Bill Clinton: “Thank you. Thank you very much, Secretary Brown, for your introduction and for the service that you, Deputy Secretary…”

“Thank you. Thank you very much, Secretary Brown, for your introduction and for the service that you, Deputy Secretary Gober, and all of the men and women of the Department of Veterans Affairs render to our Nation every day. I thank Commander Zweiman for his remarkable address this morning, and I congratulate him on the 100th anniversary of the Jewish War Veterans of America. Thank you, sir. To the distinguished leaders of our veterans' organizations; all the veterans who are here; the Gold Star mothers; the Gold Star wives; Major General Foley; all the members of the Cabinet who are here; the Joint Chiefs; the men and women in uniform, their families, and my fellow Americans. Today on this hallowed hillside and all across our great land, we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of our veterans, all those who followed our flag in war and peace, those who gave their lives, and those who came home. Each of us owes to all of them a debt we can never fully repay. The inscription on the Korean war memorial says, ``Freedom is not free.'' For more than two centuries, our armed services have defended our freedom and made our Nation a beacon of hope for the world. I'd like to take a moment in this special time for Americans to recognize the special contribution that one American veteran in particular has made to our Nation. Bob Dole was a 21-year-old 2d lieutenant serving in the Po Valley of Italy when a German shell struck him down in battle.…”