November 5, 1999
We remember and never quite forget when our young soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors when they were called to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Many were in the springtime of their youth when their hearts were full of the promise of life. Few faltered when their country called. War had a way of making of simple men and women extraordinary giants of their time.
We remember, as tears well up in our eyes, of those who gave all they had to give in wars that sometimes were hardly understood. Most died not in glory but in the dirty, mudy fields of Salermo, Italy, France, Austria, or Germany. Some flew in their planes thousands of feet in the air to bomb or dived to the onrushing ground to strafe enemy positions in the Philippines, Formosa, Korea, and Vietnam. Others sailed in some of the world's mightiest Battleships, Carriers, Cruisers, Destroyers challenging the deadly German Submarine forces that attacked in packs and were as deadly as any wolf pack when they attacked their prey. In the air, on the ocean, or on land no matter where they were sent our brave soldiers, airman, marines, and sailors fought with the weapons at hand never expecting to be heroes But some arose to extraordinary heights of heroism. It is in battle that men raise to carry out remarkable feats of bravery and perform unquestioned acts of sacrifice for their fellow men.
From Corregidor to the death March in Bataan; From Guadalcanal to the Salomon Islands, from the beaches at Normandy to Vaubadon; To the muddy trenches in Korea and the killing fields of Vietnam; through the desert mine fields of Desert Storm and the jungles of Somolia, brave American soldiers proved their bravery and earned the right to be called the "best fighting men in the world."
We are proud to salute you and honor you for the sacrifices you made for our country and the world.
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