Thank you all for having me here this morning. These past two weeks have been amazing for a Plainville, Kansas, kid like me. On Memorial Day weekend, President Bush dedicated the National World War II Memorial, then he took part in services in Normandy to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, which I attended. Finally, I witnessed the ceremonies surrounding the death of President Reagan.
Many of you were in Washington, D.C. for the dedication of the World War II memorial. I was honored to host nearly three hundred Kansas veterans and their families on Memorial Day weekend just prior to the dedication ceremony. I am sorry it took our nation so long to get this memorial in place. It is a beautiful tribute to World War II veterans who did so much to protect our country and bring freedom to people around the world. The memorial is in an appropriate location between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and I hope each of you will be able to visit it.
I walked to the memorial just a few days before the official dedication. It was inspiring. I happened to have my cell phone with me and I made a call to my eighty-nine year old father back in Plainville. He is a World War II veteran of Northern Africa, Sicily and Italy. Fortunately, I got his answering machine, because it is often difficult for sons to tell their fathers the things we should tell them. My message on the answering machine was, “Dad, I love you, Dad, I am proud of you, and Dad, thank you for your service to our country.” I told my Dad what I should have said a long time ago and what we all should have said long ago to our veterans. I hope this is the reaction that the World War II Memorial causes for every American who visits our nation’s capital.
The next weekend I stood on the sands of Normandy beach. I was invited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to represent the House on the 60th anniversary of D-Day. I saw the waves lapping at the shore, and the cliffs ahead. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for those young men, so many years ago, to disembark from their ships and charge out across the sand. Many of us today think about veterans as people who are old. But in truth, the men and women who have served our country were still in their youth. They were 18, 19 and 20 years old, as they are in every war. Some gave up their chance to grow old, and instead made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom.
In his address to those gathered on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, 20 years ago, President Reagan said, “We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.”
This week we lost President Reagan. While standing in the Capitol Rotunda and contemplating President Reagan’s flag-draped casket, I thought of Reagan’s love for America. He, too, was a member of the World War II generation. He shared that generation’s sentiments, that generation’s understanding of the need to serve. His love of America and his belief in freedom guided him, and by living his convictions, Reagan changed the world.
Reagan certainly lived his convictions. He did not “cling” to them or “stick” to them. Reagan had core beliefs that were exactly that – they were at his core and were therefore part of his every action. These convictions and beliefs altered the world. Each of you, too, has changed the world, and your convictions, beliefs and service have made the difference.
I think things were different when Ronald Reagan was president – I think in many ways they were better. Ronald Reagan had strongly held convictions and many of the debates in his day were of beliefs, philosophies and values. Today, unfortunately, rather than a battle of ideas, Washington, D.C. is much more about political games and personalities. It is about Republican this and Democrat that. When you all answered your country’s call to service you were not Republican soldiers or Democrat airmen. You were Americans. Putting the country and its people above party politics – that is what we deserve from our elected officials. We need to return to the days when what was good for the country is what mattered.
When I need a reminder of what really is important and need to refocus on the priorities of our nation and its people, all I need to do is take a walk down The National Mall. That walk will take me past the Vietnam Wall and the Korean War Memorial and now the World War II Memorial. All the things that the politician thinks are important disappear. Our servicemen and women never sacrificed for trivial political games but for freedom, opportunity and for the chance to make the lives of their children and grandchildren better.
And just like that walk past the memorials, being here with you reinforces what is important. This room is filled with proud men and women, who believed in freedom then, and still do today. As long as you remain role models for the rest of us, there can be no doubt that America will always be free.
It strikes me that you veterans are better able to understand the deeper meanings of each of the events I’ve witnessed in the past two weeks. I have heard “Taps” played three times over the last few days – once at the World War II Memorial, once on the Normandy beaches and then at the funeral services for our 40th President. But as I looked out across the rows and rows of crosses in Normandy last weekend, words were spoken that helped me put everything in perspective. “Let’s hope our reasons for living are as good as theirs were for dying.”
Our country is amazingly fortunate to have an abundance of men and women who are willing to answer the call of duty and accomplish great things for the benefit of our fellow man.
I thank all of you, those who are members of the greatest generation, and all who have followed - I thank you for serving your country. Thank you for your dedication and your love of our nation.
President Reagan’s funeral at the National Cathedral yesterday closed with this hymn. It is one I had never heard before, but thought the lyrics were appropriate:
To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the mansions of the Lord.
No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the mansions of the Lord.
Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
Through the ages safely keep
The mansions of the Lord.
Thank you again for the chance to be with you today. God bless you veterans, and the country you love.
May we always remember.
May we always be proud.
May we always be prepared.
So we always may be free.
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