Remarks at the Bernardo de Galvez Memorial Ceremony

Amb. Westendorp, Gen. Sanz Roldan, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to be here to honor a Spanish hero who is also an American hero, and in doing so celebrate the warm ties and strong relationship that exists between these two allies, one that goes back to the beginning of our republic. Indeed, we owe our republic in many ways to Spain and to the very famous son of Spain we celebrate today.

Every time we are in Galveston, Texas, or St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, or on the Acapulco Highway or can find our way in Mexico City at night, we can thank Bernardo de Galvez, or at least have occasion to think of him. I'll go even further-every time we Americans enjoy our freedoms, we also have to include de Galvez among those we thank.

Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid was Count of Galvez, and was at one time or another Governor of Cuba, Louisiana and Florida, as well as Viceroy of New Spain. He received many accolades during a brief life that was filled with accomplishments-he died in 1786 at the age of 40.

But my favorite title of his was Viscount of Galveston. Many of our cities are named after European aristocrats, New York after the Duke of York, Baltimore after Lord Baltimore are but two examples. My home state of Pennsylvania after William Penn. And clearly, Galveston was named after Galvez. But then we had the reverse phenomenon: this is the only case I can think of where a European nobility title was then established, named for an American settlement.

Galvez had the area around the island and city of Galveston chartered, and so they were named after him when they were founded on 1786. Since Galvez died that same year, he never set foot on his namesake city or island.

The reason we Americans, and others, revere Galvez is not, of course, simply because he ordered this area to be surveyed, or because he first thought of putting street lights in Mexico City, or started work on the road to Acapulco.

Bernardo de Galvez was an ally of our Founding Fathers during our Revolutionary War to gain independence from Britain. And quite a valuable ally he was.

Soon after Spain declared war on England in June 1779, Galvez, then governor of Louisiana, went into action. He not only kept New Orleans in Spanish hands, but also captured Baton Rouge, thereby ensuring that the Mississippi was closed to British ships and open only to those of Spain, France and the Colonies.

Not content with that, de Galvez took Natchez, Mobile and Pensacola, this time barring the British from ports on the Gulf of Mexico. He was planning the invasion of Jamaica when the British surrendered - how inconvenient! Galvez then became one of those who drafted the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

But we would be doing Galvez a disfavor by understanding him simply as a Spanish soldier or diplomat following orders. Galvez personally admired the revolutionary cause, and corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Charles Henry Lee even before Spain entered the war.

Indeed, the Audiencia, or Spanish colonial parliament in Mexico, suspected Galvez of harboring revolutionary feelings himself. While there is scant evidence of that, it proves to what degree he was identified with our cause.

He died while serving out his governorship of New Spain in Mexico, but Galvez's example lives on, and shines the way for our two countries.

Our links with Spain are strong. The United States is the fourth largest speaker of the language of Cervantes, por ejemplo. And while Galvez was the 13^th governor of Louisiana, the present holder of that office, Kathleen Blanco, the 80^th, traces her ancestors to the decades when Spain held that part of the U.S. in the 1700s.

Today we are allies again, not just treaty allies but as soldiers fighting shoulder to shoulder in places like Afghanistan. I know this has already been done many times, but on behalf of my government and the American people I want once again to extend my condolences to Spain and to Spaniards for the loss of the two brave paratroopers who were killed in Afghanistan recently.

This is an important mission, important for the security and well-being of our societies, and equally for the security and well-being of the 30 million people of Afghanistan, whom we must not abandon. General Sanz, we are proud to be working together with Spanish soldiers at our side once again.

In our relationship with France, we invoke Lafayette. In our relationship with the proud people of Spain, we probably can't do better than invoke the spirit of this great hero, Bernardo de Galvez.