[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.