THE
PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you all. Welcome. Mr.
Secretary, thank you for your great leadership as Secretary of Defense
for our country. (Applause.) General Myers, members of the United States
military, veterans, honored guests, and fellow Americans. This morning I
had the honor of placing a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknowns. This
custom is observed every Memorial Day on behalf of the American people
as a mark of gratitude and respect.
And when this ceremony is concluded, and all of us have gone on
our way, the Honor Guard will keep watch over the Tomb. Every hour of
every day, on the coldest nights, in the hardest rain, there is a
sentinel of the 3rd U.S. Infantry standing guard. The soldiers entrusted
with that duty count it a privilege. And, today, as we reflect on the
men and women who have died in the defense of America, all of us count
it a privilege to be citizens of the country they served. (Applause.)
In the military tradition, no one is left behind on the field of
battle. And our nation is determined to account for all of the missing.
The same spirit can be seen in the respect we show to each life laid
down for this nation. We receive them in sorrow, and we take them to an
honored place to rest. At this and other cemeteries across our country,
and in cemeteries abroad where heroes fell, America acknowledges a debt
that is beyond our power to repay.
This weekend, we dedicated the World War II Memorial, which will
stand forever as a tribute to the generation that fought that war and
the more than 400,000 Americans who fell. (Applause.) Some here today
can turn their minds back across 60 years and see the face of a buddy
who never made it home. You are veterans who have not forgotten your
comrades. And America will always honor the achievements and the
character of your brave generation. (Applause.)
Through our history, America has gone to war reluctantly, because we
have known the costs of war. And the war on terror we're fighting today
has brought great costs of its own. Since the hour this nation was
attacked, we have seen the character of the men and women who wear our
country's uniform. In places like Kabul and Kandahar, in Mosul and
Baghdad, we have seen their decency and their brave spirit. Because of
their fierce courage, America is safer, two terror regimes are gone
forever, and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom. (Applause.)
Those who have fought these battles and served this cause can be
proud of all they have achieved. And these veterans of battle will carry
with them for all their days the memory of the ones who did not live to
be called veterans. They will remember young soldiers like Captain
Joshua Byers, a West Point man born in South Carolina who died in Iraq.
When this son of missionaries was given command of a 120-man combat
unit, he wrote this to his parents: "I will give the men everything I
have to give. I love them already, just because they're mine. I pray,
with all my heart, that I will be able to take every single one of them
home safe when we finish our mission here."
Sergeant Major Michael Stack, who was laid to rest at Arlington, wore
the uniform for 28 years and is remembered as a soldier's soldier. The
sergeant major must have been quite a guy. When he was a young platoon
sergeant, the recruits gave him a nickname: No Slack Billy Jack Stack.
(Laughter.) By all accounts, he was the kind of man you want in charge
of a tough situation. And by the account of his mother, he finished his
goodbyes with these words: "Mom, I'm going because I believe in what I
am doing. And if I don't come back, we will meet in a better place."
(Applause.)
Those who risked their lives on our behalf are often very clear about
what matters most in their own lives, and they tell it to those they
love. Master Sergeant Kelly Hornbeck, of the Special Forces, was killed
in action last January, south of Samarra. To his parents back in Fort
Worth, Texas, he wrote this: "I am not afraid, and neither should either
of you be -- For I trust in my God and my training, two powerful forces
that cannot be fully measured."
After Private First Class Jesse Givens, of Springfield, Missouri was
lost last May, his family received a letter he had written to them in
the event of his death. He wrote this to his son, Dakota: "You've taught
me that life isn't so serious, and sometimes you just have to play. You
have a big, beautiful heart. Through your life, you need to keep it open
and follow it. I will always be there in our park when you dream, so we
can play." To his wife, Melissa, Private Givens wrote, "Do me a favor
after you tuck the children in -- give them hugs and kisses from me. Go
outside and look at the stars and count them. Don't forget to smile."
This is the quality of the people in our uniform. (Applause.)
And this is the loss to our nation. Markers on these hills record the
names of more than 280,000 men and women. Each was once or still is the
most important person in someone's life. With each loss in war, the
world changed forever for the family and friends left behind. Each loss
left others to go on, counting the years of separation, and living in
the hope of reunion.
Although the burden of grief can become easier to bear, always there
is the memory of another time, and the feeling of sadness over an
unfinished life. Yet, the completeness of a life is not measured in
length only. It is measured in the deeds and commitments that give a
life its purpose. And the commitment of these lives was clear to all:
They defended our nation, they liberated the oppressed, they served the
cause of peace. And all Americans who have known the loss and sadness of
war, whether recently or long ago, can know this: The person they love
and missed is honored and remembered by the United States of America.
May God bless our country. (Applause.)