    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [May 22, 1996]
    [Pages 793-795]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Receiving the U.S.S. Intrepid Freedom Award in New York City
    May 22, 1996

        To tell you the truth, Zack, I thought it was a pretty good speech
    when you stopped. [Laughter]
        Mayor and Mrs. Giuliani and members of your family--and I especially
    want to acknowledge the fact that in the Second World War, the mayor's
    father-in-law served here on the Intrepid and was a Navy man for 25
    years. He and his wife are here. Secretary and Mrs. Dalton, Paul Tudor
    Jones and Max Chapman, Admiral Johnson, Admiral Flanagan, Admiral
    Williamson; to all the distinguished friends of the Intrepid Sea-Air-
    Space Museum who are here and who share this podium with me; and members
    of our Armed Forces and our allied forces in Canada, Mexico, and Great
    Britain. And let me say, as an old musician, I want to especially thank
    the Royal Marine Band from the United Kingdom. I thought they were quite
    wonderful. Thank you. There was a time in my life when I had committed
    to memory almost every important piece of British band music in the last
    50 years, and so I am delighted to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to
    speak.
        I thank the United States Marine Corps Honor Guard and the Joint
    Armed Color Team. And I want to thank all of you for being here today
    and for your support of the Intrepid and your support of our Armed
    Forces.
        I am honored to receive this 1996 Intrepid Freedom Award, especially
    pleased to receive it in the company of two of the best friends of
    freedom this country ever had, Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher. And I thank
    them more than I can say.
        Just a little over a year ago, it was my privilege to present
    Zachary Fisher with the President's Citizens Medal. It was a great honor
    for me because of all the remarkable things that he has done. Most of
    you know what the Fishers have done for their extended family, the 2.6
    million men and women of our Armed Forces and their loved ones. From the
    Fisher house program that provides a home away from home to the families
    of hospitalized military personnel to the Armed Forces Scholarship
    Foundation that has allowed hundreds of service men and women to attend
    college, few have done more for those who dedicate their lives to
    defending our freedom. So we thank them for their shining service to
    America.
        Yesterday in Washington, in our Navy's hour of need, Zachary Fisher
    was there again. When I escorted Bettie Boorda out into the National
    Cathedral, he was there to sit beside her during that profoundly moving
    but difficult memorial service as we celebrated the life of Admiral Mike
    Boorda.
        Mike Boorda will be remembered as the first enlisted man who ever
    became the Chief of Naval Operations. More than that, I think the men
    and women of the Navy knew that he was not only once an enlisted man, in
    his heart he always was. He never forgot that he was their man. I saw it
    in the tears that they shed yesterday by the hundreds in the cathedral.
    But if he were here today, he would flash his famous smile and tell a
    few sea stories and say to us, ``This is still the greatest Navy in the
    world. America needs you to be the best you can be. Carry on.''
        Because of that spirit of ``carry on,'' he would also be grateful,
    as I am, for the generosity and devotion that so many of you here today
    have shown when you have helped to transform this veteran of America's
    triumph over tyranny

    [[Page 794]]

    into a truly glorious sea-air-space museum. Indeed, I was out there
    looking at the exhibits, and I was afraid I would miss my entrance. If
    it hadn't been for ``Ruffles and Flourishes,'' I don't think I would
    have--[laughter]--I'd still be out there looking at the planes
    somewhere.
        For thousands and thousands of people every day, this wonderful old
    carrier brings to life our Nation's proud military history. It also
    reminds us of all of those who came before us, of what they gave and
    what they lost to keep America free and secure. I know it is our most
    fervent wish that the young people who come here to visit the Intrepid
    will never have to face the horrors of war, that instead they'll have
    the chance to make the most of their freedom and their God-given
    abilities in peace. But it's good that they learn these tales of duty
    and devotion because it's up to them to build a future worthy of the
    sacrifice that we honor here.
        Ladies and gentlemen, today I have received this fine award for
    contributing to the preservation of freedom and democracy. For a citizen
    of the United States to become President is something no citizen can
    ever truly deserve. And in that sense, no award flowing from the service
    of a President can ever be deserved. So if you allow me, I can only
    accept it with pride on behalf of my fellow Americans and especially
    those in the armed services and the diplomatic corps who have made our
    Nation the greatest force for peace and freedom and prosperity and for
    the citizens who continue to support America's leadership throughout the
    world.
        I was especially grateful for what Mr. Fisher said about that
    because in the aftermath of the cold war, with so many pressing measures
    here at home, it would be easy for the United States to turn away from
    its responsibilities around the world. But citizens like Zachary Fisher
    and so many of you understand the great lesson of the past 50 years. It
    is that what we now see as a global trend toward freedom and democracy
    is neither inevitable nor irreversible. This trend must have America's
    support. It must have the power of our example. On occasion, it must
    have the example of our power. Always it must have the leadership of the
    United States.
        Earlier today I had the honor of presiding over the commencement for
    some of America's newest leaders for freedom, the Coast Guard Academy's
    class of 1996. I spoke to them about the challenges we face as we enter
    the 21st century and especially the challenge to advance the fight for
    peace and freedom.
        Nothing will strengthen our security more in the long run than
    advancing the cause of peace and freedom throughout the world. When
    people live free and at peace, they are less likely to resort to
    violence to settle their problems or to abuse the rights of their fellow
    citizens. They are more likely to join with us to conquer our common
    challenges, from old threats like ethnic and religious hatreds that are
    taking on new and dangerous dimensions to new threats like the spread of
    weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, drug trafficking, international
    organized crime.
        I am proud that America has stood with those taking risks for
    democracy and peace. Because we are, the dictators are gone in Haiti,
    democracy is back, and the flow of desperate refugees to our shores has
    ended. Because we are, snipers' killing fields in Bosnia have once again
    become the children's playing fields. Because we are, the sound of car
    bombs in Northern Ireland is giving way to the quiet sounds of children
    living out normal lives. And because we are, in the Middle East, Arabs
    and Jews who once seemed destined to fight forever, now are sharing
    their knowledge, their resources, and their dreams.
        Just 11 days before he was assassinated last year, my good friend
    Yitzhak Rabin stood on this very stage to accept this very same award. I
    thank you for giving it to him. He surely deserved it. And I can't tell
    you how moved I am to follow in his footsteps.
        The first time I met Prime Minister Rabin after I was elected
    President, I told him that if Israel would take risks for peace, America
    would do everything in its power to minimize those risks. Well, Israel
    has, and we have done our part. In a time of shrinking resources, we've
    kept up our economic assistance. We've worked not just to maintain
    Israel's security but to enhance it by making sure Israel's qualitative
    military edge is greater than ever. We've built a bond of trust with
    Israel and its people that has given it the confidence necessary to make
    peace.
        Now we all know the risks that Prime Minister Rabin took for peace
    and the price he paid for his vision. We know, too, that with every step
    along the path to peace in the Middle East, its enemies grow more
    desperate with bullets and bombs. So let me say again today, in

    [[Page 795]]

    honor of the person who last stood in this place to accept this award
    and of his friendship to me and the bonds between our people and the
    peace-loving Arab people of the Middle East: We have supported the peace
    process. We have kept our commitment to minimize the risks that Israel
    has taken for peace. But the work is not done.
        Hard work remains with Syria, with Lebanon, outstanding questions
    between the Israelis and the Palestinians. If Israel takes further risks
    for peace, the United States must be willing to have further measures of
    support to deal with those risks and minimize them. We have been there
    every step of the way. If you want to see peace in the Middle East in
    our lifetime, we must stay there every step of the way.
        Ladies and gentlemen, because of the accidents and the design of
    history, at this particular moment our Nation has more ability than any
    other to help people throughout the world embrace a future of hope. As I
    told our cadets today, as I travel on behalf of the United States beyond
    our borders, I see people who look to us not primarily because of our
    size and our strength but mostly because of what we stand for and what
    we stand against. If we continue to make good on their trust, we can
    build an even greater future of peace and freedom and democracy. And it
    will be good for the American people.
        In the next few years, the way we work with other countries, the
    work we do, and whether we succeed will determine in very large measure
    what the world looks like for our children and our grandchildren. We
    have a chance to leave a legacy of peace and freedom, of liberty and
    prosperity. We have to know what to do and what not to do. We can't be
    the world's policeman, but we can't try to build a wall around America's
    good fortune. That is a destiny we must share with freedom-loving people
    throughout the world.
        So I thank you for this award, not because of anything it says about
    me but because of everything it says about America. And I will do my
    best to uphold America's ideals, to keep our Nation free and strong, to
    keep it a force for peace and progress, to keep it a land of opportunity
    and tolerance for all.
        Thank you very much, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:21 p.m. on the hangar deck. In his
    remarks, he referred to Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, cofounders of the
    Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum; Mayor Giuliani's wife, Gwen, and her
    father, Robert Kosnovec; Secretary of the Navy John Dalton's wife,
    Margaret; Paul Tudor Jones, chairman, Tudor Investment Corp.; and Max
    Chapman, chairman, Fleet Week '96.