WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2014 – The Vietnam War Memorial teaches Americans to honor those who sacrificed, but also to be honest and to question the policies that send Americans to war, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today.Hagel served as an Army sergeant in the 9th Infantry Division during the war and spoke at the Wall today about the meaning of the memorial.
The secretary spoke about his first Veterans Day as a veteran in Omaha, Nebraska. “I’ve always remembered that Veterans Day in 1969, because it reminded me of the one constant throughout the Vietnam War – the uncommon valor of common Americans from every corner of our country,” he said. “They were the quiet heroes of our time. Some of these veterans are here today, and the names of many more are memorialized on the Wall behind us.”
The Wall lists the names of the more than 58,000 Americans killed during the war. Those looking at the names also see the reflections of themselves.
“As it records the names of the past, and reflects our hopes for the future, it also offers a reminder – a message that carries across generations: The Wall reminds us to honor those who defend our country – from making sure they’re treated with the dignity, respect, and appreciation they deserve, to caring for those who return home with visible – and invisible – wounds of war,” Hagel said.
No matter when, where or what war, the United States has “a sacred responsibility” to care for and honor those who sacrificed, the secretary said. read more>>>
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., Nov. 11, 2014 – An unbroken line of veterans has kept the United States and its freedoms safe since the founding of the republic, Vice President Joe Biden said today at America’s most sacred shrine.Biden thanked veterans and their families for their efforts and sacrifices during Veterans’ Day ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater.
The vice president placed a wreath at the tomb and delivered remarks to about 2,000 veterans.
“Every single generation of veterans throughout our history has been the best that this country has had to offer,” he said. “It is as true today as it was 200 years ago when a generation of warriors held the ramparts at Fort McHenry against the full might of the British navy in the Battle of Baltimore.”
That battle, the vice president reminded the audience, inspired Francis Scott Key to write what became the U.S. national anthem – The Star-Spangled Banner.
In the song, Key asks the question “does that star-spangled banner yet wave?” and the vice president used that question to illustrate the contributions of veterans through American history. read more>>>
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