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Speech

USO Lounge Dedication Ceremony

Thanks very much, John. And good afternoon, everyone. There’s nothing like the Color Guard and the National Anthem to set the right tone for what’s happening today.

I think it’s great that we can come together like this, especially on the anniversary of VE Day. I don’t know if this was all planned, or if it’s just a coincidence or what. But Elaine has always had an incredible knack for timing and for selflessness. Elaine, thanks so much for your leadership at one of the area’s finest non-profit organizations — USO Metro.

Like you, the USO is the very epitome of the voluntary spirit, and it came into being many decades ago to meet a real need in the first few months of World War II.

It continues to this day because of volunteers who give their time and effort to helping our men and women in uniform.

To many an old naval hand like me, the USO always brings to mind a helping hand in a foreign port of call or tickets to a Broadway show during Fleet Week. But as we all know, it’s also so much more.

The USO is a haven. They’re the ones you go to when home is still a thousand miles away or when you just need a shoulder to cry on.

So this is an occasion for us to say thank you to the USO for what you do. Thank you for your continued mission to improve not only the morale, and to lift it as you do, but to enrich the quality of life for our military personnel.

You can’t put a price tag on that. I’ve said it many times how easy it is to give money to something because money is renewable. No matter how much of it you spend, you can always go back to work and get more of it. But it doesn’t work that way with time. Time is not renewable. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. So time ends up being more precious than money.

When you give away your time, as our military men and women are doing, they’re giving away something very precious. They’re never going to get it back again. Neither will all of the USO volunteers. They invest countless hours in the morale and welfare of our troops.

And on behalf of everyone here, I just want to say thank you to all of them.

This lounge here at Reagan is going to long endure. It’s going to be the symbol of those of you who deliver America to our military men and women the world over.

As we learned from VE Day, freedom and liberty are not birthrights. Rather, they need to be guarded, defended and protected at all times.

Like the men and women who served during World War II, this generation will also earn the respect and admiration of generations yet unborn for answering the call. You and your families are sacrificing your most precious asset — time — to preserve our way of life, and it is deeply appreciated by the American people.

On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you. Your patriotism and your service are highly valued.