    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 31, 2004]
    [Pages 946-947]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia
    May 31, 2004

        Thank you all very much. Thank you all. Welcome. Mr.
    Secretary, thank you for your great
    leadership as Secretary of Defense for our country. General
    Myers, members of the United States
    military, veterans, honored guests, and fellow Americans. This morning I
    had the honor of placing a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknowns. This
    custom is observed every Memorial Day on behalf of the American people
    as a mark of gratitude and respect.
        And when this ceremony is concluded and all of us have gone on our
    way, the Honor Guard will keep watch over the tomb. Every hour of every
    day, on the coldest nights, in the hardest rain, there is a sentinel of
    the 3d U.S. Infantry standing guard. The soldiers entrusted with that
    duty count it a privilege. And today, as we reflect on the men and women
    who have died in the defense of America, all of us count it a privilege
    to be citizens of the country they served.
        In the military tradition, no one is left behind on the field of
    battle. And our Nation is determined to account for all of the missing.
    The same spirit can be seen in the respect we show to each life laid
    down for this Nation. We receive them in sorrow, and we take them to an
    honored place to rest. At this and other cemeteries across our country
    and in cemeteries abroad where heroes fell, America acknowledges a debt
    that is beyond our power to repay.
        This weekend, we dedicated the World War II Memorial, which will
    stand forever as a tribute to the generation that fought that war and
    the more than 400,000 Americans who fell. Some here today can turn their
    minds back across 60 years and see the face of a buddy who never made it
    home. You are veterans who have not forgotten your comrades, and America
    will always honor the achievements and the character of your brave
    generation.
        Through our history, America has gone to war reluctantly because we
    have known the costs of war, and the war on terror we're fighting today
    has brought great costs of its own. Since the hour this Nation was
    attacked, we have seen the character of the men and women who wear our
    country's uniform. In places like Kabul and Kandahar, in Mosul and
    Baghdad, we have seen their decency and their brave spirit. Because of
    their fierce courage, America is safer; two terror regimes are gone
    forever; and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom.
        Those who have fought these battles and served this cause can be
    proud of all they have achieved. And these veterans of battle will carry
    with them for all their days the memory of the ones who did not live to
    be called veterans. They will remember young soldiers like Captain
    Joshua Byers, a West Point man born in South Carolina who died in Iraq.
    When this son of missionaries was given command of a 120-man combat
    unit, he wrote this to his parents: ``I will give the men everything I
    have to give. I love them already, just because they're mine. I pray
    with all my heart that I will be able to take every single one of them
    home safe when we finish our mission here.''
        Sergeant Major Michael Stack, who was laid to rest at Arlington,
    wore the uniform for 28 years and is remembered as a soldier's soldier.
    The sergeant major must have been quite a guy. When he was a young
    platoon sergeant, the recruits gave him a nickname, No Slack Billy Jack
    Stack. [Laughter] By all accounts, he was the kind of man you want in
    charge of a tough situation. And by the account of his mother, he
    finished his goodbyes with these words: ``Mom, I'm going because I
    believe in what

    [[Page 947]]

    I am doing. And if I don't come back, we will meet in a better place.''
        Those who risked their lives on our behalf are often very clear
    about what matters most in their own lives, and they tell it to those
    they love. Master Sergeant Kelly Hornbeck of the Special Forces was
    killed in action last January, south of Samarra. To his parents back in
    Fort Worth, Texas, he wrote this: ``I am not afraid, and neither should
    either of you be, for I trust in my God and my training, two powerful
    forces that cannot be fully measured.''
        After Private First Class Jesse Givens
    of Springfield, Missouri, was lost last May, his family received a
    letter he had written to them in the event of his death. He wrote this
    to his son, Dakota: ``You've taught me that
    life isn't so serious, and sometimes you just have to play. You have a
    big, beautiful heart. Through your life, you need to keep it open and
    follow it. I will always be there in our park when you dream, so we can
    play.'' To his wife, Melissa, Private Givens
    wrote, ``Do me a favor after you tuck the children in. Give them hugs
    and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them.
    Don't forget to smile.'' This is the quality of the people in our
    uniform.
        And this is the loss to our Nation. Markers on these hills record
    the names of more than 280,000 men and women. Each was once or still is
    the most important person in someone's life. With each loss in war, the
    world changed forever for the family and friends left behind. Each loss
    left others to go on, counting the years of separation, and living in
    the hope of reunion.
        Although the burden of grief can become easier to bear, always there
    is the memory of another time and the feeling of sadness over an
    unfinished life. Yet, the completeness of a life is not measured in
    length only. It is measured in the deeds and commitments that give a
    life its purpose. And the commitment of these lives was clear to all:
    They defended our Nation; they liberated the oppressed; they served the
    cause of peace. And all Americans who have known the loss and sadness of
    war, whether recently or long ago, can know this: The person they love
    and miss is honored and remembered by the United States of America. May
    God bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:24 a.m. in the Amphitheater at Arlington
    National Cemetery. The Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day proclamation of
    May 26 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.