On the recordOctober 8, 1998
Throughout the entire presidency of Theodore Roosevelt our forces were never ordered into battle. Theodore Roosevelt understood that the ultimate purpose of military power is to deter conflict and he, in fact, achieved that goal during his presidency. I can think of nothing more fitting for Theodore Roosevelt and in fact I can think of nothing more emblematic of our Nation than one day, following this action, to have the Congressional Medal of Honor on that mantle for display immediately adjacent to the Nobel Peace Prize. We are a nation that reveres peace. We do all that we can to achieve peace, and we are prepared to go to war only in those cases when necessary to defend the fundamental interests and liberty of the citizens of our Nation. We abhor war. We strive for peace.
Source
govinfo.gov
