[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[May 30, 1994]
[Pages 1004-1006]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia
May 30, 1994

    Thank you very much, Mrs. McIntosh, for your fine introduction and 
for your service to our Nation in Asia during the Second World War. To 
you and your husband, Professor Shriner, who sang so well--I could 
imagine him at the age of 24 singing again; to Katy Daley; all the 
others here; and General Gordon; the distinguished leaders of our Armed 
Forces, the Congress, and the administration; to the leaders of the 
veterans' organizations present here; to all of you who are veterans and 
your families; my fellow Americans.
    This morning we join, as we always do on this day, to honor the 
sacrifices that have made our Nation free and strong. All across our 
Nation, small towns are holding quiet Memorial Day ceremonies. Proud 
veterans are pinning on their medals. Children are laying wreaths. Men 
and women in uniform everywhere stand a little bit taller today as they 
salute the colors.
    Here at Arlington, row after row of headstones, aligned in silent 
formation, reminds us of the high cost of our freedom. Almost a quarter 
of a million Americans rest here alone, from every war since the 
Revolution. Among them are many names we know: General Pershing, Audie 
Murphy, General Marshall, and so many others. But far more numerous are 
the Americans whose names are not famous, whose lives were not legend 
but whose deeds were the backbone that secured our Nation's liberty. 
Today we honor them. We honor them all as heroes, those who are buried 
here and those who are buried all around the Nation and the world.
    If you look at the headstones, they don't tell you whether the 
people buried there are poor or rich. They make no distinction of race 
or of age or of condition. They simply stand, each of them, for one 
American. Each reminds us that we are descendants, whatever our 
differences, of a common creed, unbeatable when we are united: one 
nation under God.
    Fifty years ago, the world learned just what Americans are capable 
of when we joined in common cause in World War II. Later this week it 
will be my great honor to represent our Nation in Europe at the 
commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the World War II campaigns at 
Normandy and in Italy.
    World War II was an era of sacrifice unequalled in our own history. 
Over 400,000

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Americans died in the service of our Nation. At D-Day alone, over 5,200 
were killed or wounded in Normandy. But the battle that was fought there 
was not just between two armies; it was, as clearly as any conflict in 
all of human history, a battle between two ways of life.
    The totalitarians whose tanks had overrun so much of the earth 
honestly believed democracies were too undisciplined to survive. Hitler 
believed a free people would never muster the unity of purpose to win 
the Second World War. But in the chaos of battle, it was the 
independence and the can-do confidence of the sons and daughters of 
America and the other democracies that won the day. And all across our 
Nation, in factories and farms and hospitals and blood banks, it was the 
energies of free people who turned the tide. General Eisenhower called 
it then ``the fury of an aroused democracy,'' the self-reliant fury that 
took Omaha Beach and liberated much of the Continent and, within a year, 
brought the war in Europe to an end.
    Today, too many of our youngest Americans know too little about what 
the heroes of that war did. The children and grandchildren of that 
generation have not been taught enough about the meaning of Normandy or 
Anzio or Guadalcanal or Midway. And that's why the commemorative 
ceremonies this year are so very important to all of us: To honor, we 
must remember.
    Today somewhere in America, a curious child rummaging through an 
attic will stumble upon his grandfather's insignia patches, a pocket 
guide to France, a metal cricket, a black-and-white photo of a smiling 
young man in uniform. But learning about those times and those deeds 
must be more than accidental.
    Fortunately, many of our fellow Americans understand that. Gail 
Thomas of Brentwood, Missouri, was one of them. Her parents both served 
in World War II. She's a librarian at the Mark Twain Elementary School 
in her community, and every year she brings in veterans of D-Day and 
other battles to speak to the students. She says the kids can't believe 
what those gray-haired men did when they were young. Then they 
understand that America is the way it is today because of what people 
gave up 50 years ago. That is the lesson we must all remember, not only 
for the veterans of World War II but for all our veterans on Memorial 
Day, on Veterans Day, and every day.
    The American veterans of World War II, though they fought in a 
terribly destructive conflict, at heart were builders. When they came 
home, they laid down the ribbons of interstate highways across this 
land. And through the GI bill, those who had fought and won the war were 
educated so they could win the fruits of victory in peaceful 
cooperation. In countries ravaged by war, they helped to lift cities 
from rubble to renewal. They created the international institutions that 
have undergirded our security for a half a century.
    Now our generation honors them for what they did 50 years ago, 
knowing full well that the greatest honor we can give is to build for 
the future ourselves at home and abroad: revitalizing our economy so 
that our people can live to their fullest capacities; strengthening the 
fabric of our communities and our families; putting our children first 
and giving them the values they need to do well in a difficult world; 
making our Government work for all the people, for it took all the 
people to win the Second World War and to keep this country going 
forward.
    In this uncertain world, we must also remain vigilant against new 
threats. Today American men and women in uniform stand sentry all around 
the globe, in Europe, in the Adriatic, in Korea, and on bases here at 
home. They are the finest, best trained, best motivated fighting force 
the world has ever known. And our highest commitment must be to ensure 
that they remain exactly that. If they must be sent in harm's way, we 
owe them the support they need and deserve.
    On this day, we honor those who died for our country. But let us 
also hold a special place for all of our living American veterans. We 
owe them a lasting debt of gratitude, and their well-being must be 
always the cause of our common concern. And let us recognize again our 
solemn obligation to find answers for those whose loved ones served but 
were never accounted for.
    A year ago today, just before I came to this hallowed place, I spoke 
at the Vietnam Memorial to honor those who died in that war. I was proud 
to be joined there by a remarkable man who became a friend of mine, 
Lewis Puller, Jr. This year, as virtually all of you must know, he rests 
here on this holy place. This morning when I got up I thought of Lew 
Puller and the countless heroes he has joined and the terrible 
sacrifices men and women had been willing to make for this great land.
    Every one of them, no matter what war they served in or what 
battlefield they died on, every

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one helped to build a nation we love. Let us remember them. Let us pray 
for their souls and those of their families and resolve to carry on the 
never-finished work of freedom.
    Thank you, and God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 11:33 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery. 
In his remarks, he referred to World War II veteran Elizabeth P. 
McIntosh and master of ceremonies Katy Daley.