[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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