[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[May 31, 1993]
[Pages 783-784]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II
May 31, 1993

    Good morning. Please be seated. It's a great honor for the First 
Lady and for me to have all of you here in the White House today. I want 
to welcome all of you, and a few by name, beginning with the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown; the Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. 
William Perry; Marvin Runyon, the Postmaster General; Lt. General Claude 
Kicklighter, the Executive Director of the World War II Commemoration 
Committee; Mr. Roger Durbin, a World War II veteran and the initiator of 
the World War II Commemorative Coin legislation. Also here with me, 
representing all World War II veterans, is Admiral Eugene Fluckey. I'd 
like to welcome Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur from Ohio, an ardent 
supporter of veterans' cause who heeded the call of her constituent, Mr. 
Durbin, and took the lead on the legislation to issue the World War II 
50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin, to fund a building of the World War 
II Memorial here in Washington with no net cost to the United States 
Treasury. I wonder if we might undertake some other programs with that 
device. [Laughter]
    I'd like to thank our good friend, Senator Jay Rockefeller from West 
Virginia, another great advocate for veterans, for being here with us; 
Secretary Shannon from the Army; Admiral Kelso, wearing both his Chief 
of Naval Operations and Navy Secretary hats today; Secretary Donley from 
the Air Force; Admiral Jeremiah, the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs; 
General Sullivan, the Army Chief of Staff who took me to West Point on 
Saturday for one of the better days of my life, thank you, General; 
General McPeak, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force; General Mundy, the 
Commandant of the Marine Corps; and Admiral Kime, the Commandant of the 
Coast Guard. I'm delighted to welcome the many representatives of 
veteran service organizations who are here with us today.
    I want to say a special word of thanks to the veterans 
organizations, and the VA particularly, for working with the health care 
task force that the First Lady is chairing so closely on health care. 
Hillary visited the Washington, DC, VA medical centers on May 29th, and 
she talked to me in our brief stay at Camp David for 30 or 40 minutes 
about how impressed she was about what she saw there. And we are very, 
very hopeful that we can work with the active military health operations 
and with the VA in working through this health care issue. I think you 
have a major role to play.
    I'd also like to say a special word of thanks to the people who were 
involved in the May 28th kickoff of this weekend's Memorial Day 
remembrances. There I had the opportunity to

[[Page 784]]

speak with three VA medical centers, a telephone conversation that 
initiated a program replacing the old system of isolating veterans in 
these hospitals from their families and friends by replacing it with a 
system where telephones are placed alongside their beds and are usable 
by veterans even with severe disabilities. We now are having five 
hospitals so equipped, but eventually will have 174 veterans hospitals 
where veterans will be able to call from their bedside to their families 
and friends.
    This is an important issue. One of the men I talked with in Queens 
has three children; two of them are in the service and are overseas. And 
now, even though he is quite ill, he'll be able to talk on this day to 
both of his children who, like him, are serving in the armed services.
    In just a few moments I'm going to sign a resolution and a 
proclamation designating this May 31st through June 7th as a period of 
national observance, as part of the 50th anniversary of World War II. 
But before I do that, and before Postmaster General Runyon and I unveil 
this year's additions of the World War II Commemorative Stamps, I'd like 
to say just a few things about the debt that all of us owe to our 
veterans.
    Fifty years ago, the United States and its allies were engaged in a 
monumental struggle to defeat a totalitarian Axis bent on controlling 
the world, to preserve the dignity of mankind and to protect individual 
freedom. Americans from every walk of life were called upon to sacrifice 
their freedoms and their comforts, to undergo great danger to shore up 
our Nation's future, and to fight for democracy.
    As we observe the 50th anniversary of World War II, our country must 
remember and honor the million who defended democracy and defeated 
aggression. We learned from those early defeats in World War II that we 
must remain vigilant and always prepared to resist future aggression and 
that all nations dedicated to freedom must stand together. The freedoms 
we enjoy today are results of our victory over aggression, and the 
efforts the United States makes today to work with all other nations who 
love and believe in freedom are a testimony to the wisdom of the lessons 
learned then.
    We must be committed now to leave our children a world free of the 
horrors of war: hatred, violence, and inhumanity. Franklin Roosevelt 
once said, ``We must cultivate the science of human relationships, the 
ability of all people to live and work together in the same world at 
peace.'' I think Admiral Fluckey, a courageous man, would agree that 
while courage and deeds of warriors are indeed heroic, the ultimate goal 
of this courage is to make it unnecessary for future generations.
    President Kennedy once said, ``It is an unfortunate fact that we can 
secure the peace only by preparing for war.'' Our Nation stands 
committed to defend itself and our allies by remaining strong and 
vigilant and ready. And therefore, it is very fitting that this week-
long period of national observance of the 50th anniversary of World War 
II begins on Memorial Day, a day when we remember and honor our Nation's 
war dead. As we work toward a more peaceful future, it is appropriate 
that we remember and thank the brave and selfless patriots who served 
our Nation 50 years ago.
    During this commemoration, Americans of all ages must also remember 
those who gave their lives and dedicated themselves in other wars so 
that our Nation could remain free and strong, so that the deeds, the 
commitment, and the sacrifice of those who made this commitment will not 
have been in vain.
    I have asked the Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, who is in Brussels 
today, in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse 
Brown, to continue coordinating the commemorative events of the 50th 
anniversary of the Second World War. I want to urge all the veterans, 
the Government, the civic, the business, and the patriotic organizations 
to join together in expression so that a grateful Nation will remember. 
Our Nation will rededicate itself during this time to studying the 
lessons of the past.
    I want to say in closing, again, how grateful I am to have all of 
you here in the White House today. This is your house. You have paid the 
price for it, and those whom you represent made the fact that it is 
still standing possible. We are all very, very grateful to you.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. H.J. Res. 80, approved May 31, was assigned Public Law 103-34. 
The proclamation on the national observance of the 50th anniversary of 
World War II is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.