[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 46 (Monday, November 15, 2004)]
[Pages 2815-2816]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Veterans Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia

November 11, 2004

    Thank you for that warm welcome. Laura and I are honored to be here 
today. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your kind introduction, and thank 
you for your strong leadership in making sure our veterans have got the 
very best care possible. Secretary Principi has done a fantastic job for 
the American veteran.
    I thank the members of my Cabinet who have joined us today. I 
appreciate the Chiefs of Staff and other members of the United States 
military who have joined us. I want to thank all the veterans who are 
here today. I want to thank the representatives of veterans 
organizations. And I want to thank my fellow Americans.
    Veterans Day is set aside to remember every man and woman who has 
taken up arms to defend our country. We honor every soldier, sailor, 
airman, marine, and coastguardsman who gave some of the best years of 
their lives to the service of the United States and stood ready to give 
life, itself, on our behalf. Twenty-five million military veterans walk 
among us, and on this day, our Nation thanks them all.
    These are the hidden heroes of a peaceful nation, our colleagues and 
friends, neighbors and family members who answered the call and returned 
to live in the land they defended.
    Our veterans are drawn from several generations and many 
backgrounds. They're Americans who remember the swift conflict of the 
Persian Gulf war and a long cold war vigil, the heat of Vietnam and the 
bitter cold of Korea. They are veterans in their eighties who served 
under MacArthur and Eisenhower and saved the liberty of the world. And 
still with us in the year 2004 are a few dozen Americans who fought the 
Kaiser's army and celebrated the end of the Great War on this day in 
1918. The last doughboys are all more than 100 years old. Our Nation 
will always be proud of their service.
    Some of our veterans are young men and women with recent memories of 
battle in mountains and in deserts. In Afghanistan, these brave 
Americans helped sweep away a vicious tyranny allied with terror and 
prepared the way for a free people to elect its own leaders. In Iraq, 
our men and women fought a ruthless enemy of America, setting the people 
free from a tyrant who now sits in a prison cell.
    All who have served in this cause are liberators in the best 
tradition of America. Their actions have made our Nation safer in a 
world full of new dangers. Their actions have also upheld the ideals of 
America's founding, which defines us still. Our Nation values freedom, 
not just for ourselves but for all. And because Americans are willing to 
serve and sacrifice for this cause, our Nation remains the greatest 
force for good among all the nations on the Earth.
    Some of tomorrow's veterans are in combat in Iraq at this hour. They 
have a clear mission, to defeat the terrorists and aid the rise of a 
free government that can defend itself. They are performing that mission 
with skill and with honor. They are making us proud. They are winning.
    Our men and women in the military have superb training and the best 
equipment and able commanders. And they have another great advantage: 
They have the example of American veterans who came before. From the 
very day George Washington took command, the uniform of the United 
States has always stood for courage and decency and shining hope in a 
world of darkness. And all who have worn that uniform have won the 
thanks of the American people.
    Today we're thinking of our fellow Americans last seen on duty, 
whose fate is still undetermined. We will not rest until we have made 
the fullest possible accounting for every life.
    Today we also recall the men and women who did not live to be called 
veterans, many of whom rest in these hills. Our veterans remember the 
faces and voices of fallen comrades. The families of the lost carry a 
burden of grief that time will lighten but never lift. Our whole Nation 
honors every patriot who placed duty and country before their own lives. 
They gave us every day that we live in freedom. The security of America 
depends on our active leadership in the world to oppose emerging threats 
and to spread freedom that leads to the peace we all want. And our

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leadership ultimately depends on the commitment and character of the 
Armed Forces.
    America has needed these qualities in every generation, and every 
generation has stepped forward to provide them. What veterans have given 
our country is beyond our power to fully repay, yet today we recognize 
our debt to their honor. And on this national holiday, our hearts are 
filled with respect and gratitude for the veterans of the United States 
of America.
    May God bless our veterans and their families, and may God continue 
to bless our great Nation. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:36 a.m. in the Amphitheater at Arlington 
National Cemetery. In his remarks, he referred to former President 
Saddam Hussein of Iraq.