[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

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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

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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.