Donald J. Trump Forty-Fifth President
(2017 to 2021)
Remarks At New York City 2019 Veterans Day Parade November 11, 2019 - Washington, D.C.
Video courtesy of the White House with editing by USA Patriotism!
Text Version
Well, thank you very much, Stanley. And thank you for your
tremendous support of this wonderful parade. Today, we come together
as one nation to salute the veterans of the United States Armed
Forces — the greatest warriors to ever walk the face of the Earth.
Our veterans risked everything for us. Now it is our duty to serve
and protect them every single day of our lives.
It is truly
an honor to come back to New York City, right here in Madison Square
Park, to be the first President ever to attend “America’s Parade.”
(Applause.)
To every veteran here with us, to the thousands
preparing to march on 5th Avenue — it’ll be really something — and
to the 18 million veterans across our country: The First Lady and I
have come to express the everlasting love and loyalty of 327 million
Americans.
I want to recognize Department of Veterans Affairs
Deputy Secretary James Byrne for joining us. Thank you, James. Thank
you, James. (Applause.) Great job. I’m pleased to report that our
administration and all of the work that we’ve done — the veteran
satisfaction with the VA is at 90 percent. It’s the highest rate
ever recorded in the history of this particular program. And that’s
awfully good, and we’re very proud of you and the Secretary. Thank
you very much. Great job. (Applause.)
Also with us is New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.
Thank you. (Applause.) Along with many other distinguished guests.
Thanks as well to everyone at the United War Veterans Council
for putting on this incredible event, including Bill White, Doug
McGowan, and a very special acknowledgement to someone who has
devoted his life to this parade: Marine Vietnam veteran Vince
McGowan. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you.
Thank you, each of you, and all of the supporters whose
generosity make this parade possible. Tremendous amounts of work has
been done, and tremendous, frankly, amounts of money has been
donated. And we appreciate it, and we appreciate Stanley.
We’re very glad to be joined as well by the Honorary Grand Marshal
of the Parade, Marine Corps Commandant General David Berger and the
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Troy Black. Thank you very much.
Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
Let us also show
our profound appreciation to the 2019 grand marshals of the parade
who have served in World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and
Iraq.
This morning, as more than 30,000 patriotic Americans
line the streets of Manhattan, we carry on a noble tradition that
began one century ago. In 1919, the people of this city filled block
after block to welcome home General Pershing and his 25,000 American
soldiers after victory in World War One.
Just a few years
before, many of those soldiers had boarded ships not far from here
at Hoboken Port. More than 4 million Americans fought in the Great
War, and more than 116,000 made the ultimate sacrifice.
At
the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, the
Armistice was declared, the war had come to an end, and the Allies
achieved a great, great victory. Every year since, on November
11th, we have shared our nation’s deepest praise and gratitude to
every citizen who has worn the uniform of the American Army, Navy,
Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines.
We are profoundly moved
to have with us veterans of World War Two, including one of the
grand marshals, Woody Williams. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you,
Woody. Thank you very much, Woody.
To each veteran of the
war: The glory of your deeds will only grow greater with time. This
city is graced by your presence. This nation is forever in your
debt. And we thank you all. We’re also pleased to be joined by
veterans of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the
War on Terror. You are the reason our hearts swell with pride, our
foes tremble with fear, and our nation thrives in freedom. Would you
please stand so that we can honor your heroic service? Please.
(Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all. Each
year, this parade highlights one branch of our military. This year,
we honor the elite masters of air, land, and sea — the legendary
Leathernecks, the feared Devil Dogs, the “first to flight [fight]”:
the United States Marines. Let’s hear it. (Applause.) That’s great.
Yesterday, we celebrated the Marines’ 244th birthday. That’s
pretty good. (Applause.) The Few and the Proud are always faithful,
and they always win.
I also want to thank the Marine Corps
Law Enforcement Foundation, which provides scholarships to children
of our fallen heroes. To every Gold Star Family: We will stand by
your side forever. It is very fitting that the Veterans Day
Parade begin right here in New York City. Since the earliest days of
our nation, New York has exemplified the American spirit and has
been at the heart of our nation’s story of daring and defiance.
On July 2nd, 1776, the British Armada sailed into New York
Harbor, numbering more than 400 ships and carrying more than 30,000
men. The British came here to snuff out what they thought was just a
minor American Revolution. Didn’t turn out to be that way. But the
Redcoats did know — what they did know was they were going to have a
problem, but they didn’t know that New York would meet them with the
fearsome power of American patriots.
In World War One, New
York regiments like “Harlem Hellfighters,” the “Lost Battalion,” and
“the Fighting 69th” were revered all over the globe.
During
World War Two, 63 million tons of supplies and more than 3 million
service members shipped out of New York Harbor. On September 11,
2001, the whole world saw the horror and responded to America’s
wicked enemies with unwaving [unwavering] courage, unbreakable
spirit and resolve that is deeper than oceans, fiercer than fires,
and stronger than steel.
Last week, I was honored to award
the Presidential Citizens Medal to an extraordinary American: Rick
Rescorla. Rick enlisted in the Army at the recruiting center in
Times Square, became a great war hero in Vietnam, and then became
head of security at Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center. On
September 11th, he saved 2,700 lives before giving his own. Today,
we are immensely grateful to be joined by Rick’s son, Trevor. Thank
you, Trevor. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you.
To Trevor and every 9/11 family, we pledge to never, ever forget.
The towering spirit of strength that we see in this city lives
within the heart of every American warrior. From the snow of Valley
Forge to the jungles of Vietnam, from the forests of Belleau Wood to
the beaches of Normandy, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the
deserts of Iraq, that spirit has helped our fighters defeat tyrants,
conquer fascism, vanquish communism, and face down terrorism.
Just a few weeks ago, American Special Forces raided the ISIS
compound and brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to
justice. Thanks to American warriors, al-Baghdadi is dead —
(applause) — his second in charge is dead, we have our eyes on
number three, his reign of terror is over, and our enemies are
running very, very scared. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
Those who threaten our people don’t stand a chance against the
righteous might of the American military. In a few weeks, we will
mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge — our nation’s
bloodiest battle of World War Two. More than 47,000 Americans were
wounded, and 19,000 gave their last breath for their country.
We are proudly joined today by a veteran of the Battle of the
Bulge, a native New Yorker who is 94 years old and still going very,
very strong: Corporal Jack Foy. (Applause.) You look good, Jack. You
look good.
Jack enlisted in the Army right out of high
school. He fought through brutal months of the campaign in northern
France. On Christmas Eve, after marching nearly 100 miles in the
snow in sub-zero temperatures, he arrived outside the town of
Bastogne in Belgium. For two weeks, Jack fought under ceaseless
artillery fire and helped push the enemy back from a critical road.
At one point, a mine blew up and it destroyed his vehicle, badly
hurting many. He was wounded three times, but he kept on fighting.
After the Allied victory at the Battle of the Bulge, Jack fought for
the remaining nine months of the war — across the Siegfried line, up
the Moselle River, through the Rhineland, and all the way across
Germany until he reached the gates of Ohrdruf concentration camp,
the first Nazi camp to be liberated. That was number one. That was a
big, big event. As Jack has said about the Battle of the Bulge,
“When the chips were down and the situation was desperate, the
American soldiers stood up to be counted. For a brief moment in
history, these men held our nation’s destiny in their hands. We did
not fail.” Thank you very much, Jack. (Applause.) Great.
And,
Corporal Foy, we will forever be proud of what you and your fellow
soldiers achieved for all of humanity. Also here with us today is
Lauren Mathews, the granddaughter of a Battle of the Bulge veteran
who has since passed away. His name was Master Sergeant Roddie
Edmonds. Like so many of our veterans, Roddie never talked about the
war. Lauren never knew her grandfather’s story until she embarked
upon a school project about 10 years ago.
Roddie was in the
422nd regiment, which was overwhelmed when the Nazis launched their
surprise assault. He and his men fought for three treacherous days
before being taken as prisoners of war. After they arrived at a
prison camp, the German commander sent an order over the loud
speaker. The Jewish-American soldiers were all told to step out of
line during the roll call the next day. Knowing the terrible fate
that would come to his Jewish comrades, Roddie immediately said,
“We’re not doing that.” He sent orders to have every American step
out of line with their Jewish brothers-in-arms.
The next
morning, 1,292 Americans stepped forward. The German commander
stormed over to Roddie and said, “They cannot all be Jews.” Roddie
stared right back; he said, “We are all Jews here.”
At that
point, the German put a gun to Roddie’s head and demanded, “You will
order the Jews to step forward immediately or I will shoot you right
now through the head.” Roddie responded, “Major, you can shoot me,
but you’ll have to kill us all.” That’s something. (Applause.) The
German turned red, got very angry, but put down his gun, and walked
away.
Master Sergeant Edmonds saved 200 Jewish-Americans —
soldiers that day. So proud to be Jewish and so proud of our
country. Lauren, thank you for being here today as we remember your
grandfather’s unbelievable and exceptional valor. Lauren, please
stand up. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
One of the 200
Jewish-American soldiers who was saved that fateful day is Staff
Sergeant Lester Tanner. Lester is now 96 years old — (applause) —
and he joins us here. Boy, you guys are looking very good.
Ninety-six. Lester — you’re really 96, Lester? I don’t believe it.
You’re looking good. Thank you very much. Thank you also for your
very noble service and for sharing this incredible story with the
world. Thank you very much, Lester.
The men and women who
have donned our nation’s uniforms are the bravest, toughest,
strongest, and most virtuous warriors ever to walk on Earth.
You left your families and fought in faraway lands. You came
face-to-face with evil and you did not back down. You returned home
from war, and you never forgot your friends who didn’t return,
including prisoners of war and those missing in action. Every
day, you think of them and pray for them. But your greatest tribute
of all is the way you lived your lives in the years since. You
raised your families, you endured the wounds of war, and you endured
the pains of that memory. Yet, you keep going, you keep serving, you
keep giving, and you keep loving. You volunteer at your local
veterans post, and you keep in touch with your battle comrades. You
support our Gold Star Families, you take care of our wounded
warriors, and you stand alongside of our service members when they
return from war.
On Veterans Day, our nation rededicates
itself to our most solemn duty. While we can never repay our
warriors for their boundless service and sacrifice, we must uphold
with supreme vigilance our sacred obligation to “care for those who
have borne the battle.”
In just a minute, we will have a
moment of silence and we will lay a wreath at the Eternal Light
Monument. As we do, with God as our witness, we pledge to always
honor our veterans and pay immortal tribute to those who have laid
down their lives so that we might be free.
Together, we must
safeguard what generations of fearless patriots gave everything to
secure. We will protect our liberty, uphold our values, and defend
our home. We will ensure that righteous legacy of America’s veterans
stands as a testament to this nation from now until the end of time.
To every veteran here today and all across our land: You are
America’s greatest living heroes and we will cherish you now,
always, and forever.
Thank you. God bless our veterans. And
God bless America. Thank you. Thank you very much.
