[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 21 (Monday, June 2, 2008)]
[Pages 753-754]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

May 24, 2008

    Good morning. This Memorial Day weekend, kids will be out of school, 
moms and dads will be firing up the grill, and families across our 
country will mark the unofficial beginning of summer. But as we do, we 
should all remember the true purpose of this holiday: to honor the 
sacrifices that make our freedom possible.
    On Monday, I will commemorate Memorial Day by visiting Arlington 
National Cemetery, where I will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the 
Unknowns. The tomb is the final resting place of three brave American 
soldiers who lost their lives in combat. The names of these veterans of 
World War I, World War II, and the Korean war are known only to God, but 
their valor is known to us all.
    Throughout American history, this valor has preserved our way of 
life and our sacred freedoms. It was this valor that won our 
independence. It was this valor that removed the stain of slavery from 
our Nation. And it was this valor that defeated the great totalitarian 
threats of the last century.
    Today, the men and women of our military are facing a new 
totalitarian threat to our freedom. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other 
fronts around the world, they continue the proud legacy of those who 
came before them. They bear their responsibilities with quiet dignity 
and honor. And some have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their 
country.
    One such hero was Sergeant First Class Benjamin Sebban of the Army's 
82d Airborne Division. As the senior medic in his squadron, Ben made 
sacrifice a way of life. When younger medics were learning how to insert 
IVs, he would offer his own arm for practice. And when the time came, 
Ben did not hesitate to offer his fellow soldiers far more.
    On March 17th, 2007, in Iraq's Diyala Province, Ben saw a truck 
filled with explosives racing toward his team of paratroopers. He ran 
into the open to warn them, exposing himself to the blast. Ben received 
severe wounds, but this good medic never bothered to check his own 
injuries. Instead, he devoted his final moments on this Earth to 
treating others. Earlier this week, in a ceremony at Fort Bragg, North 
Carolina, I had the honor of presenting Sergeant Sebban's mom with the 
Silver Star that he earned.
    No words are adequate to console those who have lost a loved one 
serving our Nation. We can only offer our prayers and join in their 
grief. We grieve for the mother who hears the sound of her child's 21-
gun salute. We grieve for the husband or wife who receives a folded 
flag. We grieve for a young son or daughter who only knows dad from a 
photograph.
    One holiday is not enough to commemorate all of the sacrifices that 
have been made by America's men and women in uniform. No group has ever 
done more to defend liberty than the men and women of the United States 
Armed Forces. Their bravery has done more than simply win battles; it 
has done more than win wars; it has secured a way of life for our entire 
country. These heroes and their families should be in our thoughts and 
prayers on a daily basis, and they should receive our loving thanks at 
every possible opportunity.
    This Memorial Day, I ask all Americans to honor the sacrifices of 
those who have served you and our country. One way to do so is by 
joining in a moment of remembrance that will be marked across our 
country at 3 p.m. local time. At that moment, Major League Baseball 
games will pause, the National Memorial Day Parade will halt, Amtrak 
trains will blow their whistles, and buglers in military cemeteries will 
play ``Taps.'' You can participate by placing a flag at a veteran's 
grave, taking your family to the battlefields where freedom was 
defended, or saying a silent prayer for all the Americans who were

[[Page 754]]

delivered out of the agony of war to meet their Creator. Their bravery 
has preserved the country we love so dearly.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 10:06 a.m. on May 23 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 24. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
May 23 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
address, the President referred to Barbara Filik Walsh, mother of SFC 
Benjamin L. Sebban, USA. The Office of the Press Secretary also released 
a Spanish language transcript of this address.