[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[November 11, 1994]
[Pages 2063-2064]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Veterans Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia
November 11, 1994

    Thank you very much. Thank you. Commander Sioss, distinguished 
leaders of our veterans organizations, Secretary Brown, Secretary Perry, 
General Shalikashvili, officials of the Veterans Administration, to our 
men and women in uniform and their families, our veterans, my fellow 
Americans, I am proud to share this Veterans Day with you in this 
magnificent place of rest and reverence.
    Today we honor all those who gave their lives and all those who have 
risked their lives so that our Nation might remain free. And we honor, 
of course, all those who at this very moment are standing watch for 
freedom and security, from our bases across the United States to our 
mission around the world. To each and every American who has worn the 
uniform of the United States Armed Forces, we say simply, from the 
bottom of our hearts, thank you.
    Over the past few months at home and abroad, I have had the 
privilege of saying that thank-you in person to men and women who are 
keeping our Nation's commitment. Today we say a special word of thanks 
to our troops who are helping the Haitian people turn from fear and 
repression to hope and democracy and a special word of thanks to our 
troops in the Persian Gulf who are insuring that Iraq does not again 
threaten its neighbors or the stability of the vital Gulf region. All 
over the world our military is providing that kind of support to freedom 
and proving that when America makes a promise, we will keep it.
    A few hours from now I leave for the Far East, where we will 
celebrate the keeping of another historic promise, General MacArthur's 
vow to return to the Philippines to help its people restore their 
freedom. In the 50 years since, we have forged remarkable partnerships 
for peace and prosperity in Asia, but we know that these blessings are 
the fruit of our veterans' sacrifice 50 years ago. And we know they 
endure to the present day because of the vigilance of thousands of 
Americans who are still in uniform and still there to help maintain the 
security, the peace, and the freedom in Asia.
    This morning I was honored to start the day with veterans of that 
Pacific campaign and, I might add, a remarkable, jaunty group of 
parachuters who jumped into Normandy in 1944 and then jumped in again in 
1994. There they are back there. To all of them and to all of you here 
assembled who have worn our Nation's uniform, you must know that America 
will never forget the service you have rendered.

[[Page 2064]]

    And America will never forget those who did not return from our 
battlefields. Today we renew the commitment of this administration to 
obtain the fullest possible accounting for their fate.
    For all of you who have helped America live up to its promises, your 
Nation has a special obligation to keep its commitments to you. That 
means, in the beginning, making sure that our military remains the best 
equipped, the best trained, and the best prepared in the world. We are 
keeping that commitment.
    I'd like to say two things about that this morning. The first is 
that the success of the operations in Haiti and in the Gulf are due in 
no small measure to the advances which have been made just in the last 
couple of years in preparation, in pre-positioning, in mobility, in 
training--fresh evidence that we can never again afford to erode the 
confidence, the strength, and the ever-growing capacity of our military.
    The second point that I'd like to make is that maintaining the best 
trained and prepared military in the world also has its very high human 
price. And every year, men and now women we may not know as battlefield 
heroes give their lives so that we can continue to do the kind of 
training that makes it less necessary for us to have to fight in battle. 
And I ask especially that we remember them, for their training and their 
sacrifice and their lives helped to make us so strong that we did not 
have to fight again in the Gulf and that we were able to enter Haiti 
without military incident. We thank them as well for their sacrifices, 
and their families.
    I'd like to say a personal word of thanks to Secretary Brown, to 
Secretary Perry, to General Shalikashvili, and the other military 
leaders, without whom I could not carry out my duties and from whom I 
draw strength, wisdom, and advice to try to make the right decisions to 
keep our commitments to all of you.
    Our obligation also includes, as Commander Sioss said and as 
Secretary Brown said, continuing the service this country owes our 
veterans after your service in uniform ends. That is why it has given me 
particular pleasure in recent weeks to address concerns that are 
important to thousands upon thousands of our veterans. I was pleased to 
sign into law a bill that authorizes compensation to Gulf war veterans 
suffering from undiagnosed illnesses possibly incurred during their 
service there. Sometimes even the most sophisticated tools don't enable 
us to diagnose certain illnesses. The lack of a diagnosis must not stop 
us from responding both quickly and compassionately to veterans' needs. 
Now it will not.
    At the same time, we've required the VA to evaluate the health of 
the families of Gulf war veterans. We know that the spouses and children 
of our troops may not wear the uniform, but they, too, bear the burden 
of defending our Nation. And today we say thank you to the children and 
the spouses and the families as well.
    Finally, we extended the VA's authority to provide care to veterans 
of the Gulf war, Vietnam, and World War II for disabilities they may 
have incurred through exposure to toxic substances. We set aside nearly 
$400 million for the VA to build, lease, and repair major medical 
facilities around this country.
    I know these actions--indeed, no actions can ever fully repay the 
service and the sacrifice of those of you who are here and those who 
never returned whom you represent. There are no words equal to the task 
of expressing just what your devotion and your sacrifice have meant to 
our Nation. But let me say at least we have this beautiful day God has 
given us which belongs entirely to you, to your commitment to our 
freedom, our prosperity, and our security. A grateful nation thanks you 
with this day and with all our hearts for what you have done and what 
you continue to do.
    God bless you all, and God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:35 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery. 
In his remarks, he referred to Donald A. Sioss, national commander, 
Disabled American Veterans.