[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[May 30, 1994]
[Pages 1003-1004]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Memorial Day Breakfast
May 30, 1994

    Thank you very much. Thank you, Hershel, for that kind of 
introduction and for the good work that you do for our veterans every 
day. Secretary Perry, Postmaster General Runyon, General Shalikashvili 
and the chiefs of our military services, General Gordon at the Military 
District here in Washington, to the other distinguished guests who are 
here. Let me welcome you here for another happy and honorable Memorial 
Day.
    I'd like to begin, if I might, by asking one person here to stand 
and be acknowledged. I want to say a special word of thanks to General 
Mick Kicklighter and the World War II Commemoration Committee for the 
remarkable work they have done in organizing this commemoration and what 
we are about to do in the coming week. General, please stand up. 
[Applause] Thank you.
    In just a few moments, I will sign two proclamations, one a prayer 
for peace on Memorial Day and the other the declaration of D-Day 
National Remembrance Day. Before I do that and before Postmaster General 
Runyon unveils this year's additions to the World War II commemorative 
stamps, I'd like to say just a word about this occasion.
    Fifty years ago, our Nation and our allies were engaged in a 
monumental struggle, the outcome of which was far from clear for quite a 
long while. Americans from all walks of life were called far from their 
homes and their families. Franklin Roosevelt spoke of their mission on 
the morning of the 6th of June, D-Day: ``Our sons, pride of our Nation, 
this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our 
Republic, our religion, and our civilization and to set free a suffering 
humanity. . . . They fight not for the lust of conquest, they fight to 
end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise 
and tolerance and good will among all God's people.''
    Today, we enjoy the fruits of that toil. We owe our liberty and our 
prosperity to the strength and the valor of those who fought in that 
great struggle. But we also inherit the responsibility of defending that 
gift. We must be the guardians of the freedom that was delivered to us 
today by what we do here at home to keep freedom alive and to enhance 
its meaning.
    And around the world our men and women in uniform stand guard, 
guaranteeing and defending that freedom. I think the veterans of D-Day 
and World War II who are here must take a great deal of pride in knowing 
that today's men and women in uniform are the finest, most well-
motivated Armed Forces our Nation or any nation has ever known. Our 
highest commitment must be to ensure that they remain so, best trained, 
best equipped, best prepared. If they must be in harm's way, they must 
have the support they need and deserve.

[[Page 1004]]

    As we observe the 50th anniversary of World War II, we must also 
pause to remember and to pay tribute to those who did not come home, to 
honor them for the ultimate sacrifice, to honor their families, their 
friends, those who love them. Also, we must honor those who are here and 
those they represent who did come home after service in World War II and 
all those who have guarded our security since. Our Nation is in your 
debt. We will never forget your valor, your sacrifices, the daily lives 
that you have made possible.
    Let me say, too, a special word of appreciation to those of you who 
came through the line today who told me that you, too, were going back 
to Europe this week to be part of that celebration. I hope when you go 
back, you will feel the immense pride and gratitude that all Americans 
feel for the sacrifice you made, the commitment you made, and for all 
the days you made possible in the 50 years since. And I hope everyone 
else who is here being honored today will also share in some of that 
pride. We sometimes forget that no democracy in human history has ever 
lasted as long as the United States of America. It is easy to forget 
that. It is easy to forget it, but if you measure against all the 
recorded history of civilization, every day we have is a miracle, a 
miracle that you made possible, and we thank you for it.
    I'm going to sign the proclamations, and then Mr. Gober and Mr. 
Runyon are in charge of the rest of the program.

Note: The President spoke at 9:30 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Deputy Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs Hershel Gober. The proclamations are listed in Appendix D at the 
end of this volume.