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MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13490
Folder ID Number:
13490-012
Folder Title:
Korean War Memorial 6/14/89 [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
3
3
(Smith/Blessey)
June 13, 1989
Draft Six
KOREA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL
ROSE GARDEN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1989
General Davis, General Stilwell, General Goodpaster [Good
PAST er], Secretary Lujan, General Gray, Members of the
Commission, Members of the Congress, Fellow Veterans,
Distinguished Guests.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the White House. And I
want to thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion.
Woodrow Wilson once said, "A patriotic American is never so
proud of his flag as when it comes to mean for others, as to
himself, a symbol of liberty."
Well, fittingly, we meet this morning on Flag Day and the
day of the U.S. Army's founding. And as patriotic Americans, to
publicly unveil the winning design for a symbol of liberty: The
Korean War Veterans Memorial.
There are, of course, many such symbols in this capital
city. Memorials which rightly hail veterans from Bunker Hill to
Gettysburg to the rice paddies of Viet Nam. They are part of our
history, and of our lore. Monuments to the dead, and the living.
2
But until recently, the Korean War was not formally
remembered. Nor were the over 5.7 million American servicemen
and women directly, and indirectly, involved.
Today, we say: No more. It's time to remember. For we are
here to pay tribute to America's uniformed sons and daughters who
served during the Korean conflict. And to recall an American
victory that remains too little appreciated and too seldom
understood.
We recall that when war began, the forces of
totalitarianism seemed ready to overrun all of Asia. But it
never happened. For Korea was the first allied effort in history
to contain Communism by combining strength.
Fighting side-by-side under the flag of the United
Nations, the freedom-loving countries of the United States, the
Republic of Korea, and other allies strove to halt aggression.
We succeeded -- and built a stable peace that has lasted for more
than 35 years. Together, we held the line.
Today, we are still holding it. And let me salute those
American troops who guard the 38th Parallel. And I want to
salute our allies. For they, too, have sacrificed on freedom's
behalf. What will happen in much of Asia, we cannot be sure.
But of this, we are certain: In retrospect, the policy of
containment so exemplified by the Korean conflict created the
conditions for the tide toward democracy now changing, and
uplifting, our globe.
3
The design we unveil today honors that democracy. And the
American men and women who took up arms, and bore our burden, so
that freedom could survive. Our nearly 5 million Korean War
veterans alive today -- we honor them. Our 103,000 wounded in
the conflict -- we honor them. Our more than 8,000 missing or
unaccounted for. The 54,246 Americans who gave their lives --
who gave, as Lincoln said, "the last full measure of devotion."
This day marks another step toward the memorial that Korea's
veterans deserve, and will have -- a process which began when
President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the creation of a
Korean War Veterans Memorial in the District of Columbia. Last
September a site was approved on the Washington Mall. The
memorial will be built in Ash Woods, a grove of trees near the
Lincoln Memorial, across the reflecting pool from the Viet Nam
Memorial. And its existence will be due to a number of friends.
Among them are members of both parties who helped pass this
legislation. And, of course, the sponsors of this Memorial. In
that context, I would like to thank the American Battle Monuments
Commission -- chaired by General Goodpaster, staff secretary to
President Eisenhower -- and the Korean War Veterans Memorial
Advisory Board.
Next, let me thank the men and women who chose this design.
And to Chairman Ray Davis, my special thanks for chairing the
Committee. I want to also repeat, as General Stilwell has noted,
that every dollar of this funding has been privately financed.
And to commend, as he did, Max Jameison [JAME i son], whose
4
company donated $1 million. And Abigail Van Buren -- "Dear Abby"
-- whose readers raised, almost unbelievably, $330,000 for the
Veterans Memorial.
General Davis has observed how the design for their -- for
your -- memorial was crafted by four professional architects and
designers on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University
Department of Architecture. Don Leon. Eliza Oberholtzer. And
John and Veronica Lucas.
To all of them, my congratulations [PAUSE]
you may
eclipse Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions as Penn State's most
noted team. And let me add that I look forward to the day when
the memorial itself is unveiled. For it will stand as America's
lasting tribute to those who fought so valiantly, in an unknown
land, as liberty's Horatio at the bridge.
As you view it, think of such names as Ridgway, Van Fleet,
MacArthur. And of shell-torn uplands dubbed Pork Chop, Bloody,
and Arrowhead. Remember places like Panmunjom and, yes, Inchon.
And the heroism of the soldiers who fought across the rugged,
snow-covered hills.
Think of men like James Garner and Neil Armstrong. Or the
many members of Congress who served in Korea -- among them,
Warren Rudman and John Glenn. And John's wingman: Ted Williams
-- Teddy Ballgame -- the greatest hitter who ever lived. Heroes
who showed that ours would not be the land of the free if it were
not also the home of the brave.
5
Yes, think of them, honor them. Remember how they served
from Pusan to Pyongyang [Pee ONG yong].
Heroes like Rosemary McCarthy, a courageous Army nurse. Or
my good friend Pete McCloskey, who endured superior forces to
charge up and take his hill. And whose troops so admired him
that they named a baseball field in Korea in his honor. Or Wally
Lukens, who braved enemy fire to replace another platoon leader,
then picked up a gravely wounded infantryman and carried him to
the rear. Wally's effort to save that life was in vain. But his
selfless devotion to his men -- his grit and guts -- lives on in
the souls of all Americans in uniform.
To my right sits such an American: Ray Davis, who as a
Lieutenant Colonel during the war received the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Thirty-seven years ago, in this very place,
President Truman -- himself a veteran -- presented that medal.
And then he said: "Colonel, I'd rather have this than be
President. "
Ray Davis won his medal for you, and me, and America. He's
wearing it today. It makes us proud. And so will the design of
your Veterans Memorial. It speaks of walking toward freedom, and
toward home, in the cold that was Korea.
Mike McKevitt was a fighter pilot in Korea. And he tells me
he couldn't sleep for three nights after first seeing this
memorial. You're about to see why.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 043851
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
06/13/89
89 JUN 14 A8: 45
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUEBY:
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL
(06/13 draft six)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
1
MCCLURE
P
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
P
PORTER
R
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
>
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
JUNE 13, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH: CHRISS WINSTON CW
FROM:
CURT SMITH S
SUBJECT: KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL
I. SUMMARY
At 2 p.m., on Wednesday, June 14, you will address about 170 people
in the Rose Garden. The ceremony will mark the unveiling of the design
of the Korean War Veterans Memorial. The audience will include members
of Congress and the Memorial Advisory Board.
II. DISCUSSION
The enclosed remarks focus on the need to recall the meaning, and the
men and women, of America's participation in the Korean conflict. The
text includes examples of individual heroism, and how such deeds helped
begin "the tide toward democracy now changing, and uplifting, our globe."
(Smith/Blessey)
June 13, 1989
Draft Six
KOREA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL
ROSE GARDEN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1989
General Davis, General Stilwell, General Goodpaster [Good
PAST er], Secretary Lujan, Members of the Commission, Members of
the Congress, Fellow Veterans, Distinguished Guests.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the White House. And I
want to thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion.
Woodrow Wilson once said, "A patriotic American is never so
proud of his flag as when it comes to mean for others, as to
himself, a symbol of liberty."
Well, fittingly, we meet this morning on Flag Day and the
day of the U.S. Army's founding. And as patriotic Americans, to
publicly unveil the winning design for a symbol of liberty: The
Korean War Veterans Memorial.
There are, of course, many such symbols in this capital
city. Memorials which rightly hail veterans from Bunker Hill to
Gettysburg to the rice paddies of Viet Nam. They are part of our
history, and of our lore. Monuments to the dead, and the living.
But until recently, the Korean War was not formally
remembered. Nor were the over 5.7 million American servicemen
and women directly, and indirectly, involved.
2
Today, we say: No more. It's time to remember. For we are
here to pay tribute to America's uniformed sons and daughters who
served during the Korean conflict. And to recall an American
victory that remains too little appreciated and too seldom
understood.
You know, Barbara and I were living in Midland, Texas, when
Korea erupted. June 25, 1950. Years later, I interviewed a man
for a job with my company.
I learned then that we'd lived a couple blocks away from
each other in the early fifties -- didn't know it, but we had.
And further, that Clelan Atchinson had been among the very first
called from Midland to go to Korea. He was in the Pacific.
Served on the destroyer U.S.S. Abbott. He remembers Korea. So
do you.
We recall that when war began, the forces of
totalitarianism seemed ready to overrun all of Asia. But it
never happened. For Korea was the first allied effort in history
to contain Communism by combining strength.
Fighting side-by-side under the flag of the United
Nations, the freedom-loving countries of the United States, the
Republic of Korea, and other allies strove to halt aggression.
We succeeded -- and built a stable peace that has lasted for more
than 35 years. Together, we held the line.
Today, we are still holding it. And let me salute those
American troops who guard the 38th Parallel. And I want to
salute our allies. For they, too, have sacrificed on freedom's
3
behalf. What will happen in much of Asia, we cannot be sure.
But of this, we are certain: In retrospect, the policy of
containment so exemplified by the Korean conflict created the
conditions for the tide toward democracy now changing, and
uplifting, our globe.
The design we unveil today honors that democracy. And the
American men and women -- Clelan and all the others -- who took
up arms, and bore our burden, so that freedom could survive. Our
nearly 5 million Korean War veterans alive today -- we honor
them. Our 103,000 wounded in the conflict -- we honor them. Our
more than 8,000 missing or unaccounted for. The 54,246 Americans
who gave their lives -- who gave, as Lincoln said, "that last
full measure of devotion."
This day marks another step toward the memorial that Korea's
veterans deserve, and will have -- a process which began when
President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the creation of a
Korean War Veterans Memorial in the District of Columbia. Last
September a site was approved on the Washington Mall. The
memorial will be built in Ash Woods, a grove of trees near the
Lincoln Memorial, across the reflecting pool from the Viet Nam
Memorial. And its existence will be due to a number of friends.
Among them are members of both parties who helped pass this
legislation. And, of course, the sponsors of this Memorial. In
that context, I would like to thank the American Battle Monuments
Commission -- chaired by General Goodpaster, chief of staff to
4
President Eisenhower -- and the Korean War Veterans Memorial
Advisory Board.
Next, let me thank the men and women who chose this design.
And to Chairman Ray Davis, my special thanks for chairing the
Committee. I want to also repeat, as General Stilwell has noted,
that every dollar of this funding has been privately financed.
And to commend, as he did, Max Jameison [JAME i son], whose
company donated $1 million. And Abigail Van Buren -- "Dear Abby"
-- whose readers raised, almost unbelievably, $330,000 for the
Veterans Memorial.
General Davis has observed how the design for their -- for
your -- memorial was crafted by four professional architects and
designers on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University
Department of Architecture. Don Leon. Eliza Oberholtzer. And
John and Veronica Lucas.
To all of them, my congratulations [PAUSE]
you may
eclipse Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions as Penn State's most
noted team. And let me add that I look forward to the day when
the memorial itself is unveiled. For it will stand as America's
lasting tribute to those who fought so valiantly, in an unknown
land, as liberty's Horatio at the bridge.
As you view it, think of such names as Ridgway, Van Fleet,
MacArthur. And of shell-torn uplands dubbed Pork Chop, Bloody,
and Arrowhead. Remember places like Panmunjom and, yes, Inchon.
And the heroism of the soldiers who fought across the rugged,
snow-covered hills.
5
Think of men like Jim Garner, Ed MacMahon, and Secretary of
State Jim Baker. or the 66 members of Congress who served during
the Korean conflict -- among them, Warren Rudman and John Glenn.
And John's wingman: Ted Williams -- Teddy Ballgame -- the
greatest hitter who ever lived. Heroes who showed that ours
would not be the land of the free if it were not also the home of
the brave.
Yes, think of them, honor them. Remember how they served
from Pusan to Pyongyang.
Heroes like Rosemary McCarthy, a courageous Army nurse. or
my good friend Pete McCloskey, who endured superior forces to
charge up and take his hill. And whose troops so admired him
that they named a baseball field in Korea in his honor. or Wally
Lukens, who braved enemy fire to replace another platoon leader,
then picked up a gravely wounded infantryman and carried him to
the rear. Wally's effort to save that life was in vain. But his
selfless devotion to his men -- his grit and guts -- lives on in
the souls of all Americans in uniform.
To my right sits such an American: Ray Davis, who as a
Lieutenant Colonel during the war received the Congressional
Medal of Honor. Thirty-seven years ago, in this very place,
President Truman -- himself a veteran -- presented that medal.
And then he said: "Colonel, I'd rather have this than be
President."
Ray Davis won his medal for you, and me, and America. He's
wearing it today. It makes us proud. And so will the design of
6
your Veterans Memorial. It speaks of walking toward freedom, and
toward home, in the cold that was Korea.
Mike McKevitt was a fighter pilot in Korea. And he tells me
he couldn't sleep for three nights after first seeing this
memorial. You're about to see why.
# # # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June 12, 1989
89 JUN 16 A10: 04
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Korean Memorial
We have no suggested changes from a policy standpoint and
approve of the draft in its present form.
CC: James W. Cicconi
Document No. 04385155
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
12
DATE: 6/12/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 4:00 6/14/89
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KOREAN MEMORIAL
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
P
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
CHRISS WINSTON
CARD
PINKER TON
CICCONI
1
E. ROGERS
DEMAREST
Y
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations directly to
Chriss Winston (Rm. 122, ext. 2930) with an info copy to my
office by 4:00 p.m. TODAY, JUNE 12, 1989. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
1923 JUN 12 X 8
(Smith/Blessey)
June 11, 1989
Draft Five
KOREA
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: KOREAN MEMORIAL
ROSE GARDEN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1989
General Stilwell, General Davis, Members of the Commission,
Members of the Congress, Fellow Veterans, Distinguished Guests.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the White House. And I
want to thank you for the privilege of sharing this occasion.
Woodrow Wilson once said, "A patriotic American is never so
proud of his flag as when it comes to mean for others, as to
himself, a symbol of liberty."
Well, fittingly, we meet this morning on Flag Day and Armed
Forces Day. And as patriotic Americans, to publicly unveil the
winning design for a symbol of liberty: The Korean War Veterans
Memorial.
There are, of course, many such symbols in this capital
city. Memorials which rightly hail veterans from Bunker Hill to
Gettysburg to the rice paddies of Viet Nam. They are part of our
history, and of our lore. Monuments to the dead, and the living.
But until recently, the Korean War was somehow
unacknowledged. And the over 5.7 million American servicemen and
women directly, and indirectly, involved were unremembered.
2
Today, we say: No more. It's time to remember. For we are
here to salute America's uniformed sons and daughters who served
during the Korean conflict. And to recall, yes, an American
victory that remains too little appreciated and too seldom
understood.
You know, Barbara and I were living in Midland, Texas, when
Korea erupted. June 25, 1950. And years later, I interviewed a
man for a job with my company.
I learned then that we'd lived two streets away from each
other in 1950 -- didn't know it, but we had. And further, that
Clelan Atchinson had been among the very first called from
Midland to go to Korea. He was in the Pacific. Served on the
destroyer U.S.S. Abbott. He remembers Korea. So do you.
We remember that when war began, the forces of
totalitarianism seemed to ready to overrun all of Asia. And we
recall what happened when the conflict ended. The Korean
Armistice stopped Communism in its tracks. And marked an initial
step in the tide toward democracy now changing, and uplifting,
our globe.
The design we unveil today honors democracy. And the men
and women -- Clelan and all the others -- who took up arms, and
bore our burden, so that freedom could survive. The nearly 5
million Korean veterans alive today -- we honor them. The
103,000 wounded in the conflict -- we honor them. The more than
8,000 missing or unaccounted for. The 54,246 who gave of
themselves -- who gave their lives.
3
This day marks another step toward the memorial that Korea's
veterans deserve, and will have -- a process which began when
President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the creation of a
Korean War Veterans Memorial on Federal land in the District of
Columbia. Last September a site was approved on the Washington
Mall. The memorial will be built in Ash Woods, a grove of trees
near the Lincoln Memorial, across the reflecting pool from the
Viet Nam Memorial. And its existence will be due to a number of
friends.
Among them are the sponsors of this Memorial. And I would
like to thank the American Battle Monuments Commission -- chaired
by General Andrew Goodpaster [GOOD-paste-er], chief of staff to
President Eisenhower -- and the Korean War Veterans Memorial
Advisory Board.
Next, let me thank the men and women who chose this design.
And to Chairman Ray Davis, my special thanks for chairing the
Committee. I want to also note that every dollar of this funding
has been privately financed. And no one warrants a bigger hand
than Abigail Van Buren -- yes, "Dear Abby" -- who has raised,
almost unbelievably, $330,000 for the Veterans Memorial.
The design for their -- for your -- memorial was created
over six months, and chosen from 540 entries. And it was crafted
by four professional architects and designers who are also on the
faculty of the Pennsylvania State University Department of
Architecture. Don Leon. Eliza Oberholtzer. And John and
Veronica Lucas.
4
To all of them, my congratulations [PAUSE]
you may
eclipse Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions as Penn State's most
noted team. And let me add that I look forward to the day when
this memorial is unveiled. For it will stand as America's
lasting tribute to those who fought so valiantly, in an unknown
land, as liberty's Horatio at the bridge.
As you view it, think of such names as Ridgway, Van Fleet,
MacArthur. And of shell-torn hills dubbed Pork Chop, Bloody, and
Arrowhead. Remember places like Panmunjom and, yes, Inchon. And
the heroism of the soldiers who toiled in the gulleys and the
swamps.
Think of men like Jim Garner, Ed MacMahon, and Secretary of
State Jim Baker. Or the 66 members of Congress who served in
Korea -- among them, Warren Rudman and John Glenn. And John's
wingman: Ted Williams -- Teddy Ballgame -- the greatest hitter
who ever lived. Heroes who showed that ours would not be the
land of the free if it were not also the home of the brave.
Remember how they served from Pusan to Pyongyang. Heroes,
yes, and "patriotic Americans."
Heroes like Rosemary McCarthy, a courageous Army nurse. Or
my good friend Pete McCloskey, who three times endured superior
forces to charge up and, finally, take his hill. And whose
troops so admired him that they named a baseball field in Korea
in his honor. Or Wally Lukens, who braved enemy fire to replace
another platoon leader, then picked up a gravely wounded
infantryman and carried him to the rear. Wally's effort to save
5
that life was in vain. But its grit and guts live on in the
souls of all our men in uniform.
To my right sits such a man: Ray Davis, who as a Lieutenant
Colonel during the war won the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Thirty-seven years ago, in this very place, President Truman --
himself a veteran -- presented that medal. And then he said:
"Colonel, I'd rather have this than be President."
Ray Davis won his medal for you, and me, and America. He's
wearing it today. It makes us proud. And so will the design of
your Veterans Memorial. It speaks of walking toward freedom, and
toward home, in the cold that was Korea.
Mike McKevitt was a fighter pilot in Korea. And he tells me
he couldn't sleep for three nights after first seeing this
memorial. You're about to see why.
#
#
#
#
REMARKS: KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL
File
ROSE GARDEN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1989
GENERAL DAVIS, GENERAL STILWELL, GENERAL GOODPASTER
[Good PAST ER], SECRETARY LUJAN, MEMBERS OF THE
COMMISSION, MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESS, FELLOW VETERANS,
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS.
- 2 -
IT IS A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SHARING
THIS OCCASION.
WOODROW WILSON ONCE SAID, "A PATRIOTIC AMERICAN IS
NEVER so PROUD OF HIS FLAG AS WHEN IT COMES TO MEAN FOR
OTHERS, AS TO HIMSELF, A SYMBOL OF LIBERTY."
- 3 -
WELL, FITTINGLY, WE MEET THIS MORNING ON FLAG DAY
AND THE DAY OF THE U.S. ARMY'S FOUNDING. AND AS
PATRIOTIC AMERICANS, TO PUBLICLY UNVEIL THE WINNING
DESIGN FOR A SYMBOL OF LIBERTY: THE KOREAN WAR
VETERANS MEMORIAL.
- 4 -
THERE ARE, OF COURSE, MANY SUCH SYMBOLS IN THIS
CAPITAL CITY. MEMORIALS WHICH RIGHTLY HAIL VETERANS
FROM BUNKER HILL TO GETTYSBURG TO THE RICE PADDIES OF
VIET NAM. THEY ARE PART OF OUR HISTORY, AND OF OUR
LORE. MONUMENTS TO THE DEAD, AND THE LIVING.
BUT UNTIL RECENTLY, THE KOREAN WAR WAS NOT FORMALLY
REMEMBERED. NOR WERE THE OVER 5.7 MILLION AMERICAN
SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE DIRECTLY, AND INDIRECTLY,
INVOLVED.
- 5 -
TODAY, WE SAY: No MORE. IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER.
FOR WE ARE HERE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S UNIFORMED
SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO SERVED DURING THE KOREAN
CONFLICT. AND TO RECALL AN AMERICAN VICTORY THAT
REMAINS TOO LITTLE APPRECIATED AND TOO SELDOM
UNDERSTOOD.
WE RECALL THAT WHEN WAR BEGAN, THE FORCES OF
TOTALITARIANISM SEEMED READY TO OVERRUN ALL OF ASIA.
BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED.
- 6 -
FOR KOREA WAS THE FIRST ALLIED EFFORT IN HISTORY TO
CONTAIN COMMUNISM BY COMBINING STRENGTH.
FIGHTING SIDE-BY-SIDE UNDER THE FLAG OF THE
UNITED NATIONS, THE FREEDOM-LOVING COUNTRIES OF THE
UNITED STATES, THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, AND OTHER ALLIES
STROVE TO HALT AGGRESSION. WE SUCCEEDED -- AND BUILT A
STABLE PEACE THAT HAS LASTED FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS.
TOGETHER, WE HELD THE LINE.
- 7 -
TODAY, WE ARE STILL HOLDING IT. AND LET ME
SALUTE THOSE AMERICAN TROOPS WHO GUARD THE 38TH
PARALLEL. AND I WANT TO SALUTE OUR ALLIES. FOR THEY,
Too, HAVE SACRIFICED ON FREEDOM'S BEHALF. WHAT WILL
HAPPEN IN MUCH OF ASIA, WE CANNOT BE SURE. BUT OF
THIS, WE ARE CERTAIN: IN RETROSPECT, THE POLICY OF
CONTAINMENT so EXEMPLIFIED BY THE KOREAN CONFLICT
CREATED THE CONDITIONS FOR THE TIDE TOWARD DEMOCRACY
NOW CHANGING, AND UPLIFTING, OUR GLOBE.
- 8 -
THE DESIGN WE UNVEIL TODAY HONORS THAT DEMOCRACY.
AND THE AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN WHO TOOK UP ARMS, AND
BORE OUR BURDEN, so THAT FREEDOM COULD SURVIVE. OUR
NEARLY 5 MILLION KOREAN WAR VETERANS ALIVE TODAY -- WE
HONOR THEM. OUR 103,000 WOUNDED IN THE CONFLICT -- WE
HONOR THEM. OUR MORE THAN 8,000 MISSING OR UNACCOUNTED
FOR. THE 54,246 AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES -- WHO
GAVE, AS LINCOLN SAID, "THAT LAST FULL MEASURE OF
DEVOTION."
- 9 -
THIS DAY MARKS ANOTHER STEP TOWARD THE MEMORIAL
THAT KOREA'S VETERANS DESERVE, AND WILL HAVE -- A
PROCESS WHICH BEGAN WHEN PRESIDENT REAGAN SIGNED
LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING THE CREATION OF A KOREAN WAR
VETERANS MEMORIAL IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. LAST
SEPTEMBER A SITE WAS APPROVED ON THE WASHINGTON MALL.
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THE MEMORIAL WILL BE BUILT IN ASH WOODS, A GROVE OF
TREES NEAR THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL, ACROSS THE REFLECTING
POOL FROM THE VIET NAM MEMORIAL. AND ITS EXISTENCE
WILL BE DUE TO A NUMBER OF FRIENDS.
AMONG THEM ARE MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES WHO HELPED
PASS THIS LEGISLATION. AND, OF COURSE, THE SPONSORS OF
THIS MEMORIAL.
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IN THAT CONTEXT, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE AMERICAN
BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION -- CHAIRED BY GENERAL
GOODPASTER, STAFF SECRETARY TO PRESIDENT EISENHOWER --
AND THE KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL ADVISORY BOARD.
NEXT, LET ME THANK THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO CHOSE THIS
DESIGN. AND TO CHAIRMAN RAY DAVIS, MY SPECIAL THANKS
FOR CHAIRING THE COMMITTEE. I WANT TO ALSO REPEAT, AS
GENERAL STILWELL HAS NOTED, THAT EVERY DOLLAR OF THIS
FUNDING HAS BEEN PRIVATELY FINANCED.
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AND TO COMMEND, AS HE DID, MAX JAMEISON [JAME I SON],
WHOSE COMPANY DONATED $1 MILLION. AND ABIGAIL VAN
BUREN -- "DEAR ABBy" -- WHOSE READERS RAISED, ALMOST
UNBELIEVABLY, $330,000 FOR THE VETERANS MEMORIAL.
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GENERAL DAVIS HAS OBSERVED HOW THE DESIGN FOR
THEIR -- FOR YOUR -- MEMORIAL WAS CRAFTED BY FOUR
PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS ON THE FACULTY OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF
ARCHITECTURE. DON LEON. ELIZA OBERHOLTZER. AND JOHN
AND VERONICA LUCAS.
To ALL OF THEM, MY CONGRATULATIONS [PAUSE]
...
YOU MAY ECLIPSE JOE PATERNO AND THE NITTANY LIONS AS
PENN STATE'S MOST NOTED TEAM.
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AND LET ME ADD THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN THE
MEMORIAL ITSELF IS UNVEILED. FOR IT WILL STAND AS
AMERICA'S LASTING TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO FOUGHT so
VALIANTLY, IN AN UNKNOWN LAND, AS LIBERTY'S HORATIO AT
THE BRIDGE.
As YOU VIEW IT, THINK OF SUCH NAMES AS RIDGWAY, VAN
FLEET, MACARTHUR. AND OF SHELL-TORN UPLANDS DUBBED
PORK CHop, BLOODY, AND ARROWHEAD.
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REMEMBER PLACES LIKE PANMUNJOM AND, YES, INCHON. AND
THE HEROISM OF THE SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT ACROSS THE
RUGGED, SNOW-COVERED HILLS.
THINK OF MEN LIKE JAMES GARNER AND NEIL ARMSTRONG.
OR THE MANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO SERVED IN KOREA -
AMONG THEM, WARREN RUDMAN AND JOHN GLENN. AND JOHN'S
WINGMAN: TED WILLIAMS -- TEDDY BALLGAME -- THE
GREATEST HITTER WHO EVER LIVED.
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HEROES WHO SHOWED THAT OURS WOULD NOT BE THE LAND OF
THE FREE IF IT WERE NOT ALSO THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
YES, THINK OF THEM, HONOR THEM. REMEMBER HOW THEY
SERVED FROM PUSAN TO PYONGYANG [PEE ONG YONG].
HEROES LIKE ROSEMARY MCCARTHY, A COURAGEOUS ARMY
NURSE. OR MY GOOD FRIEND PETE MCCLOSKEY, WHO ENDURED
SUPERIOR FORCES TO CHARGE UP AND TAKE HIS HILL. AND
WHOSE TROOPS SO ADMIRED HIM THAT THEY NAMED A BASEBALL
FIELD IN KOREA IN HIS HONOR.
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OR WALLY LUKENS, WHO BRAVED ENEMY FIRE TO REPLACE
ANOTHER PLATOON LEADER, THEN PICKED UP A GRAVELY
WOUNDED INFANTRYMAN AND CARRIED HIM TO THE REAR.
WALLY'S EFFORT TO SAVE THAT LIFE WAS IN VAIN. BUT HIS
SELFLESS DEVOTION TO HIS MEN -- HIS GRIT AND GUTS --
LIVES ON IN THE SOULS OF ALL AMERICANS IN UNIFORM.
To MY RIGHT SITS SUCH AN AMERICAN: RAY DAVIS, WHO
AS A LIEUTENANT COLONEL DURING THE WAR RECEIVED THE
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR.
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THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO, IN THIS VERY PLACE, PRESIDENT
TRUMAN -- HIMSELF A VETERAN -- PRESENTED THAT MEDAL.
AND THEN HE SAID: "COLONEL, I'D RATHER HAVE THIS THAN
BE PRESIDENT."
RAY DAVIS WON HIS MEDAL FOR YOU, AND ME, AND
AMERICA. HE'S WEARING IT TODAY. IT MAKES US PROUD.
AND so WILL THE DESIGN OF YOUR VETERANS MEMORIAL. IT
SPEAKS OF WALKING TOWARD FREEDOM, AND TOWARD HOME, IN
THE COLD THAT WAS KOREA.
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MIKE MCKEVITT WAS A FIGHTER PILOT IN KOREA. AND HE
TELLS ME HE COULDN'T SLEEP FOR THREE NIGHTS AFTER FIRST
SEEING THIS MEMORIAL. You're ABOUT TO SEE WHY.
# # # #
Or General Al Gray, who volunteered twice to serve at the front line -- first,
as an enlisted Marine; and later, as a commissioner office, courageously leading
an infantry platoon.