George W. Bush Forty-Third President (2001 to 2009)
2004 Memorial Day
Address
at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA May 31, 2004
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.
