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Address: Paying Tribute to our Fallen Heroes this Memorial Day
May 24, 2014
Hi, everybody. It’s Memorial Day weekend – a chance for
Americans to get together with family and friends, break out the grill, and
kick off the unofficial start of summer.
More importantly, it’s a time to remember the heroes whose sacrifices
made these moments possible – our men and women in uniform who gave their lives
to keep our nation safe and free.
From those shots fired at
Lexington and Concord more than two centuries ago to our newest generation of
veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our history shines with patriots
who answered the call to serve. They put
their lives on the line to defend the country they loved. And in the end, many gave that “last full measure
of devotion” so that our nation would endure.
Every single one of us owes our
fallen heroes a profound debt of gratitude.
Because every time we cast our votes or speak our minds without fear,
it’s because they fought for our right to do that. Every chance we get to make a better life for
ourselves and our families is possible because generations of patriots fought
to keep America a land of opportunity, where anyone – of any race, any
religion, from any background – can make it if they try. Our country was born out of a desire to be free,
and every day since, it’s been protected by our men and women in uniform –
people who believed so deeply in America, they were willing to give their lives
for it.
We owe them so much. So this Memorial Day, we’ll gather together,
as Americans, to honor the fallen, with both public ceremonies and private
remembrances. And I hope all Americans
will take a moment this weekend to think of those who have died in service to
our nation. Say a prayer in their
memories and for their families. Lay a
flower where they’ve come to rest. Reach
out to service members, military families or veterans in your community, or
families who have lost loved ones, and let them know that their service and
sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Most of all, let’s keep working
to make sure that our country upholds our sacred trust to all who’ve
served. In recent weeks, we’ve seen
again how much more our nation has to do to make sure all our veterans get the
care they deserve. As Commander in
Chief, I believe that taking care of our veterans and their families is a sacred
obligation. It’s been one of the causes
of my presidency. And now that we’ve
ended the war in Iraq, and as our war in Afghanistan ends as well, we have to
work even harder as a nation to make sure all our veterans get the benefits and
opportunities they’ve earned. They’ve
done their duty, and they ask nothing more than that this country does ours –
now and for decades to come.
Happy Memorial Day, everybody. May God watch over our fallen heroes. And may He continue to bless the United States of America. |
