Speeches

Veteran's Day 2007

Ambassador Miriam K. Hughes

November 12, 2007

Throughout the history of the United States, America has been protected by people who cherish liberty and make great sacrifices to advance freedom. The members of the United States Armed Forces include brave, disciplined men and women from Micronesia, who give themselves generously to the call of duty. We are partners in peace. All Veterans are champions of human dignity and valor. You have answered the call to serve. You have fought for the power of liberty and the betterment of the lives of others. On Veterans Day, we honor those who have sadly passed and those who are proudly present - our extraordinary Armed Services members.

Our veterans have shouldered great responsibility. They have held fast against determined and ruthless enemies and helped save the world from tyranny and terror. From East to West, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, in fundamental ways, we are one world. People aspire toward democratic governance like the coconut palms yearn for water. We fight for free societies in which we and our families and friends can stretch and grow, find our true voices, and prosper.

Veterans Day is dedicated to those who protected our freedom in years past, and to those who protect it today. Every Soldier, Sailor, Airman and woman, Marine (the Marine Corps, incidentally, just celebrated its historic 232nd anniversary on November 10), and every Coast Guard member has earned the lasting gratitude of the American people. Their service and sacrifice will be remembered forever. In the words of Abraham Lincoln: " . . . let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the Nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle . . . ."

This is what our Veterans have lived and died for: that we might thrive in conditions of peace and freedom. We recognize their contributions with awe, prayer and boundless appreciation.