    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [January 17, 1997]
    [Pages 39-41]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the World War II Memorial and on Presenting the Presidential
    Medal of Freedom to Former Senator Bob Dole
    January 17, 1997

        Thank you very much, General Woerner, for your kind words and for
    your fine work. I thank you on behalf of all Americans for all the
    American Battle Monuments Commission does all around the world to ensure
    that our fallen heroes receive the honor they deserve.
        Mr. Vice President, to the members of the Cabinet, Senator and Mrs.
    Dole and Robin, Majority Leader Lott and many Members of Congress who
    are here today, to the representatives of the veterans service
    organizations, the members of the American Battle Monuments Commission,
    my fellow Americans. Let me begin by thanking Congresswoman Marcy
    Kaptur, Governor Hugh Carey, Commissioner Wheeler, Dr. Williams, my good
    friend Jess Hay, and all the members of the American Battle Monuments
    Commission and the World War II Memorial Advisory Board for their
    efforts to create the first national memorial to all who served in World
    War II. I want to congratulate also Professor St. Florian and his team
    on their design. I have reviewed it, and it is very impressive.
        The World War II Memorial will commemorate one of the great defining
    passages in our Nation's history. Fittingly, it will be flanked by the
    Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. For if the Revolutionary
    War marks the birth of our Republic and the Civil War its greatest
    trial, then surely America's triumph in World War II will forever signal
    our coming of age. Roused by the threat of tyranny and fascism, provoked
    by an infamous attack, millions of Americans fought under freedom's
    flag, carrying it to far-off places whose names still stir our souls.
        At home, our Nation turned as one to the task of building a mighty
    arsenal for our democratic warriors. Out of the crucible of global
    conflict and total war, the greatest struggle humankind has ever known,
    America emerged as the world's most powerful force for peace and freedom
    and prosperity. With this memorial we pay lasting homage to the 16
    million men and women who took up arms in that battle.
        Some of the bravest among them were those who fought for freedom
    themselves were denied. Earlier this week, I had the chance to recognize
    the extraordinary courage of seven African-American soldiers with the
    Nation's highest military honor, an award that was richly deserved as
    long as it was overdue. But I say today that we owe them and all the
    veterans

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    of World War II a debt that can never be fully repaid. As I said, and
    had the honor to say in Normandy: When they were young, they saved the
    world.
        This memorial also quite rightly remembers the heroics and hardships
    of those on the homefront. Many of the families who started the war with
    a star in the window ended it with sorrow in their hearts, their loved
    ones lost forever. But our Americans scrimped and saved, making do with
    3 gallons of gas a week and two pairs of shoes a year. With the American
    Red Cross they worked to tend the wounded and send millions of care
    packages overseas. They ran the factories, manned in many cases by
    women, that churned out the planes, the tanks, the ships that enabled
    the allies to control the land, the air, and the sea.
        In war, this generation of heroes summoned the collective resolve to
    defend our most cherished values, to defeat the most fearsome enemies.
    In peace, they came home and drew on that strength and unity to meet the
    challenges of a new era. Their leaders did not seek to withdraw from the
    world but to build alliances and institutions, to promote our
    prosperity, and to secure our victory in the long cold war. This
    memorial will stand as a lasting tribute to what Americans can achieve
    when they work together.
        It is especially appropriate at this time that we also honor the
    remarkable service of one of our Nation's most distinguished World War
    II veterans who has spent the last 50 years of his life building America
    and a better world, Senator Bob Dole.
        Fifty-one years ago, during a fierce fight in Italy's Po Valley,
    Second Lieutenant Bob Dole was going to the aid of a fallen comrade when
    a shell struck him down. He would bear the burden of that terrible
    injury from that day forward. His recuperation was long and uncertain.
    Yet Senator Dole turned adversity to advantage and pain to public
    service, embodying the motto of the State that he loved and went on to
    serve so well: Ad astra per aspera, to the stars through difficulties.
        Son of the soil, citizen, soldier, and legislator, Bob Dole
    understands the American people, their struggles, their triumphs, and
    their dreams. Through five decades of public service that took him from
    county attorney to Senate majority leader and the longest serving leader
    of his party in history, he never forgot his roots in Russell, Kansas.
    He has stood up for what he believed, championing the interests of his
    State's hard-working farmers, helping the disabled through leading the
    way to the Americans with Disabilities Act, extending the Voting Rights
    Act, playing a key role in the National Commission on Social Security
    Reform, and always, always supporting the leadership of our country:
    first, throughout that long twilight struggle of the cold war and, now
    in this new era, reasserting America's indispensable role for peace and
    freedom, security and prosperity.
        In times of conflict and crisis, he has worked to keep America
    united and strong. In this city often known for taking itself too
    seriously, we are all better for his fine sense of humor. But our
    country is better for his courage, his determination, and his
    willingness to go the long course to lead America.
        I am pleased to be able to recognize Bob Dole's record of
    achievement with the highest honor our Nation can bestow on a citizen,
    the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Through it, we honor not just his
    individual achievement but his clear embodiment of the common values and
    beliefs that join us as a people, values and beliefs that he has spent
    his life advancing.
        Senator Dole, a grateful nation presents this award with respect for
    the example you have set for Americans today and for Americans in
    generations yet to come.
        I now ask the military aide to read the citation. Major, post the
    orders.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:33 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. Fred F. Woerner, USA (ret.),
    Chairman, and Hugh Carey and F. Haydn Williams, Commissioners, American
    Battle Monuments Commission; Senator Dole's daughter, Robin; Pete
    Wheeler and Jess Hay, members, World War II Memorial Advisory Board; and
    architect Friedrich St. Florian, winner of the World War II Memorial
    design competition. Following the President's remarks, Maj. Charles
    Raderstorf, USMC, read the medal citation.

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