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Remarks Prepared For Delivery By
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Salute to Veterans
U.S. Department of
Labor
Friday, November 14, 2003
Good morning. We have a wonderful program planned for you today.
First of all, I want to thank the talented singers from the W.D. Woodson
Senior High School Choir for inspiring us with that wonderful rendition of the
national anthem. They were just wonderful, weren’t they?
And I am delighted to welcome the children from the Esther Peterson
Child Development Center who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. And Lieutenant
Nichols, thank you for that beautiful invocation.
We are also privileged to have several distinguished guests with us this
morning—my Cabinet colleague, the Honorable Anthony Principi, who is
Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Robert Ravener, the Vice President for Human
Resources at Home Depot, a major employer and a committed employer to our
veterans; and Major General David Wherley, Commanding General of the District
of Columbia National Guard.
And I also very pleased to welcome the Executive Directors of the major
veterans service organizations and the courageous veterans who have returned to
us from Operation Iraqi Freedom. We have with us Sergeant First Class Douglas
Hall and Staff Sergeant Matthew Profitt. May we ask you to stand up?
I had the opportunity to meet earlier with these brave men and women,
who have been wounded in the service of our country. Doug and Matthew, I want
to say that you are examples of the very best that America has to offer and you
are an inspiration to us all.
And let me also recognize two others at the Bureau of International
Labor Affairs, Jim Rude and Craig Davis, who volunteered to help build
democracy in Iraq, when their hotel in Baghdad was attacked a few weeksago.
They are here today to show their support for our military and I want to thank
them for their service to the Department of Labor and our country, and helping
to ensure a brighter day for us and for Iraq.
Today is a special day to remember and thank all our veterans for
their brave service in protecting and preserving the freedoms and liberties
that we enjoy every day in our country.They willingly make the greatest
sacrifice—giving their lives in the fight for freedom if necessary. There
is no greatercalling.
This celebration also recognizes that military families, whose support
and love sustains our men and women in uniform, make sacrifices for their
country as well. That’s why the theme of this year’s celebration is
so appropriate—“Veterans and Their Families: A Legacy of Service and
Sacrifice.” Together, they are preserving the precious legacy of freedom
for all of us.
I am proud to have this opportunity to publicly acknowledge and salute
the more than 3,200 veterans, reservists and National Guard members working at
the Department of Labor. We appreciate all that you do!
And I want to say a special thanks to the National Guard and Reservist
members of our DOL family who are serving on active duty in Iraq and
Afghanistan. And I would also like to acknowledge Private First Class Miller, a
member of our DOL family who distinguished himself recently on the field of
battle. Your courage has inspired all of us at the Department to work even
harder on behalf of America’s veterans.
As many of you know, there are now more than 26 million living American
veterans. Throughout two centuries of conflict and change, the courage of our
military has never faltered. These remarkable men and women have preserved our
freedoms and liberated millions of people around the world from the threat of
tyranny and terror.
This is a tremendous achievement.
As former Director of the Peace Corps, I have a special appreciation for
the good that America—and the military—has accomplished throughout
the world.
Thanks to our men and women in uniform—America has been able to
step up to the plate again and again to defend freedom worldwide. As our
President George W. Bush said, “This nation loves peace. We are a
peace-loving people. We work for peace. Yet America must always be prepared to
confront and defeat the enemies of human freedom. And when war is forced upon
us, we will see it through to victory.”
The price of victory is always high. That’s why we must always be
there for our veterans.
At the Department of Labor, we are doing everything we can to protect
and promote the rights of our citizen-soldiers who have been called up for
active duty. We enforce USERRA—the law that protects the jobs, health
insurance coverage, and pension benefits of our citizen soldiers.
Last year, Labor Department’s Veterans Employment and Training
Service developed an interactive computer program, the USERRA Adviser,
to make everyone’s rights and responsibilities crystal clear. And last
year, the Department launched an Internet gateway, the e-VETS Resource
Adviser. It brings information about veterans’ resources together in
one place.
This Administration is committed to using every tool at our disposal to
get the word out about opportunities, protections and programs available to
veterans.
So on this special day, let us honor the courage and sacrifice of our
veterans, active duty soldiers and their families. As we reflect upon all that
they have done, I know we will always keep a special place for them in our
hearts and in our prayers.
Thank you, may God bless you, and may God bless America.
* * *
“Adopt a Unit” Remarks
With so many of America’s troops fighting in the global war on
terrorism, I have been looking for new ways for the Department of Labor to let
these brave men and women know how much we care and support what they are
doing, and how much we want to take care of them when they come back.
Today, I am delighted to announce that the Department is establishing a
sponsorship relationship with our citizen soldiers closest to home by
“adopting” the D.C. National Guard.
Now if I could ask Major General David F. Wherley, Jr., Commanding
General of the District of Columbia National Guard, to join me for the
presentation of a very special certificate. I am very honored to sign this
Adopt-A-Unit Certificate on behalf of the Department of Labor, and I ask
General Wherley to sign on behalf of the D.C. National Guard.
I really hope that the recognition, support and social events that begin
here will strengthen our bonds with you and benefit all the great people on
your team.
I know this is the beginning of a great relationship.
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