
English: 
GUESTS, I KNOW IT IS HOT. 
BUT YOU ARE HERE TO HONOR YOUR
LOVED ONES AND MICHELE AND I
COULD NOT BE MORE HONORED TO BE
HERE WITH YOU. 

Spanish: 
>> PLEASE BE SEATED. 
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. 
CHAT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORDS
AND YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND YOUR
LIFE OF SERVICE. 

English: 
IT SPEAKS TO THE COMPLEXITY OF
AMERICA'S TIME IN VIETNAM THAT
EVEN NOW, HISTORIANS CANNOT
AGREE ON PRECISELY WHEN THE WAR
BEGAN. 
AMERICAN ADVISERS HAVE SERVED
THERE AND DIED THERE AS EARLY AS
THE MID-50S. 
MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS WOULD
NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE MID-60S. 
BUT IF ANY YEAR ILLUSTRATED THE
CHANGING NATURE OF OUR
INVOLVEMENT, IT WAS 1962. 
IT WAS JANUARY IN SAIGON. 
ARMY PILOTS STRAP ON THEIR
HELMETS AND BOARDED THEIR
HELICOPTERS. 
THEY LIFTED OFF, RACED OVER
TREETOPS CARRYING SOUTH
VIETNAMESE TROOPS. 

English: 
IT WAS A SINGLE RAID AGAINST AN
ENEMY STRONGHOLD. 
JUST A FEW MILES INTO THE
JUNGLE, BUT IT WAS ONE OF
AMERICA'S FIRST MAJOR OPERATIONS
IN THAT FARAWAY LAND. 
50 YEARS LATER, WE COME TO THIS
WALL, TO THIS SACRED PLACE TO
REMEMBER. 
WE CAN STEP TOWARD ITS GRANITE
WALL AND REACH OUT AND TOUCH AND
NAME. 
TODAY IS MEMORIAL DAY, WHEN WE
RECALL ALL OF THOSE WHO GAVE
EVERYTHING IN THE DARKNESS OF
WAR SO WE CAN STAND HERE IN THE
GLORY OF SPRING. 
TODAY BEGINS THE 50TH
COMMEMORATION OF OUR WAR IN
VIETNAM. 
WE HONOR EACH OF THOSE NAMES

English: 
ETCHED IN STONE. 
58,282 AMERICAN PATRIOTS, WE
SALUTE ALL HIS SERVE WITH SOME
AND WE STAND WITH THEILIES
WHO LOVE THEM STILL. 
FOR YEARS, YOU HAVE COME HERE TO
BE WITH THEM ONCE MORE. 
IN THE SIMPLE THINGS YOU HAVE
LEFT BEHIND YOUR OFFERINGS, YOUR
MEMENTOS, YOUR GUESTS. 
WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE LIVES
THEY LIVE. 
THE BLANKETS THAT COVERED THEM
AS A BABY, THE BASEBALL THAT HE
SWUNG AS A BOY. 
A WEDDING RING, A PHOTOGRAPH OF
THE GRANDCHILD HE NEVER MET, THE
BOOTS HE WORE, STILL CAKED IN

Spanish: 
VETERANS OF THE VIETNAM WAR,
FAMILIES, FRIENDS FAMTHE METALSL
SHINING. 
OF COURSE, SOME OF THE THINGS
LEFT HERE OF SPECIAL MEANINGS
ONLY TO THE VETERANS. 
A CAN OF BEER AND A PACKET OF
M&M'S, A CONTAINER OF SPAM, AN
OLD FIELD RATION, STILL GOOD,
STILL AWFUL. 
IT IS HERE THAT WE FEEL THE
DEPTH OF YOUR SACRIFICES AND
HERE WE SEE A PIECE OF A LARGER
AMERICAN STORY. 
OUR FOUNDERS, AND IN THEIR
GENIUS, GAVE US THE TASK. 
THEY SET OUT TO MAKE A MORE
PERFECT UNION AND CHALLENGE
EVERY GENERATION TO KEEP ON
NETWORK AND KEEP MOVING FORD TO

Spanish: 
OVERCOME A SOMETIMES PAINFUL
PAST TO KEEP STRIVING FOR
IDEALS. 
ONE OF THE MOST PAINFUL CHAPTERS
OF OUR HISTORY WAS VIETNAM. 
MOST PARTICULARLY HOW WE TREATED
OUR TROOPS WHO SERVED THERE. 
YOU ARE OFTEN BLAMED FOR A WAR
YOU DIDN'T START WHEN YOU SHOULD
HAVE BEEN COMMENDED FOR SERVING
YOUR COUNTRY WITH DOLLAR. 
YOU ARE SOMETIMES BLAMED FOR THE
MISDEEDS OF A FEW. 
[APPLAUSE]
WHEN THE HON. SERVICE OF THE
MANY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRAISED. 
YOU CAME HOME AND WERE SOMETIMES
DENIGRATED WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE

English: 
MUD. 
PERFECTING OUR UNION, SETTING
THE RECORD STRAIGHT, AND IT
STARTS TODAY. 
HISTORY WILL HONOR YOUR SERVICE.
YOUR NAME IS WILL JOIN A STORY
OF SERVICE THAT STRETCHES BACK

Spanish: 
BEEN CELEBRATED. 
IT WAS A NATIONAL SHAME. 
A DISGRACE THAT SHOULD HAVE
NEVER HAPPENED. 
THAT IS WHY HERE, TODAY, WE
RESOLVE THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN
AGAIN. 
[APPLAUSE]
A CENTRAL PART OF THIS 50TH
ANNIVERSARY WILL BE TO TELL YOUR
STORY AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
TOLD ALL ALONG, ANOTHER CHANCE

English: 
TO CENTURIES. 
LET US TELL THE STORY OF THE
GENERATION OF SERVICE MEMBERS
WHO SERVED WITH JUST AS MUCH
PATRIOTISM AND HONOR AS ANY
BEFORE YOU. 
LET'S NEVER FORGET THAT MOST OF
THOSE WHO SERVE IN VIETNAM DID
SO BY CHOICE. 
SO MANY OF YOU VOLUNTEERED. 
YOUR COUNTRY WAS AT WAR AND YOU
SAID "SEND ME."
THAT INCLUDES OUR WOMEN IN
VIETNAM. 
EVERYONE OF YOU A VOLUNTEER. 
[APPLAUSE]
THOSE WHO WERE DRAFTED, THEY
WENT AND CARRIED THEIR BURDEN. 
YOU SERVED, YOU DO YOUR DUTY. 
HE PERSEVERED THROUGH SOME OF
THE MOST BRUTAL CONDITIONS EVER
FACED BY AMERICANS IN WAR. 

English: 
THE SUFFOCATING HEAT, THE
DRENCHING MONSOON RAINS, AN
ENEMY THAT WOULD COME OUT OF
NOWHERE IN VANISHED JUST AS

Spanish: 
TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. 
THAT IS ONE MORE WAY WE
COMBAT IN HISTORY AND A BATTLE
FOR A SINGLE ELECTED OF WAGE AND
FOR WEEKS. 
LET IT BE SAID THAT IN HELLHOLES
LIKE THE BRIAR PATCH AND HANOI
HILTON, ARE VIETNAM PRISONERS OF
WAR DID NOT JUST IN DOOR, YOU
WROTE SOME OF THE MOST
EXTRAORDINARY STORIES OF BRAVERY
IN THE ANNALS OF MILITARY
HISTORY. 
[APPLAUSE]
AS A NATION, WE LONG CELEBRATED
THE COURAGE OF OUR FORCES AT
NORMANDY, HE WOULD JIMA -- IWO
JIMA, HEARTBREAK RIDGE. 

Spanish: 
LET US ALSO SPEAK OF YOUR
COURAGE IN SAIGON, FROM
HAMBURGER HILL TO ROLLING
THUNDER. 
ALL TOO OFTEN, IT IS FORGOTTEN
THAT YOU, OUR TROOPS IN VIETNAM
WON EVERY MAJOR BATTLE YOU
FOUGHT IN. 
[APPLAUSE]
WHEN YOU CAME HOME, I KNOW MANY
OF YOU PUT YOUR MEDALS AWAY AND
CUT THEM IN A DRAWER OR A BOX IN
THE CLOSET. 
HE WENT ON WITH YOUR LIVES,
STARTED FAMILIES AND PURSUE
CAREERS. 
A LOT OF YOU DID NOT TALK TOO
MUCH ABOUT YOUR SERVICE. 
AS A CONSEQUENCE, THIS NATION
HAS NOT ALWAYS FULLY
APPRECIATED THIS CHAPTER OF YOUR
LIVES THAT CAME NEXT. 
LET US ALSO TELL THE STORY OF A
GENERATION THAT CAME HOME AND
HOW EVEN THOUGH SOME AMERICANS

Spanish: 
TURN THEIR BACK ON YOU, YOU
NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON AMERICA.
[APPLAUSE]
LIKE GENERATIONS BEFORE YOU, YOU
TOOK OFF THE UNIFORM, BUT HE
NEVER STOPPED SERVING. 
YOU BECAME TEACHERS, POLICE
OFFICERS, NURSES, FOLKS WE COUNT
ON EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
YOU BECAME ENTREPRENEURS RUNNING
COMPANIES AND PIONEERING
INDUSTRIES THAT CHANGE THE
WORLD. 
HE BECAME LEADERS AND PUBLIC
SERVANTS FROM TOWN HALLS TO
CAPITOL HILL, LIFTING UP OUR
COMMUNITIES, ARE STATES, OUR
NATION. 
YOU REMINDED US WHAT IT WAS LIKE
TO SERVE AND WHAT IT MEANT TO
SERVE. 
THOSE OF YOU WHO STAYED IN
UNIFORM ROWS INTO THE RANKS AND
BECAME LEADERS IN EVERY SERVICE,

Spanish: 
LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERI  ENCE IN
VIETNAM, AND REBUILT OUR
MILITARY INTO THE FINEST FORCED
THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. 
[APPLAUSE]
LET'S REMEMBER ALL THOSE VIETNAM
VETERANS WHO CAME BACK AND SERVE
AGAIN IN THE WARS IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN. 
YOU DID NOT STOP SERVING. 
[APPLAUSE]
EVEN AS YOU SUCCEEDED IN ALL OF
THESE ENDEAVORS, YOU DID
SOMETHING MORE. 
MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
YOU DID, YOU LOOK AFTER EACH
OTHER. 
YOUR GOVERNMENT DIDN'T LIVE UP
TO ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND YOU
SPOKE OUT, FIGHTING FOR THE CARE
AND BENEFITS YOU WOULD EARN AND
OVER TIME, TRANSFORMING THE VA. 

Spanish: 
OF COURSE, ONE OF THESE VIETNAM
VETERANS IS NOW OUR OUTSTANDING
SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
[APPLAUSE]
YOU LOOKED AFTER WHILE ANOTHER,
YOU CARED FOR ONE ANOTHER,
PEOPLE WERE NOT ALWAYS TALKING
ABOUT PTSD AT THE TIME. 
YOU WERE THERE FOR EACH OTHER
AND JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, YOU
DIDN'T JUST TAKE CARE OF YOUR
OWN, YOU CARED FOR THOSE THAT
FOLLOWED. 
YOU MADE YOUR MISSION TO MAKE
SURE TODAY'S TROOPS GET THE
RESPECT AND SUPPORT THAT ALL TOO
OFTEN YOU DID NOT RECEIVE. 
[APPLAUSE]
BECAUSE OF VIEW, BECAUSE ARE
VIETNAM VETERANS LEAD CHARGE,

Spanish: 
THE POST-9/11 GI BILL IS
HELPING THOUSANDS OF VETERANS GO
TO COLLEGE AND PURSUE THEIR
DREAMS. 
[APPLAUSE]
BECAUSE YOU DID NOT LET US
FORGET, OUR AIRPORTS ARE
RETURNING TROOPS WHO GET OFF THE
AIRPLANE AND YOU ARE THERE TO
SHAKE THEIR HANDS. 
[APPLAUSE]
BECAUSE OF VIEW, ACROSS AMERICA,
COMMUNITIES HAVE WELCOMED HOME
OUR FORCES FROM IRAQ AND WHAT
OUR TROOPS RETURN FROM
AFGHANISTAN, AMERICA WILL GIVE
THIS ENTIRE 9/11 GENERATION THE
RETURN THEY DESERVE IN PART
BECAUSE OF VIEW. 
[APPLAUSE]
-- BE IT -- BECAUSE OF YOU. 
THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR VIETNAM
SERVICE MEMBERS, A STORY THAT
NEEDS TO BE TOLD. 
THIS IS WHAT THIS 50TH
ANNIVERSARY IS ALL ABOUT. 

Spanish: 
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO SAY TO
ARE VIETNAM VETERANS WHAT WE
SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAYING FROM THE
BEGINNING. 
YOU DO YOUR JOB. 
YOU SERVED WITH HONOR. 
HE MADE US PROUD. 
YOU CAME HOME AND HELPED BUILD
THE AMERICA WE LOVE AND CHERISH.
HERE TODAY, IT MUST BE SAID THAT
YOU EARN YOUR PLACE AMONG THE
GREATEST GENERATIONS. 
THIS TIME, I WOULD ASK ALL ARE
VIETNAM VETERANS, THOSE OF YOU
WHO CAN STAND, THOSE OF YOU
ALREADY STANDING, RAISE YOUR
HANDS, AS WE SAY THOSE SIMPLE
WORDS WHICH ALWAYS AGREED OUR
TROOPS WHEN THEY COME HOME FROM
HERE ON OUT, -- ALWAYS GREET OUR
TROOPS WHEN THEY COME HOME --
WELCOME HOME. 
WELCOME HOME. 
WELCOME HOME. 
THANK YOU. 

Spanish: 
[APPLAUSE]
WE APPRECIATE YOU. 
WELCOME HOME. 
[APPLAUSE]
TODAY, WE ARE CALLING ON ALL
AMERICANS IN EVERY SEGMENT OF
OUR SOCIETY TO JOIN THIS EFFORT.
EVERYBODY CAN DO SOMETHING. 
FIVE DECADES REMOVED FROM A TIME
OF DIVISION AMONG AMERICANS,
THIS DAY CAN REMIND US OF WHAT
WE SHARE AS AMERICANS. 
THAT INCLUDES HONORING VIETNAM
VETERANS BY NEVER FORGETTING THE
LESSONS OF THAT WAR. 
LET US RESOLVE THAT ONE AMERICA
SENDS OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS
INTO HARM'S WAY, WE WILL ALWAYS
GIVE THEM A CLEAR MISSION AND
ALWAYS GIVE THEM A SOUND
STRATEGY. 
WE WILL GIVE THEM THE EQUIPMENT
THEY NEED TO GET THE JOB DONE. 
WE WILL HAVE THEIR BACKS. 

Spanish: 
[APPLAUSE]
WE WILL RESOLVE THAT LEADERS
WILL BE CANDID ABOUT THE RISKS
AND ABOUT PROGRESS AND HAVE A
PLAN TO BRING OUR TROOPS HOME
WITH HONOR. 
LET US RESOLVE TO NEVER FORGET
THE COST OF WAR, INCLUDING THE
TERRIBLE LOSS OF INNOCENT
CIVILIANS. 
NOT JUST IN VIETNAM, BUT IN ALL
WARS. 
WE KNOW YOUR SACRIFICE AND
SERVICE IS THE VERY DEFINITION
OF GLORY. 
BUT WAR ITSELF IS NOT GLORIOUS. 
WE HATE WAR. 
WHEN WE FIGHT, WE DO SO TO
PROTECT OURSELVES BECAUSE IT IS
NECESSARY. 
LET'S RESOLVE THAT IN OUR
DEMOCRACY, WE CAN DEBATE AND
DISAGREE EVEN IN A TIME OF WAR. 
BUT LET US NEVER USE PATRIOTISM
AS A POLITICAL SWORD. 
PATRIOTS CAN SUPPORT A WAR OR
OPPOSE AWARD. 
LET US ALWAYS STAND UNITED IN

Spanish: 
SUPPORT OF OUR TROOPS WHO WEEK
PLACED IN HARM'S WAY. 
THAT IS OUR SOLEMN OBLIGATION. 
[APPLAUSE]
LET'S RESOLVE TO TAKE CARE OF
OUR VETERANS AS WELL AS THEY
HAVE TAKEN CARE OF US. 
NOT JUST TALK, BUT ACTION. 
NOT JUST IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS
AFTER A WAR, BUT THE FIRST FIVE
DECADES. 
FOR VIETNAM VETERANS, THIS MEANS
DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR DISEASES
CONNECTED TO AGENT ORANGE. 
IT MEANS JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND
HEALTH-CARE TO HELP YOU STAND
TALL AGAIN. 
IT MEANS ENDING THE TRAGEDY OF
VETERANS HOMELESSNESS, THAT
EVERY VETERAN SHOULD HAVE A HOME
IN AMERICA. 

Spanish: 
HE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FIGHT FOR
A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD WHEN HE
FOUGHT ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTRY
YOU LOVE. 
[APPLAUSE]
WHEN AN AMERICAN DOES NOT COME
BACK, INCLUDING THE 1666
AMERICANS STILL MISSING FROM THE
VIETNAM WAR, LET US RESOLVE TO
DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO
BRING THEM HOME. 
THIS IS OUR SOLEMN PROMISE TO
MOTHERS LIKE THIS TO JOIN US
TODAY -- A 93-YEAR-OLD WHO HAS
HONORED HER SON, MISSING IN
ACTION FOR 42 YEARS. 
THERE SHE IS. 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE. 
GOD BLESS YOU. 

Spanish: 
[APPLAUSE]
THERE IS A PROMISE WE ARE
FALLING DAY TO A FAMILY FROM
ARKANSAS. 
43 YEARS AFTER HE WENT MISSING,
WE CAN ANNOUNCE THAT THE ARMY
CAPTAINS -- ARMY CAPTAIN, VERBAL
MALONEY -- VIRGIL MALONEY, IS
COMING, AND CAN FINALLY REST IN
PEACE. 
SOME HAVE CALLED THIS WAR A SCAR
ON OUR COUNTRY, BUT HERE IS WHAT
I SAY. 
AS ANYONE HEELS, THE TISSUE
AROUND IT BECOMES TOUGHER AND
STRONGER THAN BEFORE. 
IN THIS SENSE, AND FINALLY,
MIGHT BEGIN TO SEE THE TRUE
LEGACY OF VIETNAM. 

Spanish: 
BECAUSE OF VIETNAM AND OUR
VETERANS, WE USE AMERICAN POWER
SMARTER, WE HONOR OUR MILITARY
MORE AND WE TAKE CARE ARE
VETERANS BETTER. 
BECAUSE OF THE HARD WORK IN
VIETNAM, BECAUSE OF YOU, AMERICA
IS STRONGER THAN BEFORE. 
[APPLAUSE]
FINALLY, ON THIS ANNIVERSARY,
AND ALL THE YEARS TO COME, LET
US REMEMBER WHAT BINDS US AS ONE
PEOPLE. 
THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US,
WHETHER YOU FOUGHT IN THE
VIETNAM WAR OR FOUGHT AGAINST IT
OR WHETHER YOU WERE TOO YOUNG TO
BE SHAPED BY IT. 
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR
CHILDREN UNDERSTAND THE
SACRIFICES THAT WERE MADE BY OUR
TROOPS IN VIETNAM. 
FOR THEM, IT'S MORE THAN JUST A
NAME IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. 
IT IS IMPORTANT WE KNOW OF THE
LESSON OF A GIFT WILL ONCE LEFT
AT THIS MEMORIAL. 

Spanish: 
IT WAS TOWARD THE END OF THE DAY
AND MOST TOURISTS AND VISITORS
HAD DEPARTED. 
THERE IT WAS, A FOOTBALL HELMET
BLACK, WITH WHITE STRIPES, AND A
WRIST BAND. 
WITH THEM WAS A HANDWRITTEN
NOTE FROM A YOUNG MAN STILL IN
HIGH SCHOOL. 
THIS WAS MORE THAN TWO DECADES
AFTER VIETNAM. 
THAT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WAS
BORN YEARS AFTER THE WAR HAD
ALREADY ENDED. 
BUT IN THAT SHORT, HANDWRITTEN
NOTE, HE CAPTURED THE REVERENCE
, THE BOND BETWEEN GENERATIONS
THAT BRING US HERE TODAY. 
THE LETTER BEGAN -- "DEAR
VIETNAM VETERANS COME HERE ARE
TWO THINGS FROM ME TO YOU THAT I
THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE. 
HE EXPLAINED IT WAS HIS HELMET
FROM MIDGET FOOTBALL AND HIS
WRIST BAND FROM HIS SENIOR YEAR.
TODAY, I WANT TO CLOSE WITH THE

Spanish: 
WORDS HE WROTE. 
IN THESE TWO PIECES OF
EQUIPMENT, I WAS ALLOWED TO
MAKE MISTAKES, CORRECT THEM,
GROW, AND MATURE AS A PERSON. 
HOWEVER, THAT WAS ON MY
BATTLEFIELD. 
YOU DID NOT GET THE CHANCE TO DO
THAT AND YOUR BATTLEFIELD. 
SOME OF YOU WERE FORCED TO GROW
UP TOO FAST. 
ALL HE DIED TOO SOON. 
WE DO HAVE MANY THINGS IN
COMMON. 
WE BOTH HAVE PRIDE, HEART, AND
DETERMINATION. 
I AM JUST SORRY YOU GUYS HAD TO
LEARN THOSE QUALITIES TOO FAST. 
THAT IS WHY I AM GIVING YOU WHAT
I GREW UP WITH. 
YOU ARE TRUE HEROES AND YOU WILL
NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. 
THAT'S FROM HIGH-SCHOOL KID BORN
DECADES AFTER THE END OF THE

Spanish: 
WAR. 
THAT CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF THIS
ENTIRE COUNTRY THAT WE SHOULD
EMBRACE. 
VETERANS, FAMILIES OF THE
VIETNAM WAR, I KNOW THE WOUNDS
OF WAR ARE SLOW TO HEAL. 
YOU KNOW THAT BETTER THAN MOST. 
BUT TODAY, WE TAKE ANOTHER STEP.
THE TASK OF SELLING YOUR A --
THE TASK OF TELLING YOUR STORY
CONTINUES. 
DECADES FROM NOW, I HOPE ANOTHER
YOUNG AMERICAN WILL VISIT THIS
PLACE AND REACH OUT AND TOUCH A
NAME. 
SHE WILL LEARN THE STORY OF
SERVICE MEMBERS, PEOPLE SHE
NEVER MET AND FOUGHT A WAR SHE
NEVER KNEW AND IN THAT MOMENT OF
UNDERSTANDING, AND GRATITUDE,
AND THE GRACE, YOUR LEGACY WILL
INDOOR, FOR YOU ARE ALL TRUE

English: 
QUICKLY. 
SOME OF THE MOST INTENSE URBAN E

Spanish: 
HEROES AND YOU WILL ALL BE
REMEMBERED. 
MAY GOD BLESS YOU. 
MAY GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILIES. 
MAY GOD BLESS OUR MEN AND WOMEN
IN UNIFORM. 
MAY GOD BLESS THESE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA. 
[APPLAUSE]
