President Barack Obama is assisted by U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Alfred Lanier (R) in placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a Veterans Day full honor ceremony with Brig. Gen. Karl Horst (L) at Arlington National Cemetery. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
by Christi Parsons
On a day when Americans acknowledge the service of veterans past, President Barack Obama today told members of the military currently serving around the world that he will honor their work with a commitment to the "hard work of peace."
Speaking to veterans and their families at a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama said modern service members belong in history alongside veterans of "wars whose names have come to define eras."
"We don't mark this day each year as a celebration of victory," Obama said. "We mark this day as a celebration of those who made victory possible.
"That is why we fight" today, the president said. "In hopes of a day when we no longer need to."
The president delivered his first Veterans Day address flanked by top military officials and veterans, after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. EST, commemorating the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month on which an armistice was signed ending the major actions of World War I in 1918. Congress later established the date as the holiday which Americans mark today.
This anniversary falls at a time of raw grief for many, as the nation reels from the brutal attack at Fort Hood, Texas, just a week ago. The nation's military personnel just marked the bloodiest month in the eight-year war in Afghanistan, a conflict into which Obama is about to deploy thousands of more Americans in the coming months.
Later today, the president returns to the White House to meet with top advisors, with whom he is working toward a decision on just how many troops to send and how they should be deployed. The decision is likely to come in the aftermath of his trip to Asia that begins on Friday.
This morning, the president was somber as he marked the occasion and the context in which the nation observes it today.
Recalling his visit to Fort Hood for a memorial service yesterday, Obama talked about the determination he saw in the survivors of the attack, with an Army psychiatrist suspected of killing 13 and wounding 29 more at the base.
In this time of war," he said, "we gather here mindful that the generation serving today already deserves a place alongside previous generations for the courage they have shown and sacrifices they have made."
For veterans and their families, the president said, there's "no tribute, no commemoration, no praise" that can match the magnitude of their service and sacrifice.
Future veterans will not suffer the neglect and condemnation that greeted many Viet Nam veterans, Obama said.
"When your tour ends," he president said to those now serving, "when you touch our soil, you will be home in an America that's forever here for you just as you were there for us. That's my promise."
Comments
For there to be real peace, there must be real justice.
Bring our troops home today!
Posted by: writerofwrongs | November 11, 2009 1:35 PM
The first and foremost role of a commander-in-chief is to recognize who is the enemy. Obama seems to be unable or unwilling to accept that responsibility.
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 1:42 PM
Let's dispense, forever, shall we, the notion that any one generation is "greater" than another or is "greatest?" Twice in two days, Obama has made reference to this generation of soldiers as being greatest. And I nearly gag every time I hear of the WWII vets referred to as the Greatest Generation. Why? Why is one greater than another? Can't they all be pretty damn fine people?
Posted by: Beth | November 11, 2009 4:23 PM
Hard work? huh BO has no idea what it means
Posted by: Chicken-little | November 11, 2009 4:31 PM
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Hard work? huh BO has no idea what it means
Posted by: Chicken-little | November 11, 2009 4:31 PM
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Really Teresa?
Actually, it was the Republican clown that you voted for (Bush)....twice....who set the record for taking the most vacation days as a sitting president.
.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/11/politics/uwire/main3927378.shtml
Try again....
Posted by: Vobby Zobby | November 11, 2009 4:59 PM
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 1:42 PM
_____________________________________
Erica,
So when Bush and Cheney invaded Iraq on trumped up Neocon intelligence looking for non existent WMD's, that was "recognizing who the enemy is", in your mind?
Ha Ha Ha!
Come on Wingnuts, you can do better than this!
Posted by: Annie | November 11, 2009 5:07 PM
The first and foremost role of a commander-in-chief is to recognize who is the enemy. Obama seems to be unable or unwilling to accept that responsibility.
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 1:42 PM
Excelent coment, very true.
Posted by: Inky | November 11, 2009 5:33 PM
President Obama's speech at Fort Hood may go down as one of his best ever. He was able to balance his duties as Commander in Chief while consoling a nation in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy. That he was able to do this while taking away the focus on the shooter's religion was even more impressive. It was one of those speeches that makes you especially proud to be an American.
Posted by: Nicholas Siebrasse | November 11, 2009 5:33 PM
The first and foremost role of a commander-in-chief is to recognize who is the enemy.
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 1:42 PM
That is the main reason we need to keep republicans out of the WhiteHouse. To them, the enemy is anyone who thinks differently than them.
Taking back America from Americans!
Posted by: bill r. | November 11, 2009 5:34 PM
The first and foremost role of a commander-in-chief is to recognize who is the enemy. Obama seems to be unable or unwilling to accept that responsibility.
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 1:42 PM
Perhaps you could enlighten us Erica and tell us who exactly is our enemy???
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | November 11, 2009 5:42 PM
If you left-wing bloggers, along with Obama, do not know who is the enemy, it speaks more about you and Obama than needs to be said.
Posted by: Erica | November 11, 2009 8:22 PM
It is also time that our country remember and thank it's veterans of the Cold War. Freedom prevailed as it stood on the shoulders of those willing to meet evil with force on it's behalf. Long enough have our Cold War veterans been forgotten, let this be the last veterans day we forget them! Support the Cold War Service Medal Act of 2009 - Remember them! www.AmericanColdWarVets.org
Posted by: Scott L'Ecuyer | November 11, 2009 9:27 PM
It is good to hope for a day that would require no more wars or fights and peace would reign. It was a very good time to remember the war veterans who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country.
Posted by: keyboard | November 12, 2009 2:03 AM
President Obama's speech at Fort Hood may go down as one of his best ever. He was able to balance his duties as Commander in Chief while consoling a nation in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy. That he was able to do this while taking away the focus on the shooter's religion was even more impressive. It was one of those speeches that makes you especially proud to be an American.
Posted by: Nicholas Siebrasse | November 11, 2009 5:33 PM
Your panty hose look wet!
Excuse me, what's that smelly yellow stuff running down your leg?
Besides discarding the fact that the murderer is a radical Islamist terrorist, it was a great speech all right. I'll replay it later when I'm done giving my cat it's bath.
Posted by: springfield | November 12, 2009 4:43 PM