lockhart, the last stronghold between the enemy and the plundering of India. They could have fled or they could hold, and fight to the finish. The 21 Sikhs held their own, inflicting more than 600 casualties against the enemy, buying just enough time for reinforcements to secure the fort . Today our men and women in blue are not fighting marauding, crusading, parthan armies. They are fighting the affects of unjust poverty, crime and unnecessary gun violence. And still our men, fight with honor and bravery and fidelity Every. Single. Day. On August 5th, they rose against a man, so consumed with hate and violence that he could slaughter innocent men, women, and children at prayer. When Lt. Murphy arrived at the scene he sprang into action and moved to cover the two wounded priests, who were brothers, outside the temple. Lt. Brian Murphy embodies Nishkam Seva – selfless service. While engaging the gunman, Lt. Murphy was hit 15 times. Fifteen times and each time he refused to stop fighting, low-crawling, and protecting his fellow countrymen. He sacrificed himself to slow the marauder down just long enough for the relief to arrive, and help end the massacre. That relief came in the form of Chardhi Kala – embodied in a man with relentless optimism, Officer Sam Lenda. Chardhi Kala – meaning relentless optimism - is the kind of belief that allows a brave man like Officer Sam Lenda to charge into the gunfire. The kind of belief that allows someone to set aside fear, so he can firmly draw his rifle, and in his own words “find his target, acquire, and isolate it”. Officer Lenda, embodying Chardhi Kala –with bullets flying at him - put the havoc to rest. Like the 21 Sikhs fighting the parthans in the Hindu Kush, Lt. Brian Murphy and Officer Sam Lenda stood their ground, and saved the lives of countless people. Today we honor the bravery of Lt. Brian Murphy and Officer Sam Lenda. But we all believe actions speak louder than words. If we truly want to honor their sacrifices we must embrace the idea that we can change, and we must reject a culture of hatred and violence. We must deny the means to carry out such unjust violence to those who seek to inflict it. Today I am honored to have the opportunity, as a representative of the families of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin – to help commemorate the bravery and selfless service of these two fine men. God bless you Officer Sam Lenda, Lt. Brian Murphy and your families, and God bless the United States of America.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 02:01:05 +0000
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