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Disabled American Veterans Convention, Las Vegas (cancelled) 7/31/89 [3]
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Disabled American Veterans Convention, Las Vegas (cancelled) 7/31/89 [3]
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S; 2006-0257-F
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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:
13498
Folder ID Number:
13498-009
Folder Title:
Disabled American Veterans Convention, Las Vegas (cancelled) 7/31/89 [3]
Stack:
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Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
4
4
(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. That is
JhuthDrogrom
the program the country needs -- and the Congress should ratify.]
While America's debt to her disabled veterans can never be
3
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 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
makes sure that its defenses remain strong. That means 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.
Mrst
Second, a nation that respects wounded vets 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.
Third, 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
Fourth, 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.
Fifth, 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.
# # #
Room 122
THE - UNITED issue
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
SEALS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
NOTICE:
Enclosed are comments from staff members of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Such comments do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Director of OMB or of the
Office of Management and Budget. If you wish to have the
Director's personal comments, please let me know -- and contact
me if you have any questions.
David J. Haun
Executive Assistant
to the Director
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
7/26/89 3:00 PM
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
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.
89 JUL26 26 P6: 05
RESPONSE: Additional Comment on this maject p.3
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
3
Derwinski, sitting at the table in Cabinet meetings, I know we
did something right for America's veterans.
Damus
(Bob)
Third, a nation that respects wounded veterans works to
X5044
guarantee them a fair shot in the marketplace. So we're
working on on
we nove
supporting a significant new expansion in civil rights laws, with
not
legislation to extend those protections to all Americans with
disabilities. It's time to trade litigation for cooperation.
Americans Disabilities are
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
ait on it
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
Mary Kuttur
facilities across the country. We want to improve the system to
okd
ok
Roper
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.
THE EPIFFO UNITED
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
S.A.T.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
NOTICE:
Enclosed are comments from staff members of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Such comments do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Director of OMB or of the
Office of Management and Budget. If you wish to have the
Director's personal comments, please let me know -- and contact
me if you have any questions.
David J. Haun
Executive Assistant
to the Director
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
7/26/89 3:00 PM
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
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.
89 JJL26 32
RESPONSE: Comments.
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.
1909 JUL 20
[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.
continue to ensure quality
Holen
We also want to broaden Services] and control costs, by
x5178
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.
###
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
July 27, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR COMMUNICATIONS
FROM
CAPT C. T. MOYER III
Arz
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE MILITARY OFFICE
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Disabled American Veterans
I propose these changes to the Presidential Remarks so the speech
will be more meaningful to a military audience.
- Delete the clause in paragraph 5, page 1 "__ and some of you
thankfully won't--". The events leading up to a wound in battle
is one of the most concrete memories in a veteran's life. The
instances when these memories cause long term emotional scars is
the exception to the rule. Thus, it would be inappropriate to
emphasize this exception.
- Delete the last paragraph on page 1. The reference to
JUL
helecopters limits the example's relevance to the veterans of the
Vietnam War while the audience will be made up of numerous
veterans of the Korean and Second World Wars. A pause after "in
one brief, blinding instant, everything changed" would be more
effective. It will leave the multitude of possibilities to the
imaginations of the listeners and permit a smooth transition into
the next paragraph.
- Delete "grateful" in the second sentence in paragraph 2, page 2:
"Short of death itself, there can be no greater gift given to --
nor accepted by -- a grateful nation." The notion that the nation
is already grateful makes for a rocky transition into the next
several paragraphs which tell the audiences that the nation can do
more for our veterans.
- Change the first sentence in the last paragraph on page 3 from:
"My friends, so much has been expected of you -- in war, and in
peace. " to "My friends, so much has been asked of you
"
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
DATE:
7/26/89 3:00 PM
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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:
Concur.
July 26, 1989
C. T. MOYER, III, Captain, USN
Deputy Director, White House Military Office 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 26 S:
[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.
# # #
057233SS
Document No.
5868
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
7/26/89 3:00 PM
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
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: TO: CHRISS WINSTON
July 26, 1989
NSC staff concurs with the attached Presidential remarks.
00 :Ld 26 7nr B
Brent Scowcroft
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
CC: James Cicconi
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Lange/Wallace)
July 26, 1989
9:00 a.m.
1389 JUL 26 X 0:
[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
all 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.
# # #
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
7/26/89 3:00 PM
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
WHMO
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
8
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:
JUL 26 26 P6: 29
(?) ?) C. allen Don't clark Mainuited know but about niewe Assistant Deputy James Ext. to to W. the the
Cicconi
President
Chief of Staff
2702
(Lange/Wallace)
July 26, 1989
9:00 a.m.
1939 JUL 20
()
[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.
Asst. Sec
Nominated
V.A.
5 for Veterans Craison programs
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.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
89 JUL 26 P3: 55
July 26, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
BRENT O. HATCH Bes
Associate Counsel to the President
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Disabled American Veterans
Convention
On page two of the draft, I recommend that the fifth paragraph be
changed to read:
First, respect. A nation that respects wounded
veterans who fought and died for the flag and what that
flag represents cannot stand by as that flag is
desecrated. It is wrong -- simply, absolutely wrong --
to desecrate the American flag. It stands for too
much. Too many have died for it. Testimony presented
to Congress recently established that a statutory
response is inadequate and likely unconstitutional. If
Congress is serious about protecting the flag, they
will move quickly to send to the states for
ratification the bipartisan amendment proposed by
Senators Dole and Dixon, and Congressmen Michel and
Montgomery.
CC: James W. Cicconi
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
7/26/89 3:00 PM
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
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.
89 26 P12 56
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.
1909 20
[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
trinlinges
for kids. Ask him if his job is frustrating, and he 11 tell you,
pt.
"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
innerlight inker light actur
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.
vadiant shine
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 efter 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.
Tool
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 rural light to
every corner of America, whether in inner cities or mountain
hollows.
Let this now be a war waged against drugs, alcohol abuse,
hamlets
child abuse, violence against women, illiteracy, pollution --
against all lost hopes and broken dreams. In this battle, your
best weapon will be hope the hope that you senglet you through the
of
I know you already have the courage and will to persevere. wer.
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.
seen as
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.
For, as in war, you have gifts # #5 give and the whin
mer these gifts now.
Together cm show the well that any others, definction of
a we successful life must include serving
in times of peace as well an timo af
war
057233SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
7/26/89
DATE:
7/26/89 3:00 PM
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
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
89 JUL 26
HAGIN
REMARKS:
P3:
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:
p6,7.
sms
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 20 3
[VETS.DOC]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CONVENTION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MONDAY, JULY 31, 1989
1:00 P.M.
Nevada senators?
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.
and for your devotion and service to America
For that I thank you. God bless you.
And God bless the United States of America.
# # #
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
PETERSMEYER
DEMAREST
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:
No Comments
SO :1d 26 7nr 68
- From
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702