[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[September 11, 1998]
[Pages 1566-1567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Embassy Bombings in 
Kenya and Tanzania
September 11, 1998

    Bishop Haines, Dean Baxter, Reverend Jackson, clergy; Vice President 
and Mrs. Gore, Secretary Albright, Secretary Cohen, Janet, Secretary 
Shalala; to the Members of Congress; our military service; distinguished 
members of the diplomatic corps, especially those from Kenya and 
Tanzania. Most of all, to the members of the families, friends, and 
colleagues of the deceased; the survivors of the attacks; Ambassador 
Bushnell and Charge Lange; my fellow Americans.
    Today we are gathered in a truly sacred and historic place to honor 
and to celebrate the lives of 12 Americans who perished in service to 
our Nation--their goodness, their warmth, their humanity, and their 
sacrifice. The two sides of their lives--who they were in their labors 
and who they were as husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends and 
colleagues--came together. For as they showed every day in their 
devotion to family and friends, their work was about bringing better 
lives to all.
    They worked to create opportunity and hope, to fight poverty and 
disease, to bridge divides between peoples and nations, to promote 
tolerance and peace. They expressed both their patriotism and their 
humanity, as Adlai Stevenson so well put it, ``in the tranquil and 
steady dedication of a lifetime.''
    In the book of Isaiah it is written that the Lord called out, ``Whom 
shall I send, and who will go for us?'' And Isaiah, the prophet, 
answered, ``Here am I, Lord; send me.'' These Americans, generous, 
adventurous, brave souls, said, ``Send me. Send me in service. Send me 
to build a better tomorrow.'' And on their journey they perished, 
together with proud sons and daughters of Kenya and Tanzania.
    Some of the Kenyans and Tanzanians worked alongside our Americans at 
our Embassies, making vital contributions. Others were simply, 
unfortunately, nearby, working or studying, providing for their loved 
ones, doing what they do and did every day. For those people, too, we 
mourn, we honor, we thank God for their lives.
    All of them were taken too soon, leaving behind families, many 
including young children,

[[Page 1567]]

and devoted friends and colleagues. No tribute from us can rouse them 
from a long night of mourning. That takes time and the mysterious 
workings of the heart. But surely some comfort comes with the memory of 
the happiness they brought, the difference they made, the goodness they 
left inside those whom they loved and touched.
    Last month at Andrews Air Force Base, Hillary and I walked out into 
the hangar that day to meet the families and share with them the 
homecoming of their loved ones for the last time. There we saw a larger 
family, many standing and pressed together, people from the State and 
Defense Departments, from our military, from AID and the CDC. They, too, 
lost brothers and sisters. They, too, must be immensely proud of their 
friends, the traditions, the accomplishments, the life they shared.
    All of us must stand together with our friends from Kenya and 
Tanzania and other peaceloving nations--yes, in grief, but also in 
common commitment to carry on the cause of peace and freedom, to find 
those responsible and bring them to justice, not to rest as long as 
terrorists plot to take more innocent lives, and in the end, to convince 
people the world over that there is a better way of living than killing 
others for what you cannot have today. For our larger struggle, for hope 
over hatred and unity over division, is a just one. And with God's help, 
it will prevail. We owe to those who have given their lives in the 
service of America and its ideal to continue that struggle most of all.
    In their honor, let us commit to open our hearts with generosity and 
understanding; to treat others who are different with respect and 
kindness; to hold fast to our loved ones; and always to work for 
justice, tolerance, freedom, and peace.
    May God be with their souls.

Note: The President spoke at 12:12 p.m. at the Washington National 
Cathedral. In his remarks, he referred to Bishop Ronald H. Haines and 
Dean Nathan Baxter, Washington National Cathedral; civil rights activist 
Rev. Jesse Jackson; Janet Langhart, wife of Secretary of Defense William 
S. Cohen; Prudence Bushnell, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya; and John E. 
Lange, U.S. Charge d'Affairs, Tanzania.