05/25/2026
Memorial Day Address: The Executors of Liberty
Friends, Neighbors, and Fellow Patriots:
It was the Fall of 1774; the shadow of tyranny was lengthening over the colonies, and the risk of war was becoming inevitable. The British military had blockaded Boston Harbor and replaced the local government with military control. Redcoats were quartered on Boston Common. Commerce was stifled and unemployment was rampant. Boston was a city under siege, but not without hope.
While Samuel Adams was away at the Continental Congress, Dr. Joseph Warren—a prominent physician and a Son of Liberty—took a leadership role. He oversaw the colony’s military movements, the procurement of arms and powder, and even the security of Fort Ticonderoga and its cannons.
Most importantly to the cause of Liberty, Dr. Warren secured crucial intelligence through his network of spies. In April of 1775, it was Dr. Warren who gave the order to Paul Revere for his Midnight Ride. The lighting of the two lanterns at the Old North Church not only saved the lives of Samuel Adams and John Hancock; it secured victories at Lexington and Concord, and it lit the fire of Liberty.
For his endeavors, Dr. Warren was given a commission to serve as a Major General in the Continental Army; however, he had already made his intentions clear in a letter to Samuel Adams. He wrote:
“The mistress we court is LIBERTY; and it would be better to die, than not to obtain her.”
His prophetic words bore fruit on the slopes of Bunker Hill. Against the wishes of his superiors, Dr. Warren rejected his commission and elected to serve in the infantry. He did not hide behind a desk or his station; he picked up a musket and stood his ground. As the British made their final charge at Bunker Hill, Dr. Joseph Warren was mortally wounded. He courted Liberty, and he paid for her with his life. In that moment of ultimate sacrifice, Dr. Warren held true to his word, and in doing so, became the personification of patriotism and the American Spirit.
How do we, as a nation, truly honor such a sacrifice?
With that question in hand, we gather for the 92nd South Hills Memorial Day Parade to honor a debt that can truly never be repaid. We stand in gratitude for those who understood that freedom comes at a cost, As we take up that torch, we recognize that it rests in our care to preserve for generations to come.
We are the stewards of a journey that began long before our time, and as we mark 250 years of this great American experiment, we are reminded that our history is not merely a prologue—it is a responsibility.
It is often difficult for us, in the comfort of modernity, to grasp the scale of their grand endeavor. As we look at the flags lining our streets and the faces of the veterans standing among us, it is easy to view their service as distant history. Yet, we are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice. To understand the weight of that inheritance, we must look back across the centuries to the very first who answered the call—the Patriots of the Revolution.
These bold individuals looked at the formidable British Empire and refused to yield. Instead, America’s First Patriots declared that “We are Endowed by our Creator," and we would bow to no earthly king!
President Lincoln stood upon the battlefield of Gettysburg and reminded us that we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground beyond what those who struggled here have already done. As Lincoln said, "It is for us the living…to be dedicated here to the unfinished work that has been so nobly advanced."
Liberty is not an inheritance for us to squander. We must care for it like an executor managing an estate. We are called to be active participants in the cause. This is our sacred charge—this is generational stewardship. We are the Executors of Liberty. We are called upon to satisfy our debts and marshal ourselves and our resources toward the cause of freedom.
If Dr. Warren was willing to die to obtain Liberty, then it is incumbent upon us, the living, to defend it. We must protect the civility of our discourse, the strength of our community, and the integrity of our great Republic.
As you observe this day, carry that fire of the Patriots with you. Remember the “Mistress” they courted. May we be worthy of their sacrifice. May we be bold in our defense of their legacy. And just as those lanterns at the Old North Church once lit our path out of tyranny, may the fire of our Patriots light our path forevermore.
May God bless our Veterans,
May God bless our South Hills communities (Borough of Dormont, Mt. Lebanon Municipality - Government, City of Pittsburgh, and
May God bless the United States of America.
BOROUGH OF DORMONT
Mayor Jason P. Walsh
