President Bush marked Memorial Day with a call for Americans to stand firm in their efforts against U.S. enemies around the world and with a tribute to fallen troops.“From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled, where our nation is more secure from attack and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it,” he said. “This is our country’s calling. It’s our country’s destiny.” Bush spoke after a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington, Virginia, addressing a crowd that included relatives of the dead, veterans, military officials and members of Congress and the public.
“Nothing said today will ease your pain, but each of you need to know that your country thanks you and we embrace you, and we will never forget the terrible loss you have suffered,” he said. “I hope you find comfort knowing that your loved ones rest in a place even more peaceful than the fields that surround us here.”
Bush noted that Arlington National Cemetery holds the bodies of seven generations of Americans, including 360,000 from the Civil War, 500,000 from World Wars I and II, and 90,000 from the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
“Now, this hallowed ground receives a new generation of heroes,” he said. “Men and women who gave their lives in such places as Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi.”
Bush praised the members of the volunteer force, some of whom have served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Our enemies long for our retreat,” he said. “They question our moral purpose. They doubt our strength of will. Yet, even after five years of war, our finest citizens continue to answer our enemies with courage and confidence.”
The conflict will end some day “because all wars do,” he said, adding, “Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it.”
