Barack Obama: “You've performed heroically in some of the most dangerous places on Earth.”

We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse…

They're meant to remind us of who we can be, to remind us of what's possible, so we can forge ahead.

The success of this experiment was never a given.

Your task is not to impose litmus tests.