[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 22 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Pages 1044-1045]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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

May 29, 2006

    Thank you all. Laura and I are honored to join you today. Thank you 
for coming. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your kind words. Members of my 
Cabinet, General Pace, Members of Congress, members of the United States 
military, veterans, honored guests, and the loved ones of the fallen: A 
few moments ago, I placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I was 
honored to do so on behalf of the American people, as a sign of our 
solemn gratitude and our deep respect. The names of those buried there 
are known only to God, yet their souls have entered into the spirit of 
America, and they will never be forgotten by our Nation.
    In this place where valor sleeps, we acknowledge our responsibility 
as Americans to preserve the memory of the fallen. On this Memorial Day, 
we look out on quiet hills and rows of white headstones, and we know 
that we are in the presence of greatness. The markers here record the 
names of more than 296,000 men and women. Each of the soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, and marines buried here answered the call to serve and stepped 
forward to protect the nation they loved.
    All who are buried here understood their duty. They saw a dark 
shadow on the horizon and went to meet it. They understood that tyranny 
must be met with resolve and that liberty is always the achievement of 
courage. Here, in the presence of veterans they fought with and loved 
ones whose pictures they carried, the fallen give silent witness to the 
price of our liberty, and our Nation honors them this day and every day.
    In this place where valor sleeps, we are reminded why America has 
always gone to war reluctantly--because we know the costs of war. We 
have seen those costs in the war on terror we fight today. These grounds 
are the final resting place for more than 270 men and women who have 
given their lives in freedom's cause since the attacks of September the 
11th, 2001. With us here are veterans who fought alongside them and who 
have come today to pay their respects. They are joined by veterans of 
World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts across the globe, 
whose friends and comrades also lie in this sacred ground. As we pray 
for their fallen friends, we also remember those who went to war and are 
still missing, and we are determined to account for them all.
    In this place where valor sleeps, we find strength in knowing that 
those serving freedom's cause have acted with principle and steadfast 
faith. Second Lieutenant Jack Lundberg was killed 2 weeks after D-day. 
At the end of World War II, he wrote his Mom and Dad a letter to be 
opened in the event he did not come home. He wrote, ``I am sorry to add 
to your grief, but we of the United States have something to fight for--
never more fully have I realized that. The United States of America is 
worth the sacrifice.''
    That same feeling moves those who are now fighting the war on 
terror. First Lieutenant Mark Dooley was killed by a terrorist bomb last 
September in the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Before he left for his tour, he 
gave his parents a last letter, just in case. He wrote, ``Remember that 
my leaving was in the service of something that we loved, and be proud. 
The best way to pay respect is to value why a sacrifice was made.''

[[Page 1045]]

    Last week, the family of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Fenty, Junior, 
gathered here at Arlington to pay their last respects to the husband, 
son, and father they loved. Colonel Fenty was killed with nine of his 
fellow soldiers in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan earlier this month. 
Hours before that crash, he had spoken to his wife, Kristen, about their 
newborn daughter he was waiting to meet. Someday, she will learn about 
her dad from the men with whom she served--he served. And one of them 
said this about her father, ``We all wanted to be more like Joe Fenty. 
We were all in awe of him.'' I am in awe of the men and women who 
sacrifice for the freedom of the United States of America.
    Our Nation is free because of brave Americans like these, who 
volunteer to confront our adversaries abroad, so we do not have to face 
them here at home. Our Nation mourns the loss of our men and women in 
uniform; we will honor them by completing the mission for which they 
gave their lives--by defeating the terrorists, by advancing the cause of 
liberty, and by laying the foundation of peace for a generation of young 
Americans. Today we pray that those who lie here have found peace with 
their Creator, and we resolve that their sacrifice will always be 
remembered by a grateful nation.
    May God bless the Untied States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:26 a.m. in the Amphitheater at Arlington 
National Cemetery. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Defense 
Donald H. Rumsfeld, who introduced him; and Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, 
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.