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Disabled American Veterans Convention, Las Vegas (cancelled) 7/31/89 [1]
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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
JULY 27, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON Cu
FROM:
MARK LANGE
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
I. SUMMARY
Attached are remarks for the 68th National Convention of the
Disabled American Veterans, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas,
Nevada -- 1:00 p.m., on Monday, July 31.
Roughly 3,500 disabled veterans will attend.
II. DISCUSSION
You will be introduced by Billy Kirby, a Texan and the DAV's
National Commander. Also in attendance will be Secretary
Derwinski, Senator Murkowski, Congressman Stump, and the DAV's
National Adjutant Butch Joeckel.
Your remarks begin by outlining your defense strategy, given
the activity in Congress.
You then turn to two themes: First, conveying respect for
disabled veterans -- through protection of the flag, a seat in
the Cabinet, civil rights protection, and health issues. And
second: the important voluntary contributions disabled veterans
can make in service to America.
The couplet of poetry on page four comes from David Bains'
"War Poet."
(Lange/Wallace)
July 27, 1989
6:00 p.m.
[VETS.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MONDAY, JULY 31, 1989
1:00 P.M.
Thank you, Billy. National Adjutant Joeckel [JOKE-el],
Officers; Senator Murkowski, Congressman Stump, Secretary
Derwinski
and my brothers in arms:
I am proud to be with you today, at your 68th annual
convention. I understand I'm the first sitting President to meet
with this group. Well
I thought it was about time. [PAUSE]
Just sorry I couldn't get here sooner
This is a gathering of extraordinary Americans. An assembly
of heroes. Together you represent over one million men and women
disabled in military service to our country.
In the name of freedom; for the sake of justice; to defend
democracy -- all of you have made the definitive commitment to
keep America first, free, strong, and proud. While you were
living up to that commitment, serving your country, many of you
will remember how in one brief, blinding instant, everything
changed. [PAUSE]
Maybe you remember the hands that reached for you. The
voices in darkness. The vessels that delivered you from the
horror of war.
All of you still bear those wounds -- and can bear them with
pride. Fighting to tear power from tyrants, struggling to secure
2
freedom around the world, the disabled veterans of America have
paid the highest price the living can pay for freedom.
The moment you fell in service, you ascended in the hearts
and minds of all Americans. Short of death itself, there can be
no greater gift given to -- nor accepted by -- a grateful nation.
No words are the equal of your actions.
[
To preserve what you have won, the United States has a
defense strategy centered on deterrence -- to maintain credible,
capable military forces strong enough to prevent attack or
coercion. Yet in the current Congressional debate on the Defense
budget, some would tear down our ability to implement this
strategy, by cutting weapons that we need, and adding weapons we
don't need.
Those who attempt to change the critical elements of my
defense program would dismantle our defense strategy, piece by
piece. But they have no strategy with which to replace it. You
who know sacrifice, deserve better. Our nation deserves better.
We have a closely-integrated strategic program, designed to
enhance U.S. strength, bolster deterrence, and facilitate arms
control. It demands that we modernize our ICBM force,
redeploying the Peacekeeper in rail-garrison now, and completing
the development to deploy the new Small ICBM. These mobile
systems will bring improved survivability and stability to the
land-based leg of our strategic triad.
A strong defense means sufficient funding for the Stealth
Bomber. And it means support for the Strategic Defense
3
Initiative -- because SDI offers the promise of a stable nuclear
balance that relies increasingly on defense. It will make any
START treaty more effective. And it represents our best step
toward stability -- the same goal we seek through offensive
modernization and arms control. That is the program the country
needs -- and that is the program the Congress should ratify. ]
Fellow veterans: While America's debt to those wounded in
wartime can never be repaid, it can and will be remembered. You
should be able to take our gratitude for granted. But what you
deserve
is our respect. [PAUSE]
That's why I'm here today: to talk about respecting those
wounded in service -- and encouraging them to find new strength,
in service to America.
First, respect. A nation that respects wounded veterans
won't stand by as the flag that so many of them fought for -- and
so many have died for -- is desecrated. Honest people can differ
on the approach we take. But we all agree on principle: It is
wrong -simply, absolutely wrong -- to desecrate the American
flag.
Second, a nation that respects wounded vets makes sure they
have a strong voice in the government that serves them. That's
why I've been so pleased to welcome the Department of Veteran's
Affairs to a place in the Cabinet. [PAUSE] And when I. see my
close friend and former Congressional colleague, Ed Derwinski,
sitting at the table in Cabinet meetings, I know we did something
right for America's veterans.
4
Third, a nation that respects wounded vets works to
guarantee them a fair shot in the marketplace. So we're working
on a significant new expansion in civil rights laws, with
legislation to extend those protections to all Americans with
disabilities.
Fourth, all veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange
herbicide in Southeast Asia deserve and should expect a sound
national policy in handling benefit claims. Ed Derwinski is
devising new guidelines which will give a full and fair hearing
to those veterans who may have suffered from exposure to Agent
Orange in service to America.
And finally, a nation that respects wounded vets must do all
it can to make sure that they get quality health care. [PAUSE]
You know that improvements are needed -- and in spite of budget
constraints, I'm committed to see that they're made.
This month Secretary Derwinski sent to Congress our proposal
to create a national commission that will review VA medical
facilities across the country. We want to improve the system to
include specialized centers of excellence, ambulatory care,
community-based care, and home health care options.
We also want to broaden access to services and control
costs, by encouraging the VA and the Department of Defense to
share facilities -- providing better services through better
cooperation. You've given your best -- the least we can do is
provide you with the very best health care.
5
So much has been expected of you -- in war, and in peace.
So this may strike you as a paradox -- but today this President
is asking you to do more. To give even more of yourselves, your
time, your talents -- to others.
You may find, as many here have, that the more you give, the
more you have to give. There may be no greater feeling in the
world, than to have someone depending on you -- and to live up to
their expectations.
About a year ago, at another convention, I referred to the
Disabled American Veterans as part of "a brilliant diversity
spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and
peaceful sky.
You are such people -- part of a constellation of concerned
citizens, committed to building a better America. In war, you
have seen the worst. In peace, you're among the best.
Your country needs you once again.
Each of you has come to terms with war and its costs --
fighting private battles that those you fought for, and defended,
can only dimly understand. A poet I admire, who did understand,
wrote:
It may be that our later selves, or else our unborn sons,
Will search for meaning in the dust of long-deserted quns.
For many of you, that search for meaning has led you to the
faces of young people threatened by drugs and alcohol. To a
basketball court, or a little league team, that needs a coach.
6
To the small business that needs your skills. Or the local
school that needs a teacher.
Maybe you know Allen Clark, our nominee as Assistant
Secretary for Veterans Liaison and Program Coordination. He lost
both legs to mortar fire at the age of 24. Over 15 months and 12
operations, he says he had plenty of time to think. "I wondered
how I would be able to support myself," he says. "What I would
be doing. Whether I would be able to pick up and hold children
in my arms. How I could bring my life together again."
But he didn't stop there. He's inspired people across the
country, saying "We can do anything that we decide we can do.
We can train or retrain ourselves. We can redirect our lives. I
thank the Lord for the opportunity to live a second life. One of
my friends once told me you have never lived until you've almost
died. For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the
protected will never know.
Just ask Ron Castille, who at 23 was already wounded and
lying on the floor of a helicopter, when another machine gun slug
ripped through the floor and hit him. Today he's district
attorney for the city of Philadelphia -- serving the Youth Aid
Council, the Urban Coalition, and founding an anti-drug program
for kids. Ask him if his job is frustrating, and he'll tell you,
"No, golf is really frustrating."
This year's Outstanding Disabled Veteran, Tommy Clack, has
travelled to all 50 states as a speaker and lecturer. He's held
posts in the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, the
7
Jaycees, the Red Cross, the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and
organized a program that has helped over 400 veterans secure $84
million in Small Business Administration loans since '83.
He hunts deer and ducks each fall from his wheelchair. They say
he "always gets his deer." Lucky man.
I single out the few, because they represent the many.
They, like every one of you, represent America's highest, most
enduring ideals. They're the ideals of duty. Honor. Sacrifice.
But above all, redemption. Because once you're given a second
chance, you never look back.
We have within our reach -- and many of you have found -- a
way to heal the wounds within. You have turned your gaze
outward, and focused the brilliance of your will to live on those
who most need it -- and in doing so, you have strengthened
yourselves.
Your volunteer and auxiliary programs provide over two
million hours of absolutely vital help each year in VA Medical
Centers. And volunteers behind the wheel of vans in the DAV
Transportation Program will travel over seven million miles this
year, getting vets to facilities for medical treatment.
These are outstanding examples of private efforts meeting
crucial needs. I'd like to commend all of you involved -- along
with your director of voluntary services, Bruce Nitsche [NITS-
shee]. [PAUSE]
Let me encourage you to apply your talents, your strength,
your insight, your sensitivity, your compassion -- the depth and
8
brilliance of your gifts -- to bring new and hopeful light to
every corner of America, whether in inner cities or mountain
hollows.
Let this now be a war waged against drugs, alcohol abuse,
child abuse, violence against women, illiteracy, pollution --
against all lost hopes and broken dreams. In this battle, your
best weapon will be hope.
I know you already have the courage and will to persevere.
You've shed blood for America. And as long as your hearts beat
within you, you can do good for America.
Together, we can prove that true patriotism can never be
patronized, nor compromised. Together, we can prove that
everywhere there is a need in America, we have the strength to
meet it. Together, we can show the world that any definition of
a successful life must include serving others -- in times of
peace, as well as times of war.
Through thousands of acts of quiet valor, you are turning
what lesser men and women might have seen as tragedy, to triumph.
For that -- and for your devotion and service to America --
I thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of
America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
10:33
WASHINGTON
JUL
2>
JULY 27, 1989
INFORMATION
someharges
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
cw
FROM:
MARK LANGE H
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
I. SUMMARY
Attached are remarks for the 68th National Convention of the
Disabled American Veterans, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas,
Nevada -- 1:00 p.m., on Monday, July 31.
Roughly 3,500 disabled veterans will attend.
II. DISCUSSION
You will be introduced by Billy Kirby, a Texan and the DAV's
National Commander. Also in attendance will be Secretary
Derwinski, Senator Murkowski, Congressman Stump, and the DAV's
National Adjutant Butch Joeckel.
Your remarks begin by outlining your defense strategy, given
the activity in Congress.
You then turn to two themes: First, conveying respect for
disabled veterans -- through protection of the flag, a seat in
the Cabinet, civil rights protection, and health issues. And
second: the important voluntary contributions disabled veterans
can make in service to America.
The couplet of poetry on page four comes from David Bains'
"War Poet."
(Lange/Wallace)
July 27, 1989
6:00 p.m.
[VETS.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MONDAY, JULY 31, 1989
1:00 P.M.
Thank you, Billy. National Adjutant Joeckel [JOKE-el],
Officers; Senator Murkowski, Congressman Stump, Secretary
Derwinski
and my brothers in arms:
I am proud to be with you today, at your 68th annual
convention. I understand I'm the first sitting President to meet
with this group. Well
I thought it was about time. [PAUSE]
Just sorry I couldn't get here sooner
This is a gathering of extraordinary Americans. An assembly
of heroes. Together you represent over one million men and women
disabled in military service to our country.
In the name of freedom; for the sake of justice; to defend
democracy -- all of you have made the definitive commitment to
keep America first, free, strong, and proud. While you were
living up to that commitment, serving your country, many of you
will remember how in one brief, blinding instant, everything
changed. [PAUSE]
Maybe you remember the hands that reached for you. The
voices in darkness. The vessels that delivered you from the
horror of war.
All of you still bear those wounds -- and can bear them with
pride. Fighting to tear power from tyrants, struggling to secure
It is now vital that
2
freedom around the world, the disabled veterans of America have
paid the highest price the living can pay for freedom.
The moment you fell in service, you ascended in the hearts
and minds of all Americans. Short of death itself there can be
no greater gift given to -- nor accepted by -- a grateful nation.
NO words are the equal of your actions.
to Konon what you have done- -
[
To preserve what you have won , the United States has 20 most have
heep the peace. To do hat me have a
defense strategy centered on deterrence -- to maintain credible,
capable military forces strong enough to prevent attack or
coercion. Yet in the current Congressional debate on the Defense
budget, some would tear down our ability to implement this
strategy, by cutting weapons that we need, and adding weapons we
don't need.
Those who attempt to change the critical elements of my
defense program would dismantle our defense strategy, piece by
Brut
piece. But they have no strategy with which to replace it. You
PA
who know sacrifice, deserve better. Our nation deserves better.
We have a closely-integrated strategic program, designed to
enhance U.S. strength, bolster deterrence, and facilitate arms
control. It demands that we modernize our ICBM force,
redeploying the Peacekeeper in rail-garrison now, and completing
the development to deploy the new Small ICBM. These mobile
systems will bring improved survivability and stability to the
land-based leg of our strategic triad.
A strong defense means sufficient funding for the Stealth
Bomber. And it means support for the Strategic Defense
3
Initiative because SDI offers the promise of a stable nuclear
balance that relies increasingly on defense. It will make any
START treaty more effective. And it represents our best step
toward stability -- the same goal we seek through offensive
modernization and arms control. That is the program the country
needs -- and that is the program the Congress should ratify. ]
Fellow veterans: While America's debt to those wounded in
wartime can never be repaid, it can and will be remembered. You
should be able to take our gratitude for granted. But what you
deserve
is our respect. [PAUSE]
That's why I'm here today: to talk about respecting those
wounded in service -- and encouraging them to find new strength,
in service to America.
First, respect. A nation that respects wounded veterans
won't stand by as the flag that so many of them fought for -- and
so many have died for -- is desecrated. Honest people can differ
on the approach we take. But we all agree on principle: It is
wrong --simply, absolutely wrong -- to desecrate the American
flag. solet SINCE one sacred Constitution needs claificato
on this point I have proposed own a very simple Amount that will
Second, a nation that respects wounded vets makes sure they
make
have a strong voice in the government that serves them. That's
clear_
why I've been so pleased to welcome the Department of Veteran's
Affairs to a place in the Cabinet. [PAUSE] And when I see my
mist not
Our Elog
be desec
close friend and former Congressional colleague, Ed Derwinski,
-
sitting at the table in Cabinet meetings, I know we did something
right for America's veterans.
4
Third, a nation that respects wounded vets works to
guarantee them a fair shot in the marketplace. So we're working
on a significant new expansion in civil rights laws, with
legislation to extend those protections to all Americans with
disabilities.
Fourth, all veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange
herbicide in Southeast Asia deserve and should expect a sound
national policy in handling benefit claims. Ed Derwinski is
devising new guidelines which will give a full and fair hearing
to those veterans who may have suffered from exposure to Agent
Orange in service to America
And finally, a nation that respects wounded vets must do all
it can to make sure that they get quality health care. [PAUSE]
You know that improvements are needed -- and in spite of budget
constraints, I'm committed to see that they're made.
This month Secretary Derwinski sent to Congress our proposal
to create a national commission that will review VA medical
facilities across the country. We want to improve the system to
include specialized centers of excellence, ambulatory care,
community-based care, and home health care options.
We also want to broaden access to services and control
costs, by encouraging the VA. and the Department of Defense to
share facilities -- providing better services through better
cooperation. You've given your best -- the least we can do is
provide you with the very best health care.
5
So much has been expected of you -- in war, and in peace.
So this may strike you as a paradox -- but today this President
is asking you to do more. To give even more of yourselves, your
time, your talents -- to others.
You may find, as many here have, that the more you give, the
more you have to give. There may be no greater feeling in the
world, than to have someone depending on you -- and to live up to
their expectations.
About a year ago, at another convention, I referred to the
Disabled American Veterans as part of "a brilliant diversity
spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and
peaceful sky."
You are such people -- part of a constellation of concerned
citizens, committed to building a better America. In war, you
have seen the worst. In peace, you're among the best.
Your country needs you once again.
Each of you has come to terms with war and its costs --
fighting private battles that those you fought for, and defended,
can only dimly understand. A poet I admire, who did understand,
wrote:
It may be that our later selves, or else our unborn sons,
Will search for meaning in the dust of long-deserted quns.
For many of you, that search for meaning has led you to the
faces of young people threatened by drugs and alcohol. To a.
basketball court, or a little league team, that needs a coach.
6
To the small business that needs your skills. Or the local
school that needs a teacher.
Maybe you know Allen Clark, our nominee as Assistant
Secretary for Veterans Liaison and Program Coordination. He lost
both legs to mortar fire at the age of 24. Over 15 months and 12
operations, he says he had plenty of time to think. "I wondered
how I would be able to support myself," he says. "What I would
be doing. Whether I would be able to pick up and hold children
in my arms. How I could bring my life together again."
But he didn't stop there. He's inspired people across the
country, saying "We can do anything that we decide we can do.
We can train or retrain ourselves. We can redirect our lives. I
thank the Lord for the opportunity to live a second life. One of
my friends once told me you have never lived until you've almost
died. For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the
protected will never know."
Just ask Ron Castille, who at 23 was already wounded and
lying on the floor of a helicopter, when another machine gun slug
ripped through the floor and hit him. Today he's district
attorney for the city of Philadelphia -- serving the Youth Aid
Council, the Urban Coalition, and founding an anti-drug program
for kids. Ask him if his job is frustrating, and he'll tell you,
"No, golf is really frustrating."
This year's Outstanding Disabled Veteran, Tommy Clack, has
travelled to all 50 states as a speaker and lecturer. He's held
posts in the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, the
7
Jaycees, the Red Cross, the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and
organized a program that has helped over 400 veterans secure $84
million in Small Business Administration loans since '83.
He hunts deer and ducks each fall from his wheelchair. They say
he "always gets his deer." Lucky man.
I single out the few, because they represent the many.
They, like every one of you, represent America's highest, most
enduring ideals. They're the ideals of duty. Honor. Sacrifice.
But above all, redemption. Because once you're given a second
chance, you never look back.
We have within our reach -- and many of you have found -- a
way to heal the wounds within. You have turned your gaze
outward, and focused the brilliance of your will to live on those
who most need it -- and in doing so, you have strengthened
yourselves.
Your volunteer and auxiliary programs provide over two
million hours of absolutely vital help each year in VA Medical
Centers. And volunteers behind the wheel of vans in the DAV
Transportation Program will travel over seven million miles this
year, getting vets to facilities for medical treatment.
These are outstanding examples of private efforts meeting
crucial needs. I'd like to commend all of you involved -- along
with your director of voluntary services, Bruce Nitsche [NITS-
shee]. [PAUSE]
Let me encourage you to apply your talents, your strength,
your insight, your sensitivity, your compassion -- the depth and
8
brilliance of your gifts -- to bring new and hopeful light to
every corner of America, whether in inner cities or mountain
hollows.
Let this now be a war waged against drugs, alcohol abuse,
child abuse, violence against women, illiteracy, pollution --
against all lost hopes and broken dreams. In this battle, your
best weapon will be hope.
I know you already have the courage and will to persevere.
You've shed blood for America. And as long as your hearts beat
within you, you can do good for America.
Together, we can prove that true patriotism can never be
patronized, nor compromised. Together, we can prove that
everywhere there is a need in America, we have the strength to
meet it. Together, we can show the world that any definition of
a successful life must include serving others -- in times of
peace, as well as times of war.
Through thousands of acts of quiet valor, you are turning
what lesser men and women might have seen as tragedy, to triumph.
For that -- and for your devotion and service to America --
I thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of
America.
# # #
It is now vital that
2
freedom around the world, the disabled veterans of America have
paid the highest price the living can pay for freedom.
The moment you fell in service, you ascended in the hearts
and minds of all Americans. Short of death itself there can be
no greater gift gíven to nor accepted by -- a grateful nation.
NO words are the equal of your actions.
-to Konor what you have done -
X
To preserve what you have wong the United States has 2: mst have
heep the peace. To do hat me have a
defense strategy centered on deterrence -- to maintain credible,
capable military forces strong enough to prevent attack or
artion to date in the Congress
coercion. Yet in the current Congressional debate on the Defense
am been influenced by there who would tock
budget, some would tear down our ability to implement added this
They
have
strategy, by cutting weapons that we need, and adding weapons we
don't need.
Those who attempt to change the critical elements of my our
effect,
defense program would, dismantle our defense strategy, piece by
Brut
piece. But they have no strategy with which to replace it. You
PA.
who know sacrifice, deserve better. Our nation deserves better.
We have a closely-integrated strategic program, designed to
enhance U.S. strength, bolster deterrence, and facilitate arms
control. It demands that we modernize our ICBM force,
redeploying the Peacekeeper in rail-garrison IIOW, and completing
the development to deploy the new Small ICBM. These mobile
systems will bring improved survivability and stability to the
land-based leg of our strategic triad.
A strong defense means sufficient funding for the Stealth
Bomber. And it means support for the Strategic Defense
3
Initiative -- because SDI offers the promise of a stable nuclear
balance that relies increasingly on defense. It will make any
START treaty more effective. And it represents our best step
toward stability -- the same goal we seek through offensive
modernization and arms control. That is the program the country
of
that
this
natifies,
needs -- and that is the program the Congress should ratify.
Fellow veterans: While America's debt to those wounded in
wartime can never be repaid, it can and will be remembered. You
should be able to take our gratitude for granted. But what you
deserve
is our respect. [PAUSE]
That's why I'm here today: to talk about respecting those
wounded in service -- and encouraging them to find new strength,
in service to America.
First, respect. A nation that respects wounded veterans
won't stand by as the flag that so many of them fought for -- and.
so many have died for -- is desecrated. Honest people can differ
on the approach we take. But we all agree on principle: It is
wrong --simply, absolutely wrong -- to desecrate the American
since one sacred Constitution needs claificato
on this flag. point 50-10t I have proposed - a very simple Armdunt that will
Second, a nation that respects wounded vets makes sure they make
have a strong voice in the government that serves them. That's clear.
why I've been so pleased to welcome the Department of Veteran's
must
Our Elog
Affairs to a place in the Cabinet. [PAUSE] And when I see my
close friend and former Congressional colleague, Ed Derwinski,
be disec not =
sitting at the table in Cabinet meetings, I know we did something
right for America's veterans.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 26, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Disabled American Veterans
Convention
The draft remarks effectively challenge assumptions about
the disabled, in particular the notion that they are totally
dependent on the able to help them. The call for the disabled to
become more involved in volunteer activity makes this point quite
well.
The paragraph on page 3 relating to disability legislation
should be modified by substituting "work place" for "marketplace"
and "We want legislation that fosters cooperation, not
litigation" for "It's time to trade litigation for cooperation."
In the following paragraph, the current text would suggest
that improvements to quality are needed. Veterans are more
likely to see the need for improvement as quantitative rather
than qualitative, and thus the text should be modified to read:
"You know that more resources will be needed."
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
89 JUL28 28 P3: 55
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No.
057233SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
7/26/89 3:00 PM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
PETERSMEYER
WHMO
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 3:00 PM TODAY, Wednesday, July 26, 1989, with
a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Wallace)
July 26, 1989
9:00 a.m.
1989 JUL 29
[VETS.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MONDAY, JULY 31, 1989
1:00 P.M.
Thank you, Billy. National Adjutant Joeckel [JOKE-el],
Officers; Senator Murkowski, Congressman Stump, Secretary
Derwinski
my friends and brothers in arms:
I am proud to be with you today, at your 68th annual
convention. I understand I'm the first sitting President to meet
with this group. Well
I thought it was about time. [pause]
Just sorry I couldn't get here sooner
This is a gathering of extraordinary Americans. An assembly
of heroes. Together you represent over one million men and women
disabled during wartime, in service to our country.
In the name of freedom; for the sake of justice; to defend
democracy -- all of you have made the definitive commitment to
keep America first, free, strong, and proud.
And while you were living up to that commitment, serving
your country, many of you will remember -- and some of you
thankfully won't -- how in one brief, blinding instant,
everything changed.
Maybe you remember the hammer of chopper blades, the voices
in darkness, the hands that reached for you, the vessels that
delivered you from the horror of war.
2
All of you still bear those wounds -- and can bear them with
pride. Fighting to tear power from tyrants, struggling to secure
freedom around the world, the disabled veterans of America have
paid the highest price the living can pay for freedom.
The moment you fell in service, you ascended in the hearts
and minds of all Americans. Short of death itself, there can be
no greater gift given to -- nor accepted by -- a grateful nation.
No words are the equal of your actions.
And while such a debt can never be repaid, it can and will
be remembered. You should be able to take our gratitude for
granted. But what you deserve is our respect. [pause]
And that's what I want to talk to you about today:
respecting those wounded in service -- and encouraging them to
find new strength, in service to America.
First, respect. A nation that respects wounded veterans
won't stand by as the flag that so many of them fought for -- and
so many have died for -- is desecrated. Honest people can differ
on the approach we take. But we all agree on principle: It is
wrong -- simply, absolutely wrong -- to desecrate the American
flag. It stands for too much. Too many have died for it.
Second, a nation that respects wounded veterans makes sure
that they have a strong voice in the government that serves them.
That's why I've been so pleased to welcome the Department of
Veteran's Affairs to a place in the Cabinet. [pause] And when I
see my close friend and former Congressional colleague, Ed
3
Derwinski, sitting at the table in Cabinet meetings, I know we
did something right for America's veterans.
Third, a nation that respects wounded veterans works to
guarantee them a fair shot in the marketplace. So we're
supporting a significant new expansion in civil rights laws, with
legislation to extend those protections to all Americans with
disabilities. It's time to trade litigation for cooperation.
And fourth, a nation that respects wounded veterans must do
all it can to make sure that they get quality health care.
[pause] You know that improvements are needed -- and in spite of
budget constraints, I'm committed to see that they're made.
This month Secretary Derwinski sent to Congress our proposal
to create a national commission, that will review VA medical
facilities across the country. We want to improve the system to
include specialized centers of excellence, ambulatory care,
community-based care, and home health care options.
We also want to broaden services and control costs, by
encouraging the VA and the Department of Defense to share
facilities --- providing better services through better
cooperation. You've given your best -- the least we can do is
provide you with the very best health care.
My friends, so much has been expected of you -- in war, and
in peace. So this may strike you as a paradox -- but today this
President is asking you to do more. To give even more of
yourselves, your time, your talents -- to others.
4
You may find, as many here have, that the more you give, the
more you have to give. There may be no greater feeling in the
world, than to have someone depending on you -- and to live up to
their expectations.
About a year ago, at another convention, I referred to the
Disabled American Veterans as part of "a brilliant diversity
spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and
peaceful sky."
You are such people -- part of a constellation of concerned
citizens, committed to building a better America. In war, you
have seen the worst. In peace, you're among the best.
Your country needs you once again.
Each of you has come to terms with war and its costs --
fighting private battles that those you fought for, and defended,
can only dimly understand. A poet I admire, who did understand,
wrote:
It may be that our later selves, or else our unborn sons,
Will search for meaning in the dust of long-deserted guns.
For many of you, that search for meaning has led you to the
faces of young people threatened by drugs and alcohol. To a
basketball court, or a little league team, that needs a coach.
To the small business that needs your skills. Or the local
school that needs a teacher.
5
Maybe you know Allen Clark, who lost both legs to mortar
fire at the age of 24. Over 15 months and 12 operations, he says
he had plenty of time to think. "I wondered how I would be able
to support myself," he says. "What I would be doing. Whether I
would be able to pick up children in my arms. How I could bring
my life together again."
But he didn't stop there. He's inspired people across the
country, saying "We can do anything that we decide we can do.
We can train or retrain ourselves. We can redirect our lives. I
thank the Lord for the opportunity to live a second life. One of
my friends once told me you have never lived until you've almost
died. For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the
protected will never know."
Just ask Ron Castille, who at 23 was already wounded and
lying on the floor of a helicopter, when another machine gun slug
ripped through the floor and hit him. Today he's district
attorney for the city of Philadelphia -- serving the Youth Aid
Council, the Urban Coalition, and founding an anti-drug program
for kids. Ask him if his job is frustrating, and he'll tell you,
"No, golf is really frustrating."
This year's Outstanding Disabled Veteran, Tommy Clack, has
travelled to all 50 states as a speaker and lecturer. He's held
posts in the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, the
Jaycees, the Red Cross, the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and
organized a program that has helped over 400 veterans secure $84
million in Small Business Administration loans since '83.
6
He hunts deer and ducks each fall from his wheelchair. They say
he "always gets his deer." Lucky man.
I single out the few, because they represent the many.
They, like every one of you, represent America's highest, most
enduring ideals. They're the ideals of duty. Honor. Sacrifice.
But above all, redemption. Because once you're given a second
chance, you never look back.
We have within our reach -- and many of you have found -- a
way to heal the wounds within. You have turned your gaze
outward, and focused the brilliance of your will to live on those
who most need it -- and in doing so, you have found yourselves
strengthened.
Your volunteer and auxiliary programs provide over two
million hours of absolutely vital help each year in VA Medical
Centers. That makes sure that deserving veterans aren't turned
away, and wards aren't closed.
And volunteers behind the wheel of vans in the DAV
Transportation Program will travel over seven million miles this
year, getting vets to facilities for medical treatment. These
are outstanding examples of private initiatives meeting crucial
needs. I'd like to commend all of you involved -- along with
your director of voluntary services, Bruce Nitsche. [pron.]
Gathered here today, you represent a million Americans --
men and women we call "disabled," but who rightly ought to be
known as the handi-capable.
7
Let me encourage you to apply your talents, your strength,
your insight, your sensitivity, your compassion -- the depth and
brilliance of your gifts -- to bring new and hopeful light to
every corner of America, whether in inner cities or mountain
hollows.
Let this now be a war waged against drugs, alcohol abuse,
child abuse, violence against women, illiteracy, pollution --
against all lost hopes and broken dreams. In this battle, your
best weapon will be hope.
I know you already have the courage and will to persevere.
You've shed blood for America. And as long as your hearts beat
within you, you can do good for America.
Together, we can prove that true patriotism can never be
patronized, nor compromised. Together, we can show the world
that everywhere there is a need in America, we have the strength
to meet it.
Through thousands of acts of quiet valor, you are turning
what lesser men and women might have let be tragedy, to triumph.
For that I thank you. God bless you.
And God bless the United States of America.
# # #
REMARKS: DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MONDAY, JULY 31, 1989
1:00 P.M.
THANK YOU, BILLY. NATIONAL ADJUTANT JOECKEL
[JOKE-EL], OFFICERS; SENATOR MURKOWSKI, CONGRESSMAN
STUMP, SECRETARY DERWINSKI... AND MY BROTHERS IN ARMS:
I AM PROUD TO BE WITH YOU TODAY, AT YOUR 68TH
ANNUAL CONVENTION. I UNDERSTAND I'M THE FIRST SITTING
PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH THIS GROUP. WELL... I THOUGHT
IT WAS ABOUT TIME. [PAUSE] THIS IS A GATHERING OF
EXTRAORDINARY AMERICANS. AN ASSEMBLY OF HEROES.
TOGETHER YOU REPRESENT OVER ONE MILLION MEN AND WOMEN
DISABLED IN MILITARY SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY.
IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM; FOR THE SAKE OF JUSTICE;
TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY -- ALL OF YOU HAVE MADE THE
DEFINITIVE COMMITMENT TO KEEP AMERICA FIRST, FREE,
STRONG, AND PROUD. WHILE YOU WERE LIVING UP TO THAT
COMMITMENT, SERVING YOUR COUNTRY, MANY OF YOU WILL
REMEMBER HOW IN ONE BRIEF, BLINDING INSTANT, EVERYTHING
CHANGED. [PAUSE]
- 2 -
MAYBE YOU REMEMBER THE HANDS THAT REACHED FOR YOU.
THE VOICES IN DARKNESS. THE VESSELS THAT DELIVERED YOU
FROM THE HORROR OF WAR.
ALL OF YOU STILL BEAR THOSE WOUNDS -- AND CAN BEAR
THEM WITH PRIDE. FIGHTING TO TEAR POWER FROM TYRANTS,
STRUGGLING TO SECURE FREEDOM AROUND THE WORLD, THE
DISABLED VETERANS OF AMERICA HAVE PAID THE HIGHEST
PRICE THE LIVING CAN PAY FOR FREEDOM.
TO PRESERVE WHAT YOU HAVE WON -- TO HONOR WHAT YOU
HAVE DONE -- THE UNITED STATES MUST KEEP THE PEACE. TO
DO THAT WE HAVE A DEFENSE STRATEGY CENTERED ON
DETERRENCE -- TO MAINTAIN CREDIBLE, CAPABLE MILITARY
FORCES STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT ATTACK OR COERCION.
YET ACTION TO DATE IN THE CONGRESS ON THE DEFENSE
BUDGET, HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY THOSE WHO WOULD BLOCK
OUR ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY. THEY HAVE CUT
WEAPONS WE NEED, AND ADDED WEAPONS WE DON'T NEED.
- 3 -
THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS
OF OUR DEFENSE PROGRAM WOULD IN EFFECT, DISMANTLE OUR
DEFENSE STRATEGY, PIECE BY PIECE. BUT THEY HAVE NO
STRATEGY WITH WHICH TO REPLACE IT. YOU WHO KNOW
SACRIFICE, DESERVE BETTER. OUR NATION DESERVES BETTER.
WE HAVE A CLOSELY-INTEGRATED STRATEGIC PROGRAM,
DESIGNED TO ENHANCE U.S. STRENGTH, BOLSTER DETERRENCE,
AND FACILITATE ARMS CONTROL. IT DEMANDS THAT WE
MODERNIZE OUR ICBM FORCE, REDEPLOYING THE PEACEKEEPER
IN RAIL-GARRISON NOW, AND COMPLETING THE DEVELOPMENT TO
DEPLOY THE NEW SMALL ICBM. THESE MOBILE SYSTEMS WILL
BRING IMPROVED SURVIVABILITY AND STABILITY TO THE LAND-
BASED LEG OF OUR STRATEGIC TRIAD.
- 4 -
A STRONG DEFENSE MEANS SUFFICIENT FUNDING FOR THE
STEALTH BOMBER. AND IT MEANS SUPPORT FOR THE STRATEGIC
DEFENSE INITIATIVE -- BECAUSE SDI OFFERS THE PROMISE OF
A STABLE NUCLEAR BALANCE THAT RELIES INCREASINGLY ON
DEFENSE. IT WILL MAKE ANY START TREATY MORE EFFECTIVE.
AND IT REPRESENTS OUR BEST STEP TOWARD STABILITY -- THE
SAME GOAL WE SEEK THROUGH OFFENSIVE MODERNIZATION AND
ARMS CONTROL. THIS IS THE PROGRAM THE COUNTRY NEEDS --
AND I WILL WORK TO SEE THAT THIS IS THE PROGRAM THE
CONGRESS RATIFIES.
FELLOW VETERANS: WHILE AMERICA'S DEBT TO THOSE
WOUNDED IN WARTIME CAN NEVER BE REPAID, IT CAN AND WILL
BE REMEMBERED. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE OUR
GRATITUDE FOR GRANTED. BUT WHAT YOU DESERVE... IS OUR
RESPECT. [PAUSE]
THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY: TO TALK ABOUT
RESPECTING THOSE WOUNDED IN SERVICE -- AND ENCOURAGING
THEM TO FIND NEW STRENGTH, IN SERVICE TO AMERICA.
- 5 -
FIRST, RESPECT. A NATION THAT RESPECTS WOUNDED
VETERANS WON'T STAND BY AS THE FLAG THAT so MANY OF
THEM FOUGHT FOR -- AND SO MANY HAVE DIED FOR -- IS
DESECRATED. HONEST PEOPLE CAN DIFFER ON THE APPROACH
WE TAKE. BUT WE ALL AGREE ON PRINCIPLE: IT IS WRONG -
-SIMPLY, ABSOLUTELY WRONG -- TO DESECRATE THE AMERICAN
FLAG. SINCE OUR SACRED CONSTITUTION NEEDS
CLARIFICATION ON THIS POINT I HAVE PROPOSED A VERY
SIMPLE AMENDMENT -- THAT WILL MAKE IT CLEAR -- OUR FLAG
MUST NOT BE DESCRATED.
SECOND, A NATION THAT RESPECTS WOUNDED VETS MAKES
SURE THEY HAVE A STRONG VOICE IN THE GOVERNMENT THAT
SERVES THEM. THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN SO PLEASED TO
WELCOME THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN'S AFFAIRS TO A PLACE
IN THE CABINET. [PAUSE] AND WHEN I SEE MY CLOSE
FRIEND AND FORMER CONGRESSIONAL COLLEAGUE, ED
DERWINSKI, SITTING AT THE TABLE IN CABINET MEETINGS, I
KNOW WE DID SOMETHING RIGHT FOR AMERICA'S VETERANS.
- 6 -
THIRD, A NATION THAT RESPECTS WOUNDED VETS WORKS
TO GUARANTEE THEM A FAIR SHOT IN THE MARKETPLACE. so
WE'RE WORKING ON A SIGNIFICANT NEW EXPANSION IN CIVIL
RIGHTS LAWS, WITH LEGISLATION TO EXTEND THOSE
PROTECTIONS TO ALL AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES.
FOURTH, ALL VETERANS WHO WERE EXPOSED TO AGENT
ORANGE HERBICIDE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA DESERVE AND SHOULD
EXPECT A SOUND NATIONAL POLICY IN HANDLING BENEFIT
CLAIMS. ED DERWINSKI IS DEVISING NEW GUIDELINES WHICH
WILL GIVE A FULL AND FAIR HEARING TO THOSE VETERANS WHO
MAY HAVE SUFFERED FROM EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE IN
SERVICE TO AMERICA.
AND FINALLY, A NATION THAT RESPECTS WOUNDED VETS
MUST DO ALL IT CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET QUALITY
HEALTH CARE. [PAUSE] YOU KNOW THAT IMPROVEMENTS ARE
NEEDED -- AND IN SPITE OF BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, I'M
COMMITTED TO SEE THAT THEY'RE MADE.
- 7 -
THIS MONTH SECRETARY DERWINSKI SENT TO CONGRESS
OUR PROPOSAL TO CREATE A NATIONAL COMMISSION THAT WILL
REVIEW VA MEDICAL FACILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE
WANT TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM TO INCLUDE SPECIALIZED
CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE, AMBULATORY CARE, COMMUNITY-BASED
CARE, AND HOME HEALTH CARE OPTIONS.
WE ALSO WANT TO BROADEN ACCESS TO SERVICES AND
CONTROL COSTS, BY ENCOURAGING THE VA AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE TO SHARE FACILITIES -- PROVIDING BETTER
SERVICES THROUGH BETTER COOPERATION. YOU'VE GIVEN YOUR
BEST -- THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS PROVIDE YOU WITH THE
VERY BEST HEALTH CARE.
SO MUCH HAS BEEN EXPECTED OF YOU -- IN WAR, AND IN
PEACE. SO THIS MAY STRIKE YOU AS A PARADOX -- BUT
TODAY THIS PRESIDENT IS ASKING YOU TO DO MORE. TO GIVE
EVEN MORE OF YOURSELVES, YOUR TIME, YOUR TALENTS -- TO
OTHERS.
- 8 -
YOU MAY FIND, AS MANY HERE HAVE, THAT THE MORE YOU
GIVE, THE MORE YOU HAVE TO GIVE. THERE MAY BE NO
GREATER FEELING IN THE WORLD, THAN TO HAVE SOMEONE
DEPENDING ON YOU -- AND TO LIVE UP TO THEIR
EXPECTATIONS.
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, AT ANOTHER CONVENTION, I
REFERRED TO THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AS PART OF
"A BRILLIANT DIVERSITY SPREAD LIKE STARS, LIKE A
THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT IN A BROAD AND PEACEFUL SKY."
YOU ARE SUCH PEOPLE -- PART OF A CONSTELLATION OF
CONCERNED CITIZENS, COMMITTED TO BUILDING A BETTER
AMERICA. IN WAR, YOU HAVE SEEN THE WORST. IN PEACE,
YOU'RE AMONG THE BEST.
YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU ONCE AGAIN.
- 9 -
EACH OF YOU HAS COME TO TERMS WITH WAR AND ITS
COSTS -- FIGHTING PRIVATE BATTLES THAT THOSE YOU FOUGHT
FOR, AND DEFENDED, CAN ONLY DIMLY UNDERSTAND. A POET I
ADMIRE, WHO DID UNDERSTAND, WROTE:
IT MAY BE THAT OUR LATER SELVES, OR ELSE OUR
UNBORN SONS,
WILL SEARCH FOR MEANING IN THE DUST OF LONG-
DESERTED GUNS.
FOR MANY OF YOU, THAT SEARCH FOR MEANING HAS LED
YOU TO THE FACES OF YOUNG PEOPLE THREATENED BY DRUGS
AND ALCOHOL. TO A BASKETBALL COURT, OR A LITTLE LEAGUE
TEAM, THAT NEEDS A COACH. TO THE SMALL BUSINESS THAT
NEEDS YOUR SKILLS. OR THE LOCAL SCHOOL THAT NEEDS A
TEACHER.
- 10 -
MAYBE YOU KNOW ALLEN CLARK, OUR NOMINEE AS
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VETERANS LIAISON AND PROGRAM
COORDINATION. HE LOST BOTH LEGS TO MORTAR FIRE AT THE
AGE OF 24. OVER 15 MONTHS AND 12 OPERATIONS, HE SAYS
HE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK. "I WONDERED HOW I
WOULD BE ABLE TO SUPPORT MYSELF," HE SAYS. "WHAT I
WOULD BE DOING. WHETHER I WOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP AND
HOLD CHILDREN IN MY ARMS. HOW I COULD BRING MY LIFE
TOGETHER AGAIN.
BUT HE DIDN'T STOP THERE. HE'S INSPIRED PEOPLE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, SAYING "WE CAN DO ANYTHING THAT WE
DECIDE WE CAN DO. WE CAN TRAIN OR RETRAIN OURSELVES.
WE CAN REDIRECT OUR LIVES. I THANK THE LORD FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE A SECOND LIFE. ONE OF MY FRIENDS
ONCE TOLD ME YOU HAVE NEVER LIVED UNTIL YOU'VE ALMOST
DIED. FOR THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR IT, LIFE HAS A FLAVOR
THE PROTECTED WILL NEVER KNOW."
- 11 -
JUST ASK RON CASTILLE, WHO AT 23 WAS ALREADY
WOUNDED AND LYING ON THE FLOOR OF A HELICOPTER, WHEN
ANOTHER MACHINE GUN SLUG RIPPED THROUGH THE FLOOR AND
HIT HIM. TODAY HE'S DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR THE CITY OF
PHILADELPHIA -- SERVING THE YOUTH AID COUNCIL, THE
URBAN COALITION, AND FOUNDING AN ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM FOR
KIDS. ASK HIM IF HIS JOB IS FRUSTRATING, AND HE'LL
TELL YOU, "NO, GOLF IS REALLY FRUSTRATING."
THIS YEAR'S OUTSTANDING DISABLED VETERAN, TOMMY
CLACK, HAS TRAVELLED TO ALL 50 STATES AS A SPEAKER AND
LECTURER. HE'S HELD POSTS IN THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS SERVICES, THE JAYCEES, THE RED CROSS, THE
ATLANTA VA MEDICAL CENTER, AND ORGANIZED A PROGRAM THAT
HAS HELPED OVER 400 VETERANS SECURE $84 MILLION IN
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOANS SINCE '83. HE
HUNTS DEER AND DUCKS EACH FALL FROM HIS WHEELCHAIR.
THEY SAY HE "ALWAYS GETS HIS DEER." LUCKY MAN.
- 12 -
I SINGLE OUT THE FEW, BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT THE
MANY. THEY, LIKE EVERY ONE OF YOU, REPRESENT AMERICA'S
HIGHEST, MOST ENDURING IDEALS. THEY'RE THE IDEALS OF
DUTY. HONOR. SACRIFICE. BUT ABOVE ALL, REDEMPTION.
BECAUSE ONCE YOU'RE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE, YOU NEVER
LOOK BACK.
WE HAVE WITHIN OUR REACH -- AND MANY OF YOU HAVE
FOUND -- A WAY TO HEAL THE WOUNDS WITHIN. YOU HAVE
TURNED YOUR GAZE OUTWARD, AND FOCUSED THE BRILLIANCE OF
YOUR WILL TO LIVE ON THOSE WHO MOST NEED IT -- AND IN
DOING so, YOU HAVE STRENGTHENED YOURSELVES.
YOUR VOLUNTEER AND AUXILIARY PROGRAMS PROVIDE OVER
TWO MILLION HOURS OF ABSOLUTELY VITAL HELP EACH YEAR IN
VA MEDICAL CENTERS. AND VOLUNTEERS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF
VANS IN THE DAV TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM WILL TRAVEL OVER
SEVEN MILLION MILES THIS YEAR, GETTING VETS TO
FACILITIES FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT.
THESE ARE OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES OF PRIVATE EFFORTS
MEETING CRUCIAL NEEDS. I'D LIKE TO COMMEND ALL OF YOU
INVOLVED -- ALONG WITH YOUR DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTARY
SERVICES, BRUCE NITSCHE [NITS-SHEE]. [PAUSE]
- 13 -
LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY YOUR TALENTS, YOUR
STRENGTH, YOUR INSIGHT, YOUR SENSITIVITY, YOUR
COMPASSION -- THE DEPTH AND BRILLIANCE OF YOUR GIFTS --
TO BRING NEW AND HOPEFUL LIGHT TO EVERY CORNER OF
AMERICA, WHETHER IN INNER CITIES OR MOUNTAIN HOLLOWS.
LET THIS NOW BE A WAR WAGED AGAINST DRUGS, ALCOHOL
ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, ILLITERACY,
POLLUTION -- AGAINST ALL LOST HOPES AND BROKEN DREAMS.
IN THIS BATTLE, YOUR BEST WEAPON WILL BE HOPE.
I KNOW YOU ALREADY HAVE THE COURAGE AND WILL TO
PERSEVERE. YOU'VE SHED BLOOD FOR AMERICA. AND AS LONG
AS YOUR HEARTS BEAT WITHIN YOU, YOU CAN DO GOOD FOR
AMERICA.
- 14 -
TOGETHER, WE CAN PROVE THAT TRUE PATRIOTISM CAN
NEVER BE PATRONIZED, NOR COMPROMISED. TOGETHER, WE CAN
PROVE THAT EVERYWHERE THERE IS A NEED IN AMERICA, WE
HAVE THE STRENGTH TO MEET IT. TOGETHER, WE CAN SHOW
THE WORLD THAT ANY DEFINITION OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE MUST
INCLUDE SERVING OTHERS -- IN TIMES OF PEACE, AS WELL AS
TIMES OF WAR.
THROUGH THOUSANDS OF ACTS OF QUIET VALOR, YOU ARE
TURNING WHAT LESSER MEN AND WOMEN MIGHT HAVE SEEN AS
TRAGEDY, TO TRIUMPH.
FOR THAT -- AND FOR YOUR DEVOTION AND SERVICE TO
AMERICA -- I THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
###