    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 11, 1997]
    [Pages 1539-1540]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1539]]

    Remarks at a Veterans Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia
    November 11, 1997

        Thank you very much. Secretary Gober, members of the Cabinet,
    members of the Joint Chiefs, General Foley. Commander Hitchcock, thank
    you for your example and for that magnificent address. Leaders of our
    veterans services organizations, ex-prisoners of war, Gold Star Wives
    and Mothers, veterans, members of the Armed Forces, my fellow Americans.
        Almost 42 million Americans have served in our Armed Forces over the
    great history of our country. More than 25 million of them are still
    with us today. That is a remarkable gift for which we can be grateful,
    for today we pay tribute to the men and women who offered the highest
    form of service to America. In a world of constant change and
    uncertainty, we can know with certainty that today America is free,
    secure, and prosperous because of the gift of your service.
        For different reasons, in different ways, in different wars, and in
    times when we were not at war, Americans of all backgrounds have donned
    our Nation's uniform and pledged their lives to maintain our freedom.
    From Belleau Wood to Normandy, from Iwo Jima to Inchon, from Khe Sanh to
    Kuwait, all the veterans we honor today gave something to serve. Many
    gave their lives. Others bear the burden of injury for the rest of their
    days. Still others made it through with bodies intact but lives changed
    forever, perhaps none more than our prisoners of war.
        In this century alone, more than 142,000 Americans were held in
    prison camps or interned; 17,000 died during the ordeal. The many ex-
    POW's here today know better than anyone the precious value of freedom
    because they have paid the price of losing their freedom. Let us never
    forget their very special sacrifice. And let us never waver for a moment
    in our common efforts to make a full accounting for all our MIA's.
        As President, you all know I am charged with the performance of many
    ceremonial duties, but there is not a single one more important than
    this chance to express the pride and the profound gratitude of all
    Americans for all you have done. In a wonderful sense, our veterans are
    ordinary Americans, but there is nothing ordinary about your patriotism.
        Our veterans have won victories for freedom for over 200 years now.
    And it's worth pointing out, this year especially, that those victories
    have not all occurred beyond our borders; some have occurred within
    them, as we remembered twice this fall. First, in Little Rock, in my
    hometown, where the Army helped to end the integration crisis 40 years
    ago and remind Americans that what we are pledged to do, and what you
    have donned the uniform for, is to defend freedom and equality for all.
    And here in Arlington, with the unveiling of the Women in Military
    Service for America Memorial, we gave long overdue thanks to the 1.8
    million women veterans who have served our country. Both these events
    reaffirm the powerful truth that we must be, always, one America.
        Around the world democracy is on the march. Former adversaries are
    now our partners. We stand on the cusp of a new century and a new
    millennium that holds the promise, but, as Commander Hitchcock reminded
    us, not the guarantee, of an unprecedented peace and prosperity. The
    benefits the world enjoys today belong in no small measure to America's
    veterans. To make the promise of peace and prosperity a reality in a new
    era, America, with its special ability and its special responsibility,
    must continue to lead for peace and freedom against aggression and
    tyranny.
        At this very moment, our men and women in uniform are doing just
    that. In the Balkans, after 46 months of the bloodiest, most
    dehumanizing conflict since World War II in Europe, 23 months of peace
    forged at Dayton have put Bosnia on the hard path to lasting stability.
    We have seen steady progress in recent months, elections held, public
    safety enhanced, the economy gaining strength and creating jobs for
    people who were desperately poor and unemployed, refugees returned, war
    criminals brought to justice. All that was possible because our troops
    and their allies are maintaining a stable and secure environment in
    Bosnia.
        And in the Persian Gulf, our pilots are patrolling the no-fly zones
    in Iraq, making it clear to Saddam Hussein that another move against

    [[Page 1540]]

    Kuwait or Saudi Arabia would be a big mistake and helping to enforce the
    international community's sanctions against Iraq. Saddam's efforts to
    rebuild his weapons of mass destruction and his interference with the
    United Nations inspectors who are keeping him from doing so are
    unacceptable.
        I want every single American to understand what is at stake here.
    These inspectors, since 1991, have discovered and destroyed more weapons
    of mass destruction potential than was destroyed in Iraq in the entire
    Gulf war. They are doing what they should be doing. They must get back
    to work, and the international community must demand it.
        In meeting today's challenges, we must seize tomorrow's
    opportunities. Veterans Day, as we all know, began as a tribute to
    Americans who fought for freedom in Europe in World War I, when we
    learned that Europe's fate and America's future were joined. Throughout
    this century, from World War II to the cold war, each time Europe's
    freedom and security were endangered, America rose to the challenge.
        Now we have to have the opportunity to escape this century's cycle
    of aggression and instability in Europe and to build something that has
    literally never existed before, an undivided, peaceful, democratic
    Europe. In July, we in NATO invited Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
    Republic to begin the process of joining our alliance. Their entry into
    NATO and our partnerships with Europe's other new democracies and
    historic accords with Russia and Ukraine will make America safer, NATO
    stronger, and Europe more united and stable.
        I am gratified that all our leading veterans organizations strongly
    support enlarging NATO. It is one of the most fitting tributes we can
    pay to America's veterans because it will help to ensure that the
    horrors of war in this century are not visited upon Americans in the
    next century.
        It is our solemn obligation to preserve the peace that so many of
    you in this audience and throughout our country sacrificed so very much
    to build. And when our Senate considers this question early next year, I
    hope they will remember the lessons our veterans have taught us, that
    Europe's security is vital to our own, that allying with Europe's
    democracy is our best sword and shield, and that it is far, far better
    to prevent wars than to wage them.
        Ladies and gentlemen, we have learned that the world will never be
    completely safe for democracy, as President Woodrow Wilson hoped for on
    the eve of our entry into World War I. There will always be threats to
    our well-being, to the peaceful community of nations to which we belong.
    Indeed, in the years ahead, we will see more and more threats that cross
    national borders: terrorism, weapons of mass destruction proliferating
    around the world, the growth of organized crime and drug trafficking. We
    will have to find new ways to meet these new security threats.
        But let us not forget today that, thanks to the valor of our
    veterans, the world is safer today from complete destruction than it has
    been in a long, long time. And let us resolve to maintain the skill and
    professionalism of today's Armed Forces and to honor those presently in
    uniform with our support. And it will remain that way.
        Thirty-six years ago, on this day, at this place, a President who
    lies buried in this cemetery spoke to the America people. John Kennedy
    said, ``There is no way to maintain the frontiers of freedom without
    cost and commitment and risk.'' So today, let us do more than observe a
    few moments of silence and just return to ordinary business. Let us
    truly reflect on the sacrifices made by our veterans to advance freedom
    and democracy. And let us rededicate ourselves to the hard work done in
    this country to bring us where we are today, knowing that these gains
    and future ones will require continued cost, commitment, and risk. And
    let us never forget those who gave their lives that our Nation might
    live free, secure, and at peace.
        I do believe that the next 50 years can be the brightest chapter in
    America's rich history and the best time in all of human history if we
    do our part to honor and follow the example of those whom we honor
    today.
        God bless them and their families, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:33 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery.
    In his remarks, he referred to Maj. Gen. Robert F. Foley, USA,
    commander, U.S. Army Military District of Washington; and Wayne
    Hitchcock, national commander, American Ex-Prisoners of War.