Tim Laboria reads Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
John Partain, right, presents Tim Laboria with a photo of an American flag with a cross in the foreground. Partian took the photo and he and his wife gave a copy of it to every family in Wyoming who lost a loved one in the war in Iraq. Partain said only special people are given a copy of the photo, so he wanted to give one to Laboria.
Wearing a black top hat, white gloves, and a t-shirt with Abraham Lincoln's picture on it, Tim Laboria stood from his wheelchair and began to read:
"Fellow countrymen: at this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. . ."
Last Friday, Laboria read through all of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address for a group of residents gathered in the lobby of Castle Rock Rehabilitation Center and the Villa. It was a special performance from Laboria for Veterans Day. Although his hands shook as he turned the page and afterwards he said the event took a lot of his energy, Laboria was thankful for the opportunity to share Lincoln's words.
"It is very, very essential that that speech is disseminated," he explained. "The key is the speech itself, word for word disseminated. That's what Lincoln would want. That's what the veterans would want."
While he insists it doesn't matter who is saying the words, Laboria said he wanted to do his best with the speech, and sharing it was an opportunity for him to honor those who have served our country.
Laboria has also shared Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which he has memorized, many times throughout this life. He particularly loves Lincoln's speeches because they are well-articulated and because Lincoln himself was well-versed and he loved his country and was motivated to save it.
"He needed to do what he had to do," Laboria said of Lincoln, adding he often wonders if the people during Lincoln's time understood where the president was coming from or if they wondered what he was trying to accomplish.
Sharing Lincoln's words with the next generation, particularly students in high school, has always been important for Laboria. He believes hearing these types of speeches helps students not avoid truth or steer away from uncomfortable issues. He also believes we're still dealing with issues today that Lincoln was dealing with in his time, and the speeches can help get people out of a certain mode of thinking and help them have a more open mind.
"Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away," Lincoln's inaugural address states. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
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