[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 23 (Monday, June 13, 1994)]
[Pages 1216-1217]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Crew of the U.S.S. George Washington in Portsmouth, 
United Kingdom

June 5, 1994

    Thank you very much. And thank you, Captain Sprigg. Thank you, 
gentlemen, for that welcome. It's nice to be here.
    Just a few moments ago, my wife and I were on the royal yacht 
Britannia with the heads of 15 nations around the world. And when we 
went by the George Washington, they were all ecstatic. They asked me 
questions about this magnificent carrier, and thankfully, I'd done my 
homework and I could answer them. So you now have 15 more fans around 
the world, thanks to this wonderful day.
    Exactly 50 years ago at this very time, young people just like you 
were right here in this channel on some 5,000 ships preparing for the 
most important battle of this century. Imagine how they must have felt, 
in choppy seas and bad weather. Imagine how they must have looked to the 
enemy when they came across the horizon. Imagine what the enemy forces 
would have thought then if they had seen this magnificent ship.
    You are beyond question the best trained, the best equipped fighting 
force the world has ever known. And I want you to know that I am 
committed unequivocally, absolutely, to ensuring that you continue to 
have what you need to do your job. You deserve it. Our security demands 
it.
    Let me also say that it has been one of the great honors of my life 
for me to be able to come here to represent our entire country in 
commemorating D-Day and the other great battles of World War II. 
Yesterday, I was near Cambridge, England, at the magnificent cemetery 
which has over 3,800 Americans buried there who were part of the air war 
against Germany, and on the wall a list of 5,000 others who never 
returned. I was with a man from my home State who flew 149 missions in 
that difficult endeavor.
    This has been a very emotional time for Hillary and me. Her father 
was in the Navy during the Second World War; my father was in the Army 
in part of the Italian campaign. Yesterday and the day before, when we 
commemorated the landings at Anzio and Nettuno, were incredible 
experiences.
    Just before I came aboard here I met some other proud veterans of 
World War II who made the crossing on the U.S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, a 
World War II Liberty ship. You've seen it, I'm sure. It's right here 
near you. It was one of the many ships that were part of the lend-lease 
program, bringing aid to the British even before the United States 
formally entered the war.
    As I met with them, and now as I look out at all of you and hear 
your enthusiasm and your strength, I am reminded that for all of our 
incredible technological advances, the strength of our military is not 
really in our ships, our tanks, or our aircrafts, it is in you, the 
dedicated professionalism of the men and women of the United States 
Armed Forces.
    Even though the cold war is over, we are still on the eve of great 
endeavors, not to turn back armies of oppression which threaten our very 
existence but to protect our safety and security and to expand the 
blessings of liberty. This work will not be done in a

[[Page 1217]]

day or year. It will not be finished during the term of your service. It 
may not be finished in the life of this great Nation, but it must 
continue. It will take you all across the globe, from the Adriatic to 
the Indian Ocean, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Japan.

    As we honor those who served in World War II, we must also honor 
those of you who serve now, who are continuing the legacy they left us. 
For if we learned any lesson from the magnificent, heroic, almost 
unbelievable endeavor of D-Day, it was that if the allies would stay 
together and stay strong, we would never need another D-Day. That is 
what you are guaranteeing, and your country is deeply in your debt.

    Let me also say, as I conclude my remarks and congratulate those who 
are reenlisting, I know this has been a difficult time for many young 
people who wanted to commit their careers to our Armed Forces because of 
the downsizing that inevitably came. I want you to know, number one, 
we're more than halfway through; number two, it will be over in 2 years; 
number three, there will be more advancements this year than last year, 
more advancements next year than this year. We still need you. We need 
your devotion. We need your talent. And the military of the United 
States is still going to be an important and good place to make a career 
because it's still defending the security of the greatest nation in the 
history of the world.

    And now I would like to introduce, to continue the reenlistment, the 
new Chief of Naval Operations, a man who has done a terrific job for our 
country in dealing with the problems in Bosnia and elsewhere throughout 
his naval career, a man who has come a long way since he started, 
Admiral Mike Boorda. Please welcome him.

Note: The President spoke at 3:01 p.m. aboard the ship. In his remarks, 
he referred to Capt. Robert Sprigg, captain of the U.S.S. George 
Washington. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks.