[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 22 (Monday, June 7, 1993)]
[Pages 999-1001]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks Honoring the Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II
May 31, 1993
Good morning. Please be seated. It's a great honor for the First
Lady and for me to have all of you here in the White House today. I want
to welcome all of you, and a few by name, beginning with the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown; the Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr.
William Perry; Marvin Runyon, the Postmaster General; Lt. General Claude
Kicklighter, the Executive Director of the World War II Commemoration
Committee; Mr. Roger Durbin, a World War II veteran and the initiator of
the World War II Commemorative Coin legislation. Also here with me,
representing all World War II veterans, is Admiral Eugene Fluckey. I'd
like to welcome Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur from Ohio, an ardent
supporter of veterans' cause who heeded the call of her constituent, Mr.
Durbin, and took the lead on the legislation to issue the World War II
50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin, to fund a building of the World War
II Memorial here in Washington with no net cost to the United States
Treasury. I wonder if we might undertake some other programs with that
device. [Laughter]
I'd like to thank our good friend, Senator Jay Rockefeller from West
Virginia, another great advocate for veterans, for being here with us;
Secretary Shannon from the Army; Admiral Kelso, wearing both his Chief
of Naval Operations and Navy Secretary hats today; Secretary Donley from
the Air Force; Admiral Jeremiah, the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs;
General Sullivan, the Army Chief of Staff who took me to West Point on
Saturday for one of the better days of my life, thank you, General;
General McPeak, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force; General Mundy, the
Commandant of the Marine Corps; and Admiral Kime, the Commandant of the
Coast Guard. I'm delighted to welcome the many representatives of
veteran service organizations who are here with us today.
I want to say a special word of thanks to the veterans
organizations, and the VA particularly, for working with the health care
task force that the First Lady is chairing so closely on health care.
Hillary visited the Washington, DC, VA medical centers on May 29th, and
she talked to me in our brief stay at Camp David for 30 or 40 minutes
about how impressed she was about what she saw there. And we are very,
very hopeful that we can work with the active military health operations
and with the VA in working through this health care issue. I think you
have a major role to play.
I'd also like to say a special word of thanks to the people who were
involved in the May 28th kickoff of this weekend's Memorial Day
remembrances. There I had the opportunity to speak with three VA medical
centers, a telephone conversation that initiated a program replacing the
old system of isolating
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veterans in these hospitals from their families and friends by replacing
it with a system where telephones are placed alongside their beds and
are usable by veterans even with severe disabilities. We now are having
five hospitals so equipped, but eventually will have 174 veterans
hospitals where veterans will be able to call from their bedside to
their families and friends.
This is an important issue. One of the men I talked with in Queens
has three children; two of them are in the service and are overseas. And
now, even though he is quite ill, he'll be able to talk on this day to
both of his children who, like him, are serving in the armed services.
In just a few moments I'm going to sign a resolution and a
proclamation designating this May 31st through June 7th as a period of
national observance, as part of the 50th anniversary of World War II.
But before I do that, and before Postmaster General Runyon and I unveil
this year's additions of the World War II Commemorative Stamps, I'd like
to say just a few things about the debt that all of us owe to our
veterans.
Fifty years ago, the United States and its allies were engaged in a
monumental struggle to defeat a totalitarian Axis bent on controlling
the world, to preserve the dignity of mankind and to protect individual
freedom. Americans from every walk of life were called upon to sacrifice
their freedoms and their comforts, to undergo great danger to shore up
our Nation's future, and to fight for democracy.
As we observe the 50th anniversary of World War II, our country must
remember and honor the million who defended democracy and defeated
aggression. We learned from those early defeats in World War II that we
must remain vigilant and always prepared to resist future aggression and
that all nations dedicated to freedom must stand together. The freedoms
we enjoy today are results of our victory over aggression, and the
efforts the United States makes today to work with all other nations who
love and believe in freedom are a testimony to the wisdom of the lessons
learned then.
We must be committed now to leave our children a world free of the
horrors of war: hatred, violence, and inhumanity. Franklin Roosevelt
once said, ``We must cultivate the science of human relationships, the
ability of all people to live and work together in the same world at
peace.'' I think Admiral Fluckey, a courageous man, would agree that
while courage and deeds of warriors are indeed heroic, the ultimate goal
of this courage is to make it unnecessary for future generations.
President Kennedy once said, ``It is an unfortunate fact that we can
secure the peace only by preparing for war.'' Our Nation stands
committed to defend itself and our allies by remaining strong and
vigilant and ready. And therefore, it is very fitting that this week-
long period of national observance of the 50th anniversary of World War
II begins on Memorial Day, a day when we remember and honor our Nation's
war dead. As we work toward a more peaceful future, it is appropriate
that we remember and thank the brave and selfless patriots who served
our Nation 50 years ago.
During this commemoration, Americans of all ages must also remember
those who gave their lives and dedicated themselves in other wars so
that our Nation could remain free and strong, so that the deeds, the
commitment, and the sacrifice of those who made this commitment will not
have been in vain.
I have asked the Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, who is in Brussels
today, in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse
Brown, to continue coordinating the commemorative events of the 50th
anniversary of the Second World War. I want to urge all the veterans,
the Government, the civic, the business, and the patriotic organizations
to join together in expression so that a grateful Nation will remember.
Our Nation will rededicate itself during this time to studying the
lessons of the past.
I want to say in closing, again, how grateful I am to have all of
you here in the White House today. This is your house. You have paid the
price for it, and those whom you represent made the fact that it is
still standing possible. We are all very, very grateful to you.
Thank you very much.
Note: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. in the East Room at the White
House. Following his remarks, he signed Proclamation 6568--Time for
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the National Observance of the Fiftieth Anniversary of World War II.