    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 30, 1996]
    [Pages 999-1000]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Memorial Service at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for
    American Servicemen Killed in Saudi Arabia
    June 30, 1996

        Governor Chiles, Congressman Scarborough, Lieutenant Governor
    MacKay, General Shalikashvili, Secretary White, Secretary Widnall, Under
    Secretary de Leon, General Fogleman, General Hawley, General Cranston,
    Colonel Dylewski, the chaplains, Chief Lowe; to those brave servicemen
    who were injured, we thank God for your presence here today; to the
    families of the 12 men who we honor today who died in the service of our
    Nation.
        These men represented the best of America, and they gave America
    their best. They stepped forward to lead our mission for peace and
    freedom. They did so with courage, strength, and skill. As members of
    the Nomads, the 33d Fighter Wing, as communicators and mechanics, crew
    chiefs and technicians, they kept our aircraft flying, and they owned
    the skies. Time and again they gave up the comforts that most of us take
    for granted, traveling far from home and family to take up America's
    cause.
        There is a passage in Isaiah in which God wonders, ``Whom shall I
    send, and who will go for us?'' Isaiah answers, ``Here am I, Lord. Send
    me.'' These men we honor today said to America, ``Send me.''
        We will remember them as patriots, but they were also husbands and
    fathers, sons and brothers, colleagues, neighbors, and friends. Some
    came from families with a proud tradition of military service. Some have
    brothers and sisters serving our military today. Some had dreamed of
    joining the Air Force since they were little boys.
        All of them showed by the example of their lives the same spirit of
    service they brought to their careers. They were always among the first
    to lend a hand when someone was in need. They served as soccer coaches
    and Sunday school teachers. They helped the victims of hurricanes and
    volunteered as firemen. They loved their cars, their sports, their
    families, and their mission. One of them was on his third tour in Saudi
    Arabia. Another volunteered so a man with larger family obligations
    could stay home.
        They were all very different, as I saw when I met with their
    families. They came from different regions, different ethnic groups,
    different

    [[Page 1000]]

    religious and political backgrounds. But they were united by love of
    nation, mission, and family. They touched the lives of many other
    people, and because of them we all lead safer and better lives.
        On behalf of the American people, let me say to their families and
    loved ones and to their friends in the Eglin community: We are grateful
    for their service. We stand with you in sorrow and in outrage. They were
    taken before their time, felled by the hands of hatred in an act whose
    savagery is matched only by its cowardice. We will not rest in our
    efforts to capture, prosecute, and punish those who committed this evil
    deed. But today, in the warm embrace of our faith, let us put aside our
    anger for a moment to remember and honor those who were lost, to find
    strength in their service, to thank God for the lives they lived, to
    continue the struggle for freedom and decency to which they devoted
    their lives.
        We're blessed to live in a prosperous land in a time of peace, but
    we are not free from peril. While the modern world brings to all of us
    many new opportunities, it also leaves us more open to the forces of
    intolerance and destruction and especially to terrorism, so often rooted
    in ethnic and religious hatreds, because terrorists can strike anywhere,
    from the Tokyo subway to the streets of London, from the Holy Land to
    the World Trade Center in New York and Oklahoma City and now in Saudi
    Arabia.
        My fellow Americans, during the long struggles of World War II and
    the cold war, America stood fast for freedom. In our time, terrorism is
    the enemy of peace and freedom. America must not and America will not be
    driven from the fight against terrorism. In this effort, every American
    must stand behind the men and women of our Armed Forces. Every American
    must stand against violence and hatred and stand for dignity and
    tolerance, at home as well as abroad. We must honor the memory of those
    we have lost by upholding the ideals for which they lived and the
    mission for which they gave their lives.
        To the loved ones of these 12 fine men, I know there are no words to
    soothe the loss of a father or a husband, a brother or a son, a fiance
    or a dear friend. The rest of us can only hope that there is some solace
    for you in the pride and passion they brought to their work, the
    strength and decency they demonstrated every day, the love and respect
    they engendered and which surround you today, and the gratitude of their
    Nation.
        Let us now praise these quiet American heroes who gave their lives
    in service to America. May they rest in peace, and may their names live
    on forever:

        Technical Sergeant Daniel Cafourek
        Sergeant Millard Dee Campbell
        Senior Airman Earl Cartrette, Jr.
        Technical Sergeant Patrick Fennig
        Master Sergeant Kendall Kitson, Jr.
        Technical Sergeant Thanh Gus Nguyen
        Airman First Class Brent Marthaler
        Airman First Class Brian McVeigh
        Airman First Class Peter Morgera
        Airman First Class Joseph Rimkus
        Senior Airman Jeremy Taylor
        Airman First Class Joshua Woody

        Our Nomads have ceased their wandering. They have come home. May God
    embrace their souls. May God bless their families and their loved ones.
    And may God bless America's mission of peace and freedom, for which they
    gave the last full measure of their devotion.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:32 a.m. in the King Hangar. In his
    remarks, he referred to Gov. Lawton Chiles and Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay of
    Florida; Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF, Air Force Chief of Staff; Gen.
    Richard E. Hawley, USAF, Commander, Air Combat Command; Maj. Gen.
    Stewart E. Cranston, USAF, Commander, Air Force Development Test Center;
    and Col. Gary R. Dylewski, USAF, Commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Troy
    Lowe, USAF, Senior Enlisted Adviser, 33d Fighter Wing.