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.)