Good
morning. I want to thank my
friend Roger Neighborgall,
President of the World War
II Ranger Battalions Association,
and the Greater Falls Church
Veterans Council for inviting
me to join you today. It is
truly an honor to be here on
behalf of the FBI and to be
in the company of so many veterans.
You are the reason we are here
to celebrate.
We
have all come together to pay
tribute to the more than 48
million Americans who have
worn the uniform during war
and peace. Nearly 25 million
of them are living today. This
is one of the best times to
live in the Washington, D.C.
area—if you go down to
the National Mall, you will
see veterans of all ages, who
have come from every part of
the country to commemorate,
honor, and to celebrate in
the nation’s capital.
You
will see them beneath the arches
of the National World War II
Memorial, reuniting with former
comrades. You will see them
at the Korean War Veterans
Memorial, laying wreaths beside
the Pool of Remembrance. You
will see them at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial, tracing
the names of their fallen friends
from the wall.
Their
presence reminds us of the
debt we owe to all those who
have served throughout our
nation’s history. Yet
we are also mindful that hundreds
of thousands of Americans are
serving right now, in many
corners of the world.
As
you might guess, many FBI employees
are veterans who joined the
Bureau after their military
service because they wanted
to continue serving America.
For almost 100 years, the FBI
has built a reputation as a
world-class law enforcement
agency, whose primary mission
was to protect Americans from
crime. But September 11 added
greater depth to our mission
and greater responsibility
to the American people. Today,
the FBI is not just a world-class
law enforcement agency. The
FBI is also a world-class counterterrorism
and intelligence agency. Our
highest priority is preventing
terrorism.
You
all know that the FBI is on
the front lines of the war
on terrorism here at home.
What you might not know is
that the FBI is also serving
on the front lines in Iraq
and Afghanistan, working alongside
U.S. military forces.
The
FBI has a substantial number
of personnel currently stationed
in Iraq and Afghanistan,
including special agents, intelligence
analysts, and bomb technicians.
Their primary mission is to
support our military forces
in an intelligence capacity—because
in this global war, the most
valuable weapon we have is
intelligence.
The
FBI’s job is to look
for threat intelligence overseas
that indicates a possible connection
to America—or
to American interests in other
countries. As we learned on
September 11, terrorists do
not have to be in the same
country or even on the same
continent to plan, finance,
and carry out attacks.
For
example, a terrorist safe house
in Afghanistan might
contain documents that discuss
a potential terrorist operation
that targets U.S. citizens
or interests worldwide. It
might contain latent fingerprints,
incriminating photos or electronic
media, or other suspicious
items. One tiny scrap of evidence—a
fingerprint, a fuse, a computer
disk, a cell phone—could
be the key to preventing another
terrorist attack and to protecting
our forces on the front lines.
The FBI’s mission is
to identify actionable intelligence
and share it with all of our
partners so that together,
we can prevent potential attacks.
The
skills of FBI agents, analysts,
and technicians complement
the skills of our soldiers.
FBI personnel support every
aspect of military operations,
from interviewing detainees
and witnesses, to collecting
and processing evidence from
crime scenes, to analyzing
explosives, to engaging in
enemy combat beside our soldiers.
As
the veterans here can attest,
in the midst of a sensitive
military operation, you don’t
always have the luxury of time.
The mission of the U.S. military—and
of the FBI—is to get
the right information to the
right people at the right time.
Once our soldiers kick in the
door of that safe house, they
need to gather information
and process evidence quickly.
This is why it is so valuable
to have FBI personnel working
alongside them.
And
when I say “alongside,” I
mean it literally. FBI agents
go out on missions with the
military, sometimes finding
themselves under fire. The
FBI is in the trenches in Afghanistan
and Iraq, ducking gunfire,
securing villages, analyzing
improvised explosive devices,
helping wounded soldiers, and
dismantling terrorist groups.
Whether
they are Marines, Army Rangers,
Navy or Air Force pilots, or
FBI agents, they are working
as one team. Their jobs may
be different, but their mission
is the same: protecting America
and defending freedom.
Fifty
years ago, it would have been
unheard of for the FBI to be
in war zones on far-off shores.
So much has changed in our
world, yet the commitment of
our service men and women has
remained the same. The millions
of veterans we honor today
came from all walks of life
and then walked into places
most of us would dare not go.
They stepped into harm’s
way to keep us out of harm’s
way.
I
come from a military family.
I am a veteran. My father was
a veteran and fought in Korea.
My mother spent nearly 20 years
at the Pentagon serving the
military as a civilian. My
son is presently serving as
a fighter pilot for the Navy.
My
father-in-law was a highly
decorated veteran. He served
in World War II, Korean, and
twice in Vietnam.
He was awarded a Silver Star,
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Bronze Star, Legion of Merit,
and over 27 air medals.
My
mother-in-law was a flight
nurse during World War II and
helped evacuate wounded soldiers
from front line engagements
such as Omaha Beach in France.
What many people might not
know is that flight nurses
in World War II were always
deployed to the front lines
to evacuate wounded and dying
soldiers.
I
have always had a deep appreciation
for the value of military service
and a deep admiration for those
who lead troops. It has always
amazed me that somehow, our
military leaders have been
able to inspire and lead young
men and women to do things
they never imagined they could
do—often in the face
of tremendous odds. They are
able to transform a seemingly
insurmountable task into an
unambiguous act of duty.
And
sometimes, those acts of duty
change the course of history.
Look at Joshua Chamberlain,
a colonel with the 20th Maine
Volunteer Infantry Regiment
during the Civil War. On July
2, 1863,
he found himself defending
Little Round Top in the Battle
of Gettysburg. Many of you
may know the story. Confederate
forces were storming the hill,
striking over and over. Ammunition
was running low, and many soldiers
had been killed. But Chamberlain
knew that Little Round Top
had tremendous tactical importance.
He knew that if the Union soldiers
did not hold it, the battle
would probably be lost.
Chamberlain
had to think fast. He commanded
his soldiers to charge downhill
with their bayonets in a dramatic,
daring maneuver. They were
successful—they held
Little Round Top. That proved
to be the turning point for
the Battle of Gettysburg. And
many historians consider the
Battle of Gettysburg the turning
point in the Civil War.
At
the dedication of the Maine
monument at Gettysburg in
1888, Joshua Chamberlain said, “It
is something great and greatening
to cherish an ideal…to
set aside the near advantage…and
to act for remoter ends, for
higher good, and for interests
other than our own.”
Today
is a day to thank our veterans
for putting aside their own
interests and serving America.
But we honor not just those
few who have made it into the
history books. We honor every
man and woman who has guarded
a post, led a mission, or tended
a wounded soldier. We honor
every private and pilot, every
airman and ensign, every sergeant
and Seal.
Two
weeks ago, my wife and I saw
my son off at National Airport.
He was headed back to his base
in California after
a short visit home. As we watched
him walk down the terminal
toward his plane, an elderly
man approached us. He said, “What
branch of the military does
your son serve in?” I
proudly told him my son was
an F-18 pilot in the United
States Navy. The man paused,
and then said, “Please
tell your son thank you.”
I
also want to say thank you
to Corporal Andy Anderson’s
family for his service and
his bravery and honor the sacrifice
he made for our great nation.
From
all of us at the FBI, I thank
each and every veteran for
your sacrifice and service.
May God bless you all, and
may God bless America.
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