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Vietnam Memorial - Dallas 11/10/89 [OA 3537] [1]
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# 1786
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Dallas, Texas)
For Immediate Release
November 11, 1989
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL DEDICATION
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Dallas, Texas
10:51 A.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Governor. Thank all of you on
this beautiful day. Governor Clements, thank you, sir. Mayor
Strauss, Mayor Bolen, Brad Wright, Mr. Russell, Judge Burkett and Art
Ruff and Chaplain Adickes, members of the Foundation, but especially
my fellow veterans and Texans and fellow Americans, I am just
delighted to be back here, and so is Barbara.
It's a privilege to be with you and to officially
dedicate a monument that is proud and patriotic and thus
quintessentially Texan -- the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Four times in this century, the sons of America have
crossed the oceans to fight for the freedom of others. Their blood
has consecrated ground in places well-known and obscure; from Argonne
to Bougainville; from Omaha Beach to Inchon; from Con Thien to the
Mekong Delta.
And because they gave the last full measure of devotion,
our nation is at peace. And because of them, the peaceful ideals of
America are now the ideals of the world.
Look to the very heart of Europe, to Berlin, and you will
see a great truth shining brighter with each passing day: The quest
for freedom is stronger than steel, more permanent than concrete.
Victor Hugo said nothing can stop an idea whose time has
come. Well, my fellow veterans, the idea is democracy. And around
the world, the 1990s will be the decade of democracy. (Applause.)
Memorials like these are the very embodiment of our
nation, expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette a
morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, whose
majesty proclaims the principles of self-government. Each reflects
what we are as a nation and as a people.
And so it is here today for the Lone Star heroes of
America's longest war. For this memorial moves us and inspires us.
And its lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This memorial is not merely stone and masonry, as striking
as they are. It's a tangible testament to America's love for the
living -- and for the dead.
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's
Vietnam Memorials were boys and girls age 12 years and younger. And
these children don't necessarily remember the Southeast Asia
conflict. And when they wonder, what is this memorial all about, we
owe them an answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our
veterans. And they will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?"
-- these Lone Star heroes of Vietnam. And we must tell them they
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the names
on this memorial are Hispanic. Native-born, foreign-born, the
MORE
- 2 -
privileged and the poor. (Applause.) But most of all, they were
Americans -- Americans from the barrios of San Antonio or the city
streets of Houston, the vast expanse of West Texas -- Americans who
were young and probably often frightened, so very far from home.
And next, the kids will wonder, well, what did they value,
these brave young soldiers? And we must tell them they valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. And they loved the U.S. And so
they overcame their fear, which, after all, is the very definition of
courage. In a struggle which, like every war, showed man's
inhumanity to man, they strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
And then the kids will say, why were these boys in
Vietnam? And we will say because to defend democracy and liberty is
always a valiant cause -- in the fields of Flanders to the rugged
cliffs of Normandy - whether scaling Korea's hillsides or trudging
through those rice paddies of the Mekong.
And we will tell them further the story of the Boat People
-- gallant men and women who fled the very brutality that we were
fighting. And of that memorable day when those Vietnamese refugees
-- alone and vulnerable, in an overloaded sinking boat -- were
spotted by the aircraft carrier Midway. And as the carrier
approached, many were crying and all were waving, calling out, "Hello
American sailor. Hello freedom man." So when our children ask why
were we in Vietnam, we must point to those Boat People, regrettably
some of them still fleeing, and say, "For them." For the liberty
that can ensure for individuals, choice; for society, pluralism; and
for nations, self-determination.
And finally, our children will ask, well, how do we salute
the men who fought for freedom? We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absense of war, but the triumph of freedom. And we salute them
through memorials like this, and by thanking the volunteers who made
it possible -- Vietnam vets, cities and towns, communities,
foundations, organizations, and other contributors. And we honor
them by giving all our vets the hope and opportunity that they have
earned. And by teaching our children what this memorial teaches us
-- about selflessness and sacrifice. Qualities which know no
generation.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Vietnam
had to endure two wars. The first was that one waged in the swamps
and the jungles abroad. And the second was fought for respect and
recognition at home. And with the passage of time, they have won the
battle for the hearts of their countrymen. (Applause.) And in my
view, it's about time. (Applause.)
The children who come here today, and will come tomorrow,
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous people
whose names illuminate these tablets. The men who died would want
our kids to have a future they never knew. A future without war,
without fear. Their sacrifice helped make that possible.
Abraham Lincoln termed that sacrifice "the last full
measure of devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the
Texans we honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you
will -- but above all, we want to be remembered."
And today, we do remember the Lone Star heroes of
America's longest Wwar. And through them, heroes throughout our
history -- America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms
and bore our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
And today, we remember the more than three million
Americans who served in Vietnam -- among them, SO many proud Texans.
Men like Plano's Sam Johnson, a prisoner for seven years in what they
called the Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a state
legislator representing the people of his district here in our great
state. (Applause.)
MORE
- 3 -
And also this morning, we remember America's wounded from
the Vietnam conflict -- and the many brave Texans who paid a heavy
price. They were proud of the United States. They make us proud
today.
And then there's another. There are our missing or
unaccounted for -- and we remember them, too. (Applause.) For while
they may be missing -- missing in action and from our lives -- they
are not missing from our thoughts or our hearts. And so that POW-MIA
flag now flies at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington on
Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and POW-MIA Recognition Day. And we will
continue to see that every one of them is accounted for. (Applause.)
Finally, we remember the 58,175 Americans who gave their
lives in Vietnam. And the 3,427 brave men -- the third largest
number of any state -- who came from over 600 Texas cities and small
towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal of El Paso, 21 when he was
killed by a fragmentation device. Robert Larry Oaks from Lamesa --
20, killed by rifle fire. Both died exactly 20 years ago today.
And, yes, think of these men and honor them. Recall how they served
in Dak To and Khe Sanh.
Last month, I got a letter that I'd like to share with
you. It was from Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she talked of
her family -- four sons, a daughter, and how she lost two of those
boys on the battlefields of Vietnam.
"Ed and Dale," she wrote, "died with the Marines. They
were both extremely proud to represent Texas. Ed asked that I send
him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him Big Tex. And
several moments ago, I met with her -- Mrs. McWright; her daughter,
Connie; son, Wayne. And in her letter, she told me that each of her
children had a dream. Wayne, to have an antique car; Ed, to be a
ball player; Dale, to own a stable. Connie's dream, her mother said,
had been to one day shake hands with the President of the United
States. Well, Mrs. McWright and Connie, it is I who am honored to
shake your hands! For it is you and millions of other mothers,
fathers, daughters and sons who embody the decency, service and
courage that makes this memorial a monument to everything that
America is and can become.
And so this is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial.
The memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo. And San Jacinto.
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. And now it is
my great privilege to officially open this tribute to the greatest
sons and daughters any nation could ever have -- the Texas Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
Fellow vets, I salute you. God bless you. And God bless
the United States of America. (Applause.) Thank you all very much.
END
11:05 A.M. CST
FICE
VIETNAM MEMORIAL / DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1989 / 10:50 A.M.
GOVERNOR CLEMENTS, MAYOR STRAUSS, MR. RUSSELL, MR.
BURKETT, MR. RUFF, CHAPLAIN ADICKES, MR. WRIGHT,
MEMBERS OF THE FOUNDATION, FELLOW VETERANS AND TEXANS,
MY FELLOW AMERICANS.
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR, FOR THAT GENEROUS
INTRODUCTION.
- 2 -
IT IS A PRIVILEGE BE WITH YOU -- AND TO OFFICIALLY
DEDICATE A MONUMENT THAT IS PROUD AND PATRIOTIC AND,
THUS, QUINTESSENTIALLY TEXAN. THE TEXAS VIETNAM
VETERANS MENORIAL.
MEMORIALS LIKE THESE ARE THE VERY EMBODIMENT OF A
NATION EXPRESSING OUR DEEPEST VALUES, AND OUR
CHARACTER AS A PEOPLE. FOR WE AMERICANS NAVIGATE BY
SUCH SYMBOLS. THE ST. LOUIS ARCH, POINTING TOWARD THE
WEST.
- 2 -
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE WITH YOU -- AND TO OFFICIALLY
DEDICATE A MONUMENT THAT IS PROUD AND PATRIOTIC AND,
THUS, QUINTESSENTIALLY TEXAN. THE TEXAS VIETNAM
VETERANS MEMORIAL.
FOUR TIMES IN THIS CENTURY, THE SONS OF AMERICA
HAVE CROSSED THE OCEANS TO FIGHT FOR THE FREEDOM OF
OTHERS. THEIR BLOOD HAS CONSECRATED GROUND IN PLACES
WELL KNOWN AND OBSCURE; FROM THE ARGONNE TO
BOUGAINVILLE; FROM OMAHA BEACH To INCHON; AND FROM CON
THIEN ((KON TEE-EN)) TO THE MEKONG DELTA.
- 2A -
BECAUSE THEY GAVE THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF
DEVOTION, OUR NATION IS AT PEACE. AND BECAUSE OF THEM,
THE PEACEFUL IDEALS OF AMERICA ARE NOW THE IDEALS OF
THE WORLD.
LOOK TO THE VERY HEART OF EUROPE, To BERLIN, AND
YOU WILL SEE A GREAT TRUTH SHINING BRIGHTER WITH EACH
PASSING DAY: THE QUEST FOR FREEDOM IS STRONGER THAN
STEEL, MORE PERMANENT THAN CONCRETE. 1111
- 2B -
VICTOR Hugo SAID NOTHING CAN STOP AN IDEA WHOSE
TIME HAS COME. MY FELLOW VETERANS: THE IDEA IS
DEMOCRACY. AROUND THE WORLD, THE 1990s WILL BE THE
DECADE OF DEMOCRACY.
MEMORIALS LIKE THESE ARE THE VERY EMBODIMENT OF A
NATION. EXPRESSING OUR DEEPEST VALUES, AND OUR
CHARACTER AS A PEOPLE. FOR WE AMERICANS NAVIGATE BY
SUCH SYMBOLS. THE ST. LOUIS ARCH, POINTING TOWARD THE
WEST.
- 3 -
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, ITS SILHOUETTE A MORNING STAR OF
FREEDOM. THE LINCOLN AND JEFFERSON MEMORIALS, WHOSE
MAJESTY PROCLAIMS THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-GOVERNMENT.
EACH REFLECTS WHAT WE ARE AS A NATION AND A PEOPLE.
So IT IS HERE, TODAY, FOR THE LONE STAR HEROES OF
AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR. FOR THIS MEMORIAL MOVES US,
INSPIRES US. AND ITS LESSONS LIVE AS ORAL HISTORY --
PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER. THIS MEMORIAL
IS NOT MERE STONE AND MASONRY, AS STRIKING AS THEY ARE.
- 4 -
IT IS A TANGIBLE TESTAMENT TO AMERICA'S LOVE FOR THE
LIVING -- AND FOR THE DEAD.
LAST YEAR, NEARLY HALF OF THE VISITORS TO
AMERICA'S VIETNAM MEMORIALS WERE BOYS AND GIRLS AGE 12
OR YOUNGER. THESE CHILDREN DON'T REMEMBER THE CONFLICT
IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. AND WHEN THEY WONDER, "WHAT IS THIS
MEMORIAL ALL ABOUT?" WE OWE THEM AN ANSWER. AN ANSWER
WHOSE HONESTY WILL BE WORTHY OF OUR VETERANS.
- 5 -
THEY WILL ASK, FIRST, "WHO WERE THESE MEN AND
WOMEN?" -- THESE LONE STAR HEROES OF VIETNAM. AND WE
MUST ANSWER: THEY WERE BLACK AND WHITE, RED AND
BROWN -- ALMOST A QUARTER OF THE NAMES ON THIS MEMORIAL
ARE HISPANIC. THEY WERE NATIVE-BORN AND FOREIGN-BORN,
THE PRIVILEGED AND THE POOR. BUT MOST OF ALL, THEY
WERE AMERICANS.
- 6 -
AMERICANS FROM THE BARRIOS OF SAN ANTONIO, THE CITY
STREETS OF HOUSTON, AND THE VAST EXPANSE OF WESTERN
TEXAS. AMERICANS WHO WERE YOUNG, AND OFTEN FRIGHTENED.
AND so VERY FAR FROM HOME.
NEXT, OUR KIDS WILL WONDER: "WHAT DID THEY VALUE?"
-- THESE BRAVE YOUNG SOLDIERS. AND WE MUST TELL THEM:
THEY VALUED FREEDOM. THEY VALUED HUMAN DIGNITY. THEY
LOVED THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
- 7 -
AND so THEY OVERCAME THEIR FEAR -- WHICH, AFTER ALL, IS
THE VERY DEFINITION OF COURAGE. IN A STRUGGLE WHICH --
LIKE EVERY WAR -- SHOWED MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN, THEY
STROVE TO PROVE MAN'S FIDELITY TO HONOR.
THEN, OUR KIDS WILL POSE A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION:
"WHY WERE THESE BOYS IN VIETNAM?" AND WE WILL SAY:
BECAUSE TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY AND LIBERTY IS ALWAYS A
VALIANT CAUSE. FROM THE FIELDS OF FLANDERS TO THE
RUGGED CLIFFS OF NORMANDY.
- 8 -
WHETHER SCALING KOREA'S HILLSIDES. OR TRUDGING THROUGH
THE RICE PADDIES OF THE MEKONG.
AND WE WILL TELL THEM, FURTHER, THE STORY OF THE
BOAT PEOPLE -- GALLANT MEN AND WOMEN WHO FLED THE
BRUTALITY AMERICA WAS FIGHTING. AND OF THAT MEMORABLE
DAY WHEN VIETNAMESE REFUGEES -- ALONE AND VULNERABLE,
THEIR BOAT SINKING -- WERE SPOTTED BY THE AIRCRAFT
CARRIER MIDWAY.
- 9 -
As THE CARRIER APPROACHED, MANY WERE CRYING. ALL WERE
WAVING. CALLING OUT IN BROKEN ENGLISH, "HELLO AMERICA
SAILOR! HELLO FREEDOM MAN!" WHEN OUR CHILDREN ASK,
"WHY WERE WE IN VIETNAM?" WE MUST POINT To THE BOAT
PEOPLE AND SAY: "FOR THEM." FOR THE LIBERTY THAT CAN
ENSURE FOR INDIVIDUALS, CHOICE; FOR SOCIETY, PLURALISM;
AND FOR NATIONS, SELF-DETERMINATION.
FINALLY, OUR CHILDREN WILL ASK US: "How DO WE
SALUTE THE MEN WHO FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM?"
- 10 -
WE SALUTE THEM BY NEVER FORGETTING THAT TRUE PEACE
MEANS THE TRIUMPH OF FREEDOM -- NOT MERELY THE ABSENCE
OF WAR. WE SALUTE THEM THROUGH MEMORIALS LIKE THIS.
AND BY THANKING THE VOLUNTEERS WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE.
VIETNAM VETS. CITIES, TOWNS, AND COMMUNITIES.
FOUNDATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER CONTRIBUTORS.
WE HONOR THEM BY GIVING ALL OUR VETS THE HOPE AND
OPPORTUNITY THEY HAVE EARNED.
- 11 -
AND BY TEACHING OUR CHILDREN WHAT THIS MEMORIAL TEACHES
US. ABOUT SELFLESSNESS AND SACRIFICE. QUALITIES WHICH
KNOW NO GENERATION.
UNLIKE OTHER VETERANS, THE BRAVE BOYS WHO WENT TO
VIETNAM HAD TO ENDURE TWO WARS. THE FIRST WAR WAS THE
BATTLE WAGED IN SWAMPS AND JUNGLES ABROAD. THE SECOND
WAS FOUGHT FOR RESPECT AND RECOGNITION AT HOME AND WITH
THE PASSAGE OF TIME, THEY HAVE FINALLY WON THE BATTLE
FOR THE HEARTS OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN.
- 12 -
THE CHILDREN WHO COME HERE TODAY AND WILL COME
TOMORROW EVIDENCE THAT VICTORY. THEY MUST KNOW ABOUT
THE COURAGEOUS PEOPLE WHOSE NAMES ILLUMINATE THESE
TABLETS. THE MEN WHO DIED WOULD WANT OUR KIDS TO HAVE
THE FUTURE THEY NEVER KNEW. A FUTURE WITHOUT WAR AND
FEAR. THEIR SACRIFICE HELPED MAKE THAT FUTURE
POSSIBLE.
LINCOLN TERMED SUCH SACRIFICE "THAT LAST FULL
MEASURE OF DEVOTION." AND WE MUST NEVER FORGET IT.
- 14 -
TODAY, WE REMEMBER THE MORE THAN 3 MILLION
AMERICANS WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM -- AMONG THEM, so MANY
PROUD TEXANS. MEN LIKE PLANO'S SAM JOHNSON, A PRISONER
FOR 7 YEARS IN WHAT THEY CALLED THE HANOI HILTON.
TORTURED, BUT NEVER DEFEATED. Now A STATE LEGISLATOR.
THIS MORNING, WE ALSO REMEMBER AMERICA'S WOUNDED
FROM THE VIETNAM CONFLICT -- AND THE MANY BRAVE TEXANS
WHO PAID A HEAVY PRICE. THEY WERE PROUD OF THE UNITED
STATES. THEY MAKE US PROUD TODAY.
- 13 -
FOR IF THE TEXANS WE HONOR TODAY COULD SPEAK, THEY
MIGHT SAY, "PRAISE US AS YOU WILL -- BUT ABOVE ALL, WE
WANT TO BE REMEMBERED."
TODAY, WE REMEMBER THE LONE STAR HEROES OF
AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR. AND THROUGH THEM, HEROES
THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY -- AMERICA'S UNIFORMED SONS AND
DAUGHTERS WHO TOOK UP ARMS AND BORE OUR BURDEN FOR A
CAUSE LARGER THAN THEMSELVES.
- 15 -
AND THERE ARE OUR MISSING OR UNACCOUNTED FOR -- WE
REMEMBER THEM, TOO. FOR WHILE THEY MAY BE MISSING IN
ACTION -- AND FROM OUR LIVES -- MIAs ARE NOT MISSING
FROM OUR THOUGHTS NOR FROM OUR HEARTS. AND so THE POW-
MIA FLAG NOW FLIES AT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL IN
WASHINGTON ON MEMORIAL DAY, VETERANS DAY, AND POW-MIA
RECOGNITION DAY. // AND WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL EVERY
VETERAN IS ACCOUNTED FOR.
- 16 -
FINALLY, WE REMEMBER THE 58,175 AMERICANS WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES IN VIETNAM. AND THE 3,427 BRAVE MEN -- THE
THIRD-LARGEST NUMBER OF ANY STATE -- WHO CAME FROM OVER
600 TEXAS CITIES AND SMALL TOWNS. MEN LIKE RUBEN JOSE
CARBAJAL [CAR-BA-HALL] OF EL PASO, ONLY 21 WHEN HE WAS
KILLED BY A FRAGMENTATION DEVICE. AND ROBERT LARRY
OAKS FROM LAMESA -- ONLY 20, KILLED BY RIFLE FIRE.
BOTH DIED EXACTLY 20 YEARS AGO TODAY. YES, THINK OF
THESE MEN, HONOR THEM.
- 17 -
RECALL HOW THEY SERVED IN LONELY PLACES LIKE DAK
To [TOE] AND KHE SANH [K-SAHN].
LAST MONTH, I RECEIVED A LETTER I'D LIKE TO SHARE
WITH YOU. IT WAS FROM MRS. CONNIE MCWRIGHT OF DALLAS.
AND IN IT SHE TALKED OF HER FAMILY -- FOUR SONS, A
DAUGHTER. AND HOW SHE LOST TWO OF THOSE BOYS ON THE
BATTLEFIELDS OF VIETNAM.
- 18 -
"ED AND DALE," SHE WROTE, "DIED WITH THE
MARINES
THEY WERE BOTH EXTREMELY PROUD TO
REPRESENT TEXAS
ED ASKED THAT I SEND HIM A TEXAS
FLAG." SHE SAID HIS BUDDIES CALLED HIM BIG TEX.
SEVERAL MOMENTS AGO, I MET WITH MRS. MCWRIGHT, HER
DAUGHTER, CONNIE, AND SON, WAYNE. IN HER LETTER, SHE
TOLD ME THAT EACH OF HER CHILDREN HAD A DREAM -- WAYNE,
To HAVE AN ANTIQUE CAR; ED, TO BE A BASEBALL PLAYER;
DALE, TO OWN A STABLE.
- 19 -
CONNIE'S DREAM, HER MOTHER SAID, HAD BEEN TO "ONE DAY
[SHAKE] THE HAND OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."
MRS. MCWRIGHT AND CONNIE -- IT IS I WHO AM HONORED
TO SHAKE YOUR HANDS. FOR IT IS YOU -- AND MILLIONS OF
OTHER MOTHERS, FATHERS, DAUGHTERS, AND SONS -- WHO
EMBODY THE DECENCY, SERVICE, AND COURAGE THAT MAKE THIS
MEMORIAL SUCH A MONUMENT To EVERYTHING THAT AMERICA
IS -- AND CAN BECOME.
0
- 20 -
THIS IS YOUR MEMORIAL. ED AND DALE'S MEMORIAL.
THE MEMORIAL WHICH HONORS THE SPIRIT OF THE ALAMO. AND
SAN JACINTO. AND EARLIER HEROES NAMED TRAVIS AND
HOUSTON AND BOWIE. FELLOW VETS, I SALUTE YOU. GOD
BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA. AND NOW, IT IS MY
GREAT PRIVILEGE TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THIS TRIBUTE To THE
GREATEST SONS AND DAUGHTERS ANY NATION COULD EVER
HAVE -- THE TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL.
# # # #
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
November 8, 1989
TEXAS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
VIETNAM MEMORIAL
DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1989
10:50 A.M.
Governor Clements, Mr. Russell, Mr. Burkett, Mr. Ruff,
Chaplain Adickes, Mr. Wheeler, Members of the Foundation, Fellow
Veterans and Texans, My fellow Americans.
Thank you, Governor, for that generous introduction. It is
a privilege to be with you -- and to officially dedicate a
monument that is proud and patriotic and, thus, quintessentially
Texan. The Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Memorials like these are the very embodiment of a Nation.
Expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette
a morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
whose majesty proclaims the principle of self-government. Each
reflects what we are as a Nation and a people.
So it is here, today, for the Lone Star heroes of America's
Longest War. For this memorial moves us, inspires us. And its
lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This memorial is not mere stone and masonry, as
striking as they are. It is a tangible testament to America's
love for the living -- and for the dead.
2
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's Vietnam
memorials were boys and girls age 12 or younger. These children
don't remember the conflict in Southeast Asia. And when they
wonder, "What is this memorial all about?" we owe them an
answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our veterans.
They will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?" --
these Lone Star heroes of Vietnam. And we must answer: They
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the
names on this memorial are Hispanic. They were native-born and
foreign-born, the privileged and the poor. But most of all, they
were Americans. Americans from the barrios of San Antonio, the
city streets of Houston, and the vast expanse of western Texas.
Americans who were young, and often frightened. And so very far
from home.
Next, our kids will wonder: "What did they value?" -- these
brave young soldiers. And we must tell them: They valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. They loved the United
States of America. And so they overcame their fear -- which,
after all, is the very definition of courage. In a struggle
which -- like every war -- showed man's inhumanity to man, they
strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
Then, our kids will pose a fundamental question: "Why were
these boys in Vietnam?" And we will say: Because to defend
democracy and liberty is always a valiant cause. From the fields
of Flanders to the rugged cliffs of Normandy. Whether scaling
3
Korea's hillsides. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
Mekong.
And we will tell them, further, the story of the Boat
People -- gallant men and women who fled the brutality America
was fighting. And of that memorable day when Vietnamese refugees
-- alone and vulnerable, their boat sinking -- were spotted by
the aircraft carrier Midway. As the carrier approached, many
were crying. All were waving. Calling out in broken English,
"Hello America sailor! Hello Freedom man!" When our children
ask, "Why were we in Vietnam?" we must point to the Boat People
and say: "For them.' For the liberty that can ensure for
individuals, choice; for society, pluralism; and for Nations,
self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible. Vietnam vets.
Cities, towns, and communities. Foundations, organizations, and
other contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the
hope and opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our
children what this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and
sacrifice. Qualities which know no generation.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Vietnam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was fought for respect and
4
recognition at home and with the passage of time, they have
finally won the battle for the hearts of their countrymen.
The children who come here today and will come tomorrow
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous
people whose names illuminate these tablets. The men who died
would want our kids to have the future they never knew. A future
without war and fear. Their sacrifice helped make that future
possible.
Lincoln termed such sacrifice "that last full measure of
devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the Texans we
honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you will
-- but above all, we want to be remembered."
Today, we remember the Lone Star heroes of America's Longest
War. And through them, heroes throughout our history --
America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms and bore
our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
Today, we remember the more than 3 million Americans who
served in Vietnam -- among them, so many proud Texans. Men like
Plano's Sam Johnson, a prisoner for 7 years in what they called
the Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a State
legislator.
This morning, we also remember America's wounded from the
Vietnam conflict -- and the many brave Texans who paid a heavy
price. They were proud of the United States. They make us proud
today.
5
And there are our missing or unaccounted for -- we remember
them, too. For while they may be missing in action -- and from
our lives -- MIAs are not missing from our thoughts nor from our
hearts. And so the POW-MIA flag now flies at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
and POW-MIA Recognition Day. // And we will not rest until
every veteran is accounted for.
Finally, we remember the 58, 175 Americans who gave their
lives in Vietnam. And the 3,427 brave men -- the third-largest
number of any State -- who came from over 600 Texas cities and
small towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal [CAR-ba-hall] of El
Paso, only 21 when he was killed by a fragmentation device. And
Robert Larry Oakes from Lamesa -- only 20, killed by rifle fire.
Both died exactly 20 years ago today. Yes, think of these men,
honor them. Recall how they served in lonely places like Dak To
[TOE] and Khe Sanh [K-sahn].
Last month, I received a letter I'd like to share with you.
It was from Mrs. Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she
talked of her family -- four sons, a daughter. And how she lost
two of those boys on the battlefields of Vietnam.
"Ed and Dale," she wrote, "died with the Marines
They were both extremely proud to represent Texas
Ed asked
that I send him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him
BIG TEX.
Several moments ago, I met with Mrs. McWright and her
daughter, Connie. For in her letter, she told me that each of
6
her children had a dream -- Ed, to be a baseball player; Dale, to
own a stable. Connie's dream, her mother said, had been to "one
day [shake] the hand of a President of the United States."
Mrs. McWright and Connie -- it is I who am honored to shake
your hands. For it is you -- and millions of other mothers,
fathers, daughters, and sons -- who embody the decency, service,
and courage that make this memorial such a monument to everything
that America is -- and can become.
This is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial. The
memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo. And San Jacinto.
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. Fellow
vets, I salute you. God bless you and God bless America. And
now, it is my great privilege to officially open this tribute to
the greatest sons and daughters any Nation could ever have -- the
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
#
#
#
#
3
Korea's hillsides. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
Mekong.
And we will tell them, further, the story of the Boat
People -- those gallant men and women who fled the brutality
America was fighting. And of that memorable day when Vietnamese
refugees -- alone and vulnerable, their boat sinking in the
the carrier
-- were spotted by the aircraft carrier Midway. As they
callery
approached the aircraft many were crying. All were waving.
And
auton broken English,
trying as best they could to say "Hello America sailor! Hello
Freedom man!" When our children ask, "Why were we in Vietnam?"
we must point to the Boat People and say: "For them." For the
liberty that can ensure for individuals, choice; for society,
pluralism; and for Nations, self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible. Vietnam vets.
Cities, towns, and communities. Foundations, organizations, and
other contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the
hope and opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our
children what this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and
sacrifice. Qualities which know no generation.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Vietnam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was fought for respect and
088511SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 11/9/89
----
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
WHMO
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
120 : 21d 6 130.68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
November 8, 1989
1989 NOV 8 PM 8. 23
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
can
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL
I. SUMMARY
On Saturday, November 11, at 10:54 a.m., you will address
about 20,000 people at the dedication of the Texas Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Dallas. Governor Clements will introduce
you. Chaplain Adickes; Paul Russell, President of the Board of
the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and B.G. "Jug" Burkett and
Art Ruff, co-chairmen of the board, will be present on the dais.
II. DISCUSSION
The attached remarks (11 minutes; speechcards due to
forecast of wind) pay tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of
Texas' Vietnam veterans. On page 5, the remarks describe a
letter you have received from Mrs. Connie McWright. This letter,
and a 1968 letter she received from President Johnson are
attached to the speech.
(Smith/Blessey)
Draft Four
November 8, 1989
TEXAS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIETNAM MEMORIAL
DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1989
10:50 A.M.
Governor Clements, Mr. Russell, Mr. Burkett, Mr. Ruff,
Chaplain Adickes, Mr. Wheeler, Members of the Foundation, Fellow
Veterans and Texans, My fellow Americans.
Thank you, Governor, for that generous introduction. It is
a privilege to be with you -- and to officially dedicate a
monument that is proud and patriotic and, thus, quintessentially
Texan. The Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Memorials like these are the very embodiment of a Nation.
Expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette
a morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
whose majesty proclaims the principle of self-government. Each
reflects what we are as a Nation and a people.
So it is here, today, for the Lone Star heroes of America's
Longest War. For this memorial moves us, inspires us. And its
lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This memorial is not mere stone and masonry, as
striking as they are. It is a tangible testament to America's
love for the living -- and for the dead.
2
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's Vietnam
memorials were boys and girls age 12 or younger. These children
don't remember the conflict in Southeast Asia. And when they
wonder, "What is this memorial all about?" we owe them an
answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our veterans.
They will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?" --
these Lone Star heroes of Vietnam. And we must answer: They
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the
names on this memorial are Hispanic. They were native-born and
foreign-born, the privileged and the poor. But most of all, they
were Americans. Americans from the barrios of San Antonio, the
city streets of Houston, and the vast expanse of western Texas.
Americans who were young, and often frightened. And so very far
from home.
Next, our kids will wonder: "What did they value?" -- these
brave young soldiers. And we must tell them: They valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. They loved the United
States of America. And so they overcame their fear -- which,
after all, is the very definition of courage. In a struggle
which -- like every war -- showed man's inhumanity to man, they
strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
Then, our kids will pose a fundamental question: "Why were
these boys in Vietnam?" And we will say: Because to defend
democracy and liberty is always a valiant cause. From the fields
of Flanders to the rugged cliffs of Normandy. Whether scaling
Korea's hillsides. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
3
Mekong. For liberty can ensure for individuals, choice; for
society, pluralism; and for Nations, self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible. Vietnam vets.
Cities, towns, and communities. Foundations, organizations, and
other contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the
hope and opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our
children what this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and
sacrifice. Qualities which know no generation.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Vietnam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was fought for respect and
recognition at home and with the passage of time, they have
finally won the battle for the hearts of their countrymen.
The children who come here today and will come tomorrow
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous
people whose names illuminate these tablets. The men who died
would want our kids to have the future they never knew. A future
without war and fear. Their sacrifice helped make that future
possible.
Lincoln termed such sacrifice "that last full measure of
devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the Texans we
4
honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you will
-- but above all, we want to be remembered."
Today, we remember the Lone Star heroes of America's Longest
War. And through them, heroes throughout our history --
America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms and bore
our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
Today, we remember the more than 3 million Americans who
served in Vietnam -- among them, so many proud Texans. Men like
Plano's Sam Johnson, a prisoner for 7 years in what they called
the Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a State
legislator.
This morning, we also remember America's wounded from the
Vietnam conflict -- and the many brave Texans who paid a heavy
price. They were proud of the United States. They make us proud
today.
And there are our missing or unaccounted for -- we remember
them, too. For while they may be missing in action -- and from
our lives -- MIAs are not missing from our thoughts nor from our
hearts. And so the POW-MIA flag now flies at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
and POW-MIA Recognition Day. // And we will not rest until
every veteran is accounted for.
Finally, we remember the 58,175 Americans who gave their
lives in Vietnam. And the 3,427 brave men -- the third-largest
number of any State -- who came from over 600 Texas cities and
small towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal [CAR-ba-hall] of El
5
Paso, only 21 when he was killed by a fragmentation device. And
Robert Larry Oakes from Lamesa -- only 20, killed by rifle fire.
Both died exactly 20 years ago today. Yes, think of these men,
honor them. Recall how they served in lonely places like Dak To
[TOE] and Khe Sanh [K-sahn].
Last month, I received a letter I'd like to share with you.
It was from Mrs. Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she
talked of her family -- four sons, a daughter. And how she lost
two of those boys on the battlefields of Vietnam.
"Ed and Dale,' she wrote, "died with the Marines
They were both extremely proud to represent Texas
Ed asked
that I send him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him
BIG TEX.
Several moments ago, I met with Mrs. McWright and her
daughter, Connie. For in her letter, she told me that each of
her children had a dream -- Ed, to be a baseball player; Dale, to
own a stable. Connie's dream, her mother said, had been to "one
day [shake] the hand of a President of the United States."
Mrs. McWright and Connie -- it is I who am honored to shake
your hands. For it is you -- and millions of other mothers,
fathers, daughters, and sons -- who embody the decency, service,
and courage that make this memorial such a monument to everything
that America is -- and can become.
This is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial. The
memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo. And San Jacinto.
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. Fellow
6
vets, I salute you. God bless you and God bless America. And
now, it is my great privilege to officially open this tribute to
the greatest sons and daughters any Nation could ever have -- the
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
# # # #
911 St. Joseph Apt. 907
Dallas, TX 75246
October 22, 1989
Honorable President Bush and First Lady:
I admire both of you - for your patriotism - service to America -
and your obvious devotion to your family.
The McWright family was composed of mother, father, four sons and
a daughter. Most of us have lived in Dallas, Texas for 35 years.
Ed and Dale died with the Marines in Vietnam. Even though these
two fine men gave their best representing Texas (they both enlisted
in Dallas) neither of them was born here. Ed was born in Chicago,
Illinois and Dale in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They were both ex-
tremely proud to represent Texas though - Ed asked that I send
him a Texas flag (his buddies called him BIG TEX) and I have never
heard of a family who gave two sons in this conflict.
I understand there is a possibility you may attend the dedication
of the Texas Vietnam Memorial at Fair Park November 11th. I know
you know from experience that each child in a family has a dream -
my son Allen always wanted a farm - he has it in Kentucky - Ed wanted
to be a baseball king - Dale wanted a motorcycle and a stable -
Wayne wanted an antique car and is striving to get it - but Connie -
a devoted mother and now substitute school teacher - dreams of one
day shaking the hand of a PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I am 72-years-old now and am wondering if you do attend the ceremony,
even with your strict necessary protection, if you could possibly
care enough to let her be close enough to you and Mrs. Bush to realize
her dream.
My daughter (Connie Bosher), my son Wayne and I will surely attend and
also I heard the other day that one of Ed's buddies he fought with in
Vietnam (and never knew before then) is bringing his wife to the dedication
to pay tribute ALL THE WAY FROM NEW JERSEY. They have already donated
$1,000 to help build the Memorial. It's almost eerie how close these
veterans living feel towards those who gave their lives. I will be happy
that Ed and Dale's names will be together in alphabetical order instead
of the way the Washington Memorial is arranged by service periods.
I wish both of you the best possible life serving America and hope to see
you in Dallas.
Respectfully,
Course
nouright
Mrs. Connie McWright
Phone: (214) 824-2690
Connie Bosher's phone:
(214) 324-9835
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 27, 1968
Dear Mrs. McWright:
I return in a few hours to Washington. With me I will
carry part of your heartache and, I am thankful to say,
some of the great courage you have shown in face of
tragedy.
The loss of two good and brave sons on the battlefield
of freedom is the cruellest affliction. I wanted you to
know that Mrs. Johnson and I have offered prayers for
you here at the Ranch. We feel very close to you --
not only as nearness is measured by miles, but in
that special kinship we find in admiring the teachings
by which you raised your sons.
Your lessons have not been lost. They live in the
gallant example of Eddie and Dale. Boys they were;
but by their convictions they have taught countless
Americans to stand like men when freedom is threat-
ened and peace imperiled by aggression.
In achieving that, they have also given the inspiration
of your instruction to the world, promising all men a
better chance to "stand tall and walk straight. "
God bless you for that selfless gift. I pray that you
will find comfort in His mercy now. This nation
will always offer you the strength of its deep gratitude
and pride.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Connie McWright
4317 Gaston
Dallas, Texas
088511SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
11/7/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 11/8/89 10:00 AM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL, DALLAS
SUBJECT:
1020
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE N/C
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT upstiers
PORTER J/C
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON N/C
FITZWATER
WHMO N/C
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 10:00 AM, Wednesday, November 8, with a
copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
SI :2d L 100.68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1989 NOV - 7 PM 1: 42
Draft Three
November 6, 1989
TEXAS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL
DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER
10
1989
Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Russell, Mr. Burkett, Members of the
Foundation, Fellow Veterans and Texans, My fellow Americans.
Thank you, Jack, for that generous introduction. It is a
privilege to be with you -- and to officially dedicate a monument
that is proud and patriotic and thus, quintessentially Texan.
The Texas Viet Nam Veterans Memorial.
are
Memorials like these form the very embodiment of a Nation.
Expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette
a morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
are
Each
whose majesty proclaims the principle of self-government. All
reflects symbotize what we are as a Netion and a people.
show that what we are matters more than what we have.
[Pause] [Pause]
So it is here today, for the Lone Star heroes of America's
Longest War. For this Memorial moves us, inspires us. And its
lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This Memorial is not mere stone and masonry, as
striking as they are. It is a tangible testament to America's
love for the living -- and for the dead.
)
2
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's Viet
Nam memorials were boys and girls age 12 or younger. These
children don't remember the conflict in Southeast Asia. And when
they wonder, "What is this memorial all about?" we owe them an
answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our veterans.
They will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?" --
these Lone Star heroes of Viet Nam. And we must answer: They
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the
names on this memorial are Hispanic. They were native-born and
foreign-born, the privileged and the poor. But most of all, they
were Americans. Americans from the barrios of San Antonio, the
city streets of Houston, and the vast expanse of western Texas.
Americans who were young, and often frightened. And so very far
from home.
Next, our kids will wonder: "What did they value?" -- these
brave young soldiers. And we must tell them: They valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. They loved the United
States of America. And so they overcame their fear -- which,
after all, is the very definition of courage. In a struggle
which -- like every war -- showed man's inhumanity to man, they
strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
Then, our kids will pose a fundamental question: "Why were
these boys in Viet Nam?" And we will say: Because to defend
democracy and liberty is always a valiant cause. From the fields
? of Flanders to the rugged cliffs of Normandy. Whether scaling
hillsides
Korea's uplands. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
3
Mekong. For liberty can ensure for individuals, choice; for
society, pluralism; and for Nations, self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible. Viet Nam vets.
and communities.
Cities and towns, Foundations, organizations, and other
contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the hope and
opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our children what
this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and sacrifice.
Qualities which know no generation. or place.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Viet Nam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was the battle fought for
and, WITH the passage of time,
respect and recognition at homex If ultimate victory was denied
they have finally won the battle for their the hearts of their countrymen.
them in the first, victory is finally theirs in the second.
The children who come here today and will come tomorrow
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous
people whose names illuminate these tablets. These men would
\who died
never knew.
want our kids to have the future they were deprived of. A future
without war and fear. Their sacrifice has helped make that
future possible.
Lincoln termed such sacrifice "that last full measure of
devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the Texans we
4
honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you will
-- but above all, we want to be remembered."
Today, we remember the Lone Star heroes of America's Longest
War. And through them, heroes throughout our history --
America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms and bore
our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
more than
Today, we remember the nearly 3,3 million Americans who
among then so mony proud
served in Viet Nam -- more than 450,000 of them Texans. Men like
- 's Sam Johnson, a prisoner for 7 years in what they called the
Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a State
legislator.
This morning, we also remember America's wounded from the
many brave
Viet Nam conflict -- and the over 17,000 proud Texans who paid
a heavy price. They were proud of the United States. They make
us proud today.
And there are our missing or unaccounted for -- we remember
them, too. For while they may be missing in action -- and from
our lives -- MIA's are not missing from our thoughts nor from our
hearts. And so the POW-MIA flag now flies at the Viet Nam
Veterans Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
and POW-MIA Recognition Day. // And we will not rest until
every veteran is accounted for.
Finally, we remember the 58,022 Americans who gave their
lives in Viet Nam. And the 3,243 brave men -- the third-largest
number of any State -- who came from almost 600 Texas cities and
small towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal of El Paso, only 21
5
when he was killed by a fragmentation device. And Robert Larry
Oakes from Lamesa -- only 20, killed by rifle fire. Both died
exactly 20 years ago today. Yes, think of these men, honor them.
in lonely places like
Recall how they served from Dak To to Khe Sanh.
and
Last month, I received a letter I'd like to share with you.
It was from Mrs. Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she
talked of her family -- four sons, a daughter. And how she lost
two of those boys on the battlefields of Viet Nam.
"Ed and Dale," she wrote, "died with the Marines. They
were both extremely proud to represent Texas -- Ed asked that I
send him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him BIG TEX.
Several moments ago, I met with Mrs. McWright and her
daughter, Connie. For in her letter, she told me that each of
Children
her sons had Connie's a dream --- Ed, to be a baseball player; Dale, to own
hermother
a stable. Her dream, she said, had been "to one day [shake] the
hand of a President of the United States."
and Connie
Mrs. McWright, it is I who am honored to shake your hand
end Connief.
For it is you -- and millions of other mothers, fathers,
daughters, and sons -- who embody the decency, service, and
lmost unbelievable courage that makes this Memorial such a
monument to everything that America is -- and can become.
This is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial. The
memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo. And San Jacinto.
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. Fellow
vets, I salute you. God bless you and God bless America. And
now, it is my great privilege to officially open this tribute to
6
the greatest sons and daughters any Nation could ever have -- the
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
# # # #
088511SS
Document No.
8981
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
11/7/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 11/8/89 10:00 AM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL, DALLAS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
WHMO
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 10:00 AM, Wednesday, November 8, with a
copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
November 8, 1989
The NSC has reviewed the proposed Presidential remarks and recommend
minor editorial changes (as annotated) and the rewrite of a sentence on
page three. The rewritten sentence better expresses the military
accomplishments of Vietnam veterans.
Brent Scowcroft 9d 8 130 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
(nine text)
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1989 NOV - 7 PM 1: 42
Draft Three
November 6, 1989
TEXAS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL
DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1989
Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Russell, Mr. Burkett, Members of the
Foundation, Fellow Veterans and Texans, My fellow Americans.
Thank you, Jack, for that generous introduction. It is a
privilege to be with you -- and to officially dedicate a monument
that is proud and patriotic and thus, quintessentially Texan.
The Texas Viet Nam Veterans Memorial.
Memorials like these form the very embodiment of a Nation.
Expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette
a morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
whose majesty proclaims the principle of self-government. All
show that what we are matters more than what we have.
So it is here, today, for the Lone Star heroes of America's
Longest War. For this Memorial moves us, inspires us. And its
lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This Memorial is not mere stone and masonry, as
striking as they are. It is a tangible testament to America's
love for the living -- and for the dead.
2
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's Viet
Nam memorials were boys and girls age 12 or younger. These
children don't remember the conflict in Southeast Asia. And when
they wonder, "What is this memorial all about?" we owe them an
answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our veterans.
They will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?" --
these Lone Star heroes of Viet Nam. And we must answer: They
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the
names on this memorial are Hispanic. They were native-born and
foreign-born, the privileged and the poor. But most of all, they
were Americans. Americans from the barrios of San Antonio, the
city streets of Houston, and the vast expanse of western Texas.
Americans who were young, and often frightened. And so very far
from home.
Next, our kids will wonder: "What did they value?" -- these
brave young soldiers. And we must tell them: They valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. They loved the United
States of America. And so they overcame their fear -- which,
after all, is the very definition of courage. In a struggle
which -- like every war -- showed man's inhumanity to man, they
strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
Then, our kids will pose a fundamental question: "Why were
these boys in Viet Nam?" And we will say: Because to defend
democracy and liberty is always a valiant cause. From the fields
of Flanders to the rugged cliffs of Normandy. Whether scaling
n
hillsides
Korea's uplands. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
3
Mekong. For liberty can ensure for individuals, choice; for
society, pluralism; and for Nations, self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible: Viet Nam vets,
Cities and towns, Foundations, organizations, and other
contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the hope and
opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our children what
this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and sacrifice.
Qualities which know no generation or place.
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Viet Nam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was the battle fought for
respect and recognition at home. If ultimate victory was denied
They won every major battle in which they
them in the first, victory is finally theirs in the second.
fought and with the panage of time They have finally won The battle
For the hearts of their countrymen
The children who come here today and will come tomorrow
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous
who died
people whose names illuminate these tablets. These men, would
want our kids to have the future they were deprived of future
without war and fear. Their sacrifice has helped make that
future possible.
Lincoln termed such sacrifice "that last full measure of
devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the Texans we
4
honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you will
-- but above all, we want to be remembered."
Today, we remember the Lone Star heroes of America's Longest
War. And through them, heroes throughout our history --
America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms and bore
our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
Today, we remember the nearly 3.3 million Americans who
served in Viet Nam -- more than 450,000 of them Texans. Men like
Sam Johnson, a prisoner for 7 years in what they called the
Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a State
legislator.
This morning, we also remember America's wounded from the
Viet Nam conflict -- and the over 17,000 proud Texans who paid
a heavy price. They were proud of the United States. They make
us proud today.
And there are our missing or unaccounted for -- we remember
them, too. For while they may be missing in action -- and from
our lives -- MIA's are not missing from our thoughts nor from our
hearts. And so the POW-MIA flag now flies at the Viet Nam
Veterans Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
and POW-MIA Recognition Day. // And we will not rest until
every veteran is accounted for.
Finally, we remember the 58,022 Americans who gave their
lives in Viet Nam. And the 3,243 brave men -- the third-largest
number of any State -- who came from almost 600 Texas cities and
small towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal of El Paso, only 21
5
when he was killed by a fragmentation device. And Robert Larry
Oakes from Lamesa -- only 20, killed by rifle fire. Both died
exactly 20 years ago today. Yes, think of these men, honor them.
Recall how they served from Dak To to Khe Sanh.
Last month, I received a letter I'd like to share with you.
It was from Mrs. Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she
talked of her family -- four sons, a daughter. And how she lost
two of those boys on the battlefields of Viet Nam.
"Ed and Dale," she wrote, "died with the Marines. They
were both extremely proud to represent Texas -- Ed asked that I
send him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him BIG TEX.
Several moments ago, I met with Mrs. McWright and her
daughter, Connie. For in her letter, she told me that each of
her sons had a dream -- Ed, to be a baseball player; Dale, to own
a stable. Her dream, she said, had been "to one day [shake] the
hand of a President of the United States."
Mrs. McWright, it is I who am honored to shake your hand.
For it is you -- and millions of other mothers, fathers,
daughters, and sons -- who embody the decency, service, and
almost unbelievable courage that makes this Memorial such a
monument to everything that America is -- and can become.
This is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial. The
memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo and And San Jacinto
wellas
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. Fellow
vets, I salute you. God bless you and God bless America. And
now, it is my great privilege to officially open this tribute to
6
the greatest sons and daughters any Nation could ever have -- the
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
# # # #
088511SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE:
11/7/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: 11/8/89 10:00 AM
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL, DALLAS
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
PINKERTON
FITZWATER
WHMO
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston, Rm. 122,
x2930, no later than 10:00 AM, Wednesday, November 8, with a
copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
nice work. DA
20 d'd ฿ 100.68 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1989 NOV -7 PM 1: 42
Draft Three
November 6, 1989
TEXAS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: VIET NAM MEMORIAL
DALLAS, TEXAS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1989
Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Russell, Mr. Burkett, Members of the
Foundation, Fellow Veterans and Texans, My fellow Americans.
Thank you, Jack, for that generous introduction. It is a
privilege to be with you -- and to officially dedicate a monument
that is proud and patriotic and thus, quintessentially Texan.
The Texas Viet Nam Veterans Memorial.
Memorials like these form the very embodiment of a Nation.
Expressing our deepest values, and our character as a people.
For we Americans navigate by such symbols. The St. Louis Arch,
pointing toward the West. The Statue of Liberty, its silhouette
a morning star of freedom. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
whose majesty proclaims the principle of self-government. All
show that what we are matters more than what we have.
So it is here, today, for the Lone Star heroes of America's
Longest War. For this Memorial moves us, inspires us. And its
lessons live as oral history -- passed from one generation to
another. This Memorial is not mere stone and masonry, as
striking as they are. It is a tangible testament to America's
those who've some before us.
love for the living -- and for the dead.
2
Last year, nearly half of the visitors to America's Viet
Nam memorials were boys and girls age 12 or younger. These
children don't remember the conflict in Southeast Asia. And when
they wonder, "What is this memorial all about?" we owe them an
answer. An answer whose honesty will be worthy of our veterans.
They will ask, first, "Who were these men and women?" --
these Lone Star heroes of Viet Nam. And we must answer: They
were black and white, red and brown -- almost a quarter of the
names on this memorial are Hispanic. They were native-born and
foreign-born, the privileged and the poor. But most of all, they
were Americans. Americans from the barrios of San Antonio, the
city streets of Houston, and the vast expanse of western Texas.
Americans who were young, and often frightened. And so very far
from home.
Next, our kids will wonder: "What did they value?" -- these
brave young soldiers. And we must tell them: They valued
freedom. They valued human dignity. They loved the United
States of America. And so they overcame their fear -- which,
after all, is the very definition of courage. In a struggle
which -- like every war -- showed man's inhumanity to man, they
strove to prove man's fidelity to honor.
Then, our kids will pose a fundamental question: "Why were
these boys in Viet Nam?" And we will say: Because to defend
democracy and liberty is always a valiant cause. From the fields
of Flanders to the rugged cliffs of Normandy. Whether scaling
Korea's uplands. Or trudging through the rice paddies of the
3
Mekong. For liberty can ensure for individuals, choice; for
society, pluralism; and for Nations, self-determination.
Finally, our children will ask us: "How do we salute the
men who fought for freedom?" We salute them by never forgetting
that true peace means the triumph of freedom -- not merely the
absence of war. We salute them through memorials like this. And
by thanking the volunteers who made it possible. Viet Nam vets.
communities.
Cities and towns. Foundations, organizations, and other
contributors. We honor them by giving all our vets the hope and
opportunity they have earned. And by teaching our children what
this memorial teaches us. About selflessness and sacrifice.
Qualities which know no generation. or place
Unlike other veterans, the brave boys who went to Viet Nam
had to endure two wars. The first war was the battle waged in
swamps and jungles abroad. The second was the battle fought for
respect and recognition at home. If ultimate victory was denied
them in the first, victory is finally theirs in the second.
The children who come here today and will come tomorrow
evidence that victory. They must know about the courageous
people whose names illuminate these tablets. These men would
never knew.
want our kids to have the future they were deprived of. A future
without war and fear. Their sacrifice has helped make that
future possible.
Lincoln termed such sacrifice "that last full measure of
devotion." And we must never forget it. For if the Texans we
4
honor today could speak, they might say, "Praise us as you will
-- but above all, we want to be remembered."
Today, we remember the Lone Star heroes of America's Longest
War. And through them, heroes throughout our history --
America's uniformed sons and daughters who took up arms and bore
our burden for a cause larger than themselves.
really?
Today, we remember the nearly 3.3 million Americans who
served in Viet Nam -- more than 450,000 of them Texans. Men like
- 's Sam Johnson, a prisoner for 7 years in what they called the
Hanoi Hilton. Tortured, but never defeated. Now a State
legislator.
This morning, we also remember America's wounded from the
Viet Nam conflict -- and the over 17,000 proud Texans who paid
a heavy price. They were proud of the United States. They make
us proud today.
And there are our missing or unaccounted for -- we remember
them, too. For while they may be missing in action -- and from
our lives -- MIA's are not missing from our thoughts nor from our
hearts. And so the POW-MIA flag now flies at the Viet Nam
Veterans Memorial in Washington on Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
and POW-MIA Recognition Day. // And we will not rest until
every veteran is accounted for.
Finally, we remember the 58,022 Americans who gave their
lives in Viet Nam. And the 3,243 brave men -- the third-largest
number of any State -- who came from almost 600 Texas cities and
small towns. Men like Ruben Jose Carbajal of El Paso, only 21
5
when he was killed by a fragmentation device. And Robert Larry
Oakes from Lamesa -- only 20, killed by rifle fire. Both died
exactly 20 years ago today. Yes, think of these men, honor them.
in lonely place like and
Recall how they served from Dak To to Khe Sanh.
Last month, I received a letter I'd like to share with you.
It was from Mrs. Connie McWright of Dallas. And in it she
talked of her family -- four sons, a daughter. And how she lost
two of those boys on the battlefields of Viet Nam.
"Ed and Dale," she wrote, "died with the Marines. They
were both extremely proud to represent Texas -- Ed asked that I
send him a Texas flag." She said his buddies called him BIG TEX.
Several moments ago, I met with Mrs. McWright and her
daughter, Connie. For in her letter, she told me that each of
this
her sons had a dream -- Ed, to be a baseball player; Dale, to own
a stable. Her dream, she said, had been "to one day [shake] the
was
her
hand of a President of the United States."
daughtert
Mrs. McWright, it is I who am honored to shake your hand.
dream
For it is you -- and millions of other mothers, fathers,
daughters, and sons -- who embody the decency, service, and
almost unbelievable courage that makes this Memorial such a
monument to everything that America is -- and can become.
This is your memorial. Ed and Dale's memorial. The
memorial which honors the spirit of the Alamo. And San Jacinto.
And earlier heroes named Travis and Houston and Bowie. Fellow
vets, I salute you. God bless you and God bless America. And
now, it is my great privilege to officially open this tribute to
6
the greatest sons and daughters any Nation could ever have -- the
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
# # # #
js.R
11-11-89
911 St. Joseph Apt. 907
Dallas, TX 75246
October 22, 1989
Honorable President Bush and First Lady:
I admire both of you - for your patriotism - service to America -
and your obvious devotion to your family.
The McWright family was composed of mother, father, four sons and
a daughter. Most of us have lived in Dallas, Texas for 35 years.
Ed and Dale died with the Marines in Vietnam. Even though these
two fine men gave their best representing Texas (they both enlisted
in Dallas) neither of them was born here. Ed was born in Chicago,
Illinois and Dale in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They were both ex-
tremely proud to represent Texas though - Ed asked that I send
him a Texas flag (his buddies called him BIG TEX) and I have never
heard of a family who gave two sons in this conflict.
I understand there is a possibility you may attend the dedication
of the Texas Vietnam Memorial at Fair Park November 11th. I know
you know from experience that each child in a family has a dream -
my son Allen always wanted a farm - he has it in Kentucky - Ed wanted
to be a baseball king - Dale wanted a motorcycle and a stable -
Wayne wanted an antique car and is striving to get it - but Connie -
a devoted mother and now substitute school teacher - dreams of one
day shaking the hand of a PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I am 72-years-old now and am wondering if you do attend the ceremony,
even with your strict necessary protection, if you could possibly
care enough to let her be close enough to you and Mrs. Bush to realize
her dream.
My daughter (Connie Bosher), my son Wayne and I will surely attend and
also I heard the other day that one of Ed's buddies he fought with in
Vietnam (and never knew before then) is bringing his wife to the dedication
to pay tribute ALL THE WAY FROM NEW JERSEY. They have already donated
$1,000 to help build the Memorial. It's almost eerie how close these
veterans living feel towards those who gave their lives. I will be happy
that Ed and Dale's names will be together in alphabetical order instead
of the way the Washington Memorial is arranged by service periods.
I wish both of you the best possible life serving America and hope to see
you in Dallas.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Connie McWright
Phone: (214) 824-2690
Connie Bosher's phone:
(214) 324-9835