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Skriven 2007-05-28 23:30:52 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070528) for Mon, 2007 May 28
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President Bush Commemorates Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 28, 2007

President Bush Commemorates Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetary

˙ /news/releases/2007/05/20070528.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio


11:20 A. M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. Secretary England, members of the Cabinet,
General Pace, members of Congress, members of the United States military,
veterans, families of the fallen, our fellow citizens: Welcome.

Today we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the
cause of liberty, and gave their lives in the cause of freedom. We offer
our love and our heartfelt compassion to the families who mourn them. We
pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they made.

For seven generations, we have carried our fallen to these fields. Here
rest some 360,000 Americans who died fighting to preserve the Union and end
slavery. Here rest some 500,000 Americans who perished in two world wars to
conquer tyrannies and build free nations from their ruins. Here rest some
90,000 Americans who gave their lives to confront Communist aggression in
places such as Korea and Vietnam.

Many names here are known: the 18-year-old Union soldier named Arthur
MacArthur, who grabbed a falling flag and carried it up Missionary Ridge;
the Tuskegee Airmen who defended America abroad and challenged prejudice at
home; the slain war hero and President who asked that we "assure the
survival and success of liberty" and found his rest beneath an eternal
flame. Still others here are remembered only by loving families. Some are
known only to God.

Now this hallowed ground receives a new generation of heroes -- men and
women who gave their lives in places such as Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad
and Ramadi. Like those who came before them, they did not want war -- but
they answered the call when it came. They believed in something larger than
themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn
them as one.

We remember Army Specialist Ross Andrew McGinniss. Ross was born on Flag
Day in 1987. When he was in kindergarten, he said he wanted to grow up to
be "an Army man." He enlisted at 17 -- the first day he was eligible. He
deployed to Iraq. Last December, a grenade was thrown into his Humvee as
Ross was patrolling the streets of Baghdad. The soldiers inside could not
escape in time, so Ross leapt into the vehicle and covered the grenade with
his own body. By sacrificing himself to save four other men, he earned a
Silver Star -- and the eternal gratitude of the American people.

We remember Marine Sergeant Marc Golczynski of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Marc volunteered for a second tour of duty in Iraq. He knew the dangers his
service would entail. Before he deployed, he wrote the following in an
email to his family and friends: "Please don't feel bad for us. We are
warriors, and as warriors have done before us we fight and sometimes die so
our families do not have to." Marc left behind an eight-year-old son,
Christian, who is with us today; he managed to be brave while he held his
father's folded flag.

With us are other children and families mourning moms and dads and sons and
daughters. Nothing said today will ease your pain. But each of you need to
know that your country thanks you, and we embrace you, and we will never
forget the terrible loss you have suffered. I hope you find comfort in
knowing that your loved ones rest in a place even more peaceful than the
fields that surround us here.

The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we
say or the places we gather. The more lasting tribute is all around us -- a
country where citizens have the right to worship as they want, to march for
what they believe, and to say what they think. These freedoms came at great
costs -- and they will survive only as long as there are those willing to
step forward to defend them against determined enemies.

As before in our history, Americans find ourselves under attack and
underestimated. Our enemies long for our retreat. They question our moral
purpose. They doubt our strength of will. Yet even after five years of war,
our finest citizens continue to answer our enemies with courage and
confidence. Hundreds of thousands of patriots still raise their hands to
serve their country; tens of thousands who have seen war on the battlefield
volunteer to re-enlist. What an amazing country to produce such fine
citizens.

Laura and I have met many of them; we've sat at the bedsides of the
wounded. This morning, I met service members who received medals for
distinguished service -- and found myself humbled by their grace and their
grit. I had the honor of meeting with families of the fallen in the Oval
Office, and was amazed by their strength and resolve and decent grace under
pressure. We've heard of 174 Marines recently -- almost a quarter of a
battalion -- who asked to have their enlistments extended. For these
extensions, they would earn no promotion and no promise of a favored
posting. They want to serve their nation. And as one of them put it this
way: "I'm here so our sons don't have to come and fight here someday."

Those who serve are not fatalists or cynics. They know that one day this
war will end -- as all wars do. Our duty is to ensure that its outcome
justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it. From
their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and
terrorists are frustrated and foiled -- where our nation is more secure
from attack, and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have
never known it.

This is our country's calling. It's our country's destiny. Americans set
off on that voyage more than two centuries ago, confident that this future
was within our reach -- even though the shore was distant, and even though
the journey may be long. And through generations, our course has been
secured by those who wear a uniform, secured by people who man their posts,
and do their duty. They have helped us grow stronger with each new sunrise.

On this Day of Memory, we mourn brave citizens who laid their lives down
for our freedom. They lived and died as Americans. May we always honor
them. May we always embrace them. And may we always be faithful to who they
were and what they fought for.

Thank you for having me. May God bless you and may God continue to bless
our country. (Applause.)

END 11:28 A.M. EDT

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