    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [May 31, 1993]
    [Pages 785-786]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 785]]

    Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in
    Arlington, Virginia
    May 31, 1993

        Thank you very much. General Gordon, distinguished leaders of the
    armed services, the Defense Department, the Cabinet, the Congress, the
    leaders of our veterans organizations here, to all the veterans and
    their families who are here and to all those here who are family members
    of veterans buried in this cemetery or in any other place around the
    globe, and to my fellow Americans: We come together this morning, along
    with our countrymen and women in cities across the land, to honor those
    who died that we might live in freedom, the only way that Americans can
    ever truly live. Today we put aside our differences to better reflect on
    what unites us. The lines so often drawn between and among us, lines of
    region or race or partisanship, all those lines fall away today as we
    gaze upon the lines of markers that surround us on these hallowed hills.
    The lines of difference are freedom's privilege. The lines of these
    markers are freedom's cost.
        Today Americans all across our land draw together in shared
    experience and shared remembrance. And whether it is an older veteran in
    Florida, or a teenager in New Mexico, or a mother in Wisconsin, all
    today will bow their heads and put hand to heart. And without knowing
    each other, still we will all be joined in spirit, because we are
    Americans and because we know we are equal shareholders in humanity's
    most uplifting dream.
        Today, as we fly the American flag, some will recall the pledge we
    began to recite daily as youngsters in grade school, with solemn faith
    and awkward salute, some of us even before we learned the difference
    between our right and left hands. Others will remember the flag waving
    over public gatherings, large and very small. But on this day, in this
    serene and solemn setting, conscious of the past, conscious, too, of the
    perils all too present, what we see most vividly in that flag are the
    faces of American soldiers who gave their lives in battle and the faces
    of this generation of young service men and women, very, very much
    alive, still training and preparing for possible conflicts tomorrow.
    From the first militiaman downed at Lexington to today's rawest recruit,
    the flag unites them, soldiers living and dead, and reminds the rest of
    us that we are all the inheritors of a sacred trust.
        It is with that flag and that trust in mind that we resolve this May
    morning to keep America free, strong, and proud. We resolve in this era
    of profound change and continuing peril to be ever vigilant against any
    foe that could endanger us and against any undercurrent that might erode
    our security, including the economic security that is the ultimate
    foundation of our Nation's strength. We resolve, as well, always to keep
    America's Armed Forces the finest in the world. And we resolve that if
    we ask them to fight in our behalf, we will give them the clear mission,
    the means, and the support they need to win.
        In honoring those who died in the defense of our country, we must
    never neglect to honor as well our living American veterans. The Nation
    owes a special debt to the millions of men and women who took up posts
    at home or abroad to secure our defenses or to fight for our freedom.
    Because of what they have done for us, their health and well-being must
    always be a cause for our special concern.
        Here by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we renew our Nation's
    solemn pledge also to the POW and MIA families from all wars, a pledge
    to provide not just the prayers and memorials but also to the extent
    humanly possible to provide the answers you deserve. And we vow, with
    the new Korean War Memorial project finally underway, that no future
    conflict, if conflict there must be, must ever be regarded as a
    forgotten war. The inscription on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier says
    that he is, quote, ``Known only to God.'' But that is only partly true.
    While the soldier's name is known only to God, we know a lot about him.
    We know he served his country, honored his community, and died for the
    cause of freedom. And we know that no higher praise can be assigned to
    any human being than those simple words.
        Today we are at peace, but we live in a troubled world. From that
    flag and from these, our honored dead, we draw strength and inspiration
    to carry on in our time the tasks of defending

    [[Page 786]]

    and preserving freedom that were so nobly fulfilled by all those we come
    here to honor in this time. In that effort and in the presence of those
    buried all around us, we ask the support of all Americans in the aid and
    blessing of God Almighty. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:30 a.m. at the Memorial Amphitheater. In
    his remarks, he referred to Maj. Gen. F.A. Gordon, USA, commander of the
    Military District of Washington.