U.S. Army Col. Robert Thelen was the guest speaker during a Memorial Day ceremony in downtown Lindale on Monday. He is the son of Rick and Linda Thelen of Lindale. (Photo by Terry Cannon)
Lindale’s armed services members as well as others around the globe – past and present – and were honored on Monday, May 27 at the Lindale Veteran’s Memorial in downtown Lindale.
Approximately 150 people attended the ceremony, which featured guest speaker U.S. Army Col. Robert Thelen, a senior fellow at the U.S. National Defense University.
Most of the attendees were able to take advantage of tents to ward off the typical late May Texas heat, something Col. Thelen joked about.
“I was told that I had about 90 minutes to speak today,’’ he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “But we’ll try to make it shorter than that.’’
He discussed the importance of remembering those who have fallen on the fields of battle over the years.
“These brave people gave us a blank check for our future,’’ he said. “Fortunately, we haven’t had to cash that check so far.’’
But the need to remain vigilant remains he said, and we must always honor “those who have given their lives so we can have a country based on freedom, justice and honor,’’ he said.
In his current position, Col. Thelen researches national security interests where U.S. foreign policy, diplomacy, intelligence and defense intersect.
His recent duties include serving on the Department of Defense’s Joint Staff and the Special Operations Command, working within the special activities to support and enable Special Operations Forces activities across the globe.
Col. Thelen earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Illinois State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Col. Thelen is the son of Richard and Linda Thelen of Lindale.