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GENERAL DEMPSEY: You can go ahead and keep -- you do whatever you got to do. I'll do
whatever I got to do. (Laughter.) That’s what the chain of command is all about.
This morning, my wife, Deanie, we woke up and she said, "You know today is a special
day." And I said, "Of course it is. We’ve been invited to the White House to celebrate
the end of mission in Iraq." And she said, "No, no." I mean, she said, "That’s pretty
cool, actually." But she said, "It’s also Leap Year. It’s the 29th of February. It
only comes around once every four years." And then she said -- and so, in thinking about
that, she said, "Do not sing. Don’t even think about singing at this event tonight."
(Laughter.) "Because if you do, we are likely not to be invited back again for like the
next four years." (Laughter.) And she said --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Sing!
GENERAL DEMPSEY: No. (Laughter.) And she said, "Besides, the President has a better voice."
(Laughter and applause.)
Now, sir, I’m your senior military advisor. I don’t agree with that assessment, personally.
(Laughter.) But we’ll see.
I’m particularly honored tonight to be joined by the Joint Chiefs, who are scattered through
the audience -- with General George Casey, with General Rick Sanchez, and General Lloyd
Austin, who, honestly, have done some incredible heavy lifting for our nation over the past
decade. You all stand tall in an exceptionally long list of dedicated leaders who put their
heart and soul into seeing our difficult mission in Iraq through to completion.
For more than two decades -- that’s the thing to remember here -- for more than two
decades, Iraq was a dominant part of our lives. In a sense, it was a family affair. And what
I mean by that is some of us sent our own sons and daughters into this conflict over
the past 20 years. All of us left our families behind. And tour after tour, they served and
supported every bit as much as we did.
The road we traveled together was very tough. Every day required us to balance conflict
and compassion, context and consequence. Everywhere and at every level, we learned the power of
relationships -- relationships rooted in trust and respect within ourselves, but also with
our Iraqi brothers and sisters.
And we saw just how profoundly impressive America’s fighting force, the Armed Forces
of the United States -- soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen -- and
family members like all of you here tonight, and those that I’ve known through the years,
proudly represent. Because you, and those who didn’t come home with us, and those
who returned forever changed, really made possible what we were able to accomplish in
Iraq.
It was your courage, your resilience, and your sheer resolve to take care of each other,
to defend our nation, and to provide the Iraqi people with a choice for their own future.
Even in -- and maybe even, I’d say, especially in -- the toughest of times, your character
and those you represent here tonight shine through. And it mattered.
Mr. President, Mrs. Obama, thank you for recognizing the service and sacrifice of the military
family in this very special way. I really appreciate -- we really appreciate -- the
support that you and the Vice President, and Dr. Biden and your wife, and those that they
have bound together in the Joining Forces initiative, and the nation provide us, as
men and women in uniform and the families that we represent. And I know that we all
share a commitment to keep faith with them, and especially the thousands who have returned
with wounds both seen and unseen. There’s no one more strongly committed to
their well-being than the person that I now have the opportunity and the privilege to
introduce. Ladies and gentlemen, our Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Leon Panetta. (Applause.)
SECRETARY PANETTA: Thank you very much, General Dempsey. And he does have one hell of a voice.
(Laughter.)
Thank you for your duty, for your dedication, for your service to this great nation that
we all represent here this evening.
Tonight, we are truly in the company of heroes. The honor that we present to all of you is
because we care about those who have fought and sacrificed in Iraq.
Mr. President, Mrs. Obama, we thank you deeply for honoring those heroes and welcoming them
here into your home.
To all who fought in Iraq, we thank you for your service. You’ve earned our nation’s
everlasting gratitude. We are indebted to you for your willingness to fight, your willingness
to fight for your country. We are indebted to your families and to your loved ones for
the sacrifices that they made so that their loved ones could help defend this nation.
Again and again and again, you left the comfort of family and friends, you left the comfort
of this great country, and confronted brutal realities. Places like Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah,
Sadr City, Najaf and elsewhere throughout Iraq. Your unflagging commitment and uncommon
dedication helped the Iraqis realize a dream of building an independent and sovereign nation
that could secure and defend itself.
It is not going to be easy, but the fact is you gave them the opportunity to be a democracy
-- because of you. You are part of a generation of Americans -- the new, greatest generation
of Americans -- responding to the call of duty by your nation. Deployment after deployment,
you’ve been willing to serve this nation. You’ve been willing to put your lives on
the line and you’ve been willing to die in order to protect this country.
You have done everything this country asked you to do. You return to a grateful nation.
And you can stand proud of all you’ve accomplished. We owe all of you the honor that your service
is deserving. And we owe to you the assurance that we will never forget the sacrifices of
those who are not with us this evening -- those who gave their lives to this country. We pledge
to their memory and we pledge to all of you that we will never forget and we will never
retreat from what you’ve accomplished.
Last December in Baghdad, we cased the colors of the United States Forces Iraq. And I had
the chance to be at that ceremony. And at the time I noted, this is not the end; this
is truly the beginning.
For America tonight, this is not the end. It is the beginning of a long-lasting tribute
to you and to all who served in Iraq. This country was built upon the service and sacrifice
of men and women like you. Our very democracy depends on people like you, who are willing
to step forward and defend this country, to salute and, yes, to fight to give each of
us a chance to pursue the American Dream, giving our children a better life.
And just as you have recognized and fulfilled your responsibility to this nation, we must
do the same for you. It is now our responsibility, the responsibility of communities at every
corner of this country, to embrace your return, to welcome you back, and to ensure that you
and your families have the support you deserve.
As Secretary of Defense, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you, and how proud I am
of every American who serves this country in uniform.
And now it is my honor to introduce someone who believes deeply in that American Dream
-- we are both products of that, as the children of those who came from other countries. And
he is dedicated to defending and preserving that dream. I'm grateful to Vice President
Biden and to Dr. Jill Biden for their continued strong support for our men and women in uniform.
They have a son, Beau, who deployed to Iraq, so they know what this war is all about and
the sacrifices that are required of military families.
Over the past three years, Vice President Biden has traveled to the region extensively
and has played a tremendous role in steering Iraq policy. He probably deserves a combat
badge for the political battles that he’s been involved in. And Jill has led the effort,
along with Mrs. Obama, to support our military families.
On behalf of all of us at the Department of Defense, we thank the President, we thank
Mrs. Obama, we thank the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden, for their leadership, for
their support and for their dedication to a strong America. Strong in mind, strong in
body and strong in spirit.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States. (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I came because I was expecting a duet tonight. (Laughter.) I thought maybe
we were going to hear you and my Irish friend actually sing, Mr. President. I’m betting
on you. (Laughter.)
Hey, look, let me begin by saying that -- a special thanks to Generals Casey, Sanchez,
Odierno and Austin. The good news for Casey and Sanchez, they only had to see me three
or four times. Poor General O had to see me close to a dozen times, and General Austin
put up with me at the end. I want to say to all of the brass in here and the Joint Chiefs
-- we owe you a debt of gratitude because you have trained the finest generation of
warriors -- and this is not hyperbole -- the finest generation of warriors in the history
of this country -- and I would argue, in a literal sense, the finest generation of warriors
in all of history.
I get frustrated as the President does when I hear talk about Generation X and how Generation
X is -- they're not ready for all the travails that previous generations have been through.
Most of you in this room are made up of what I call the 9/11 Generation. You are the most
incredible generation this country has produced. Since 9/11, over 2.8 million of your generation,
men and women, have joined the military, knowing, and in many cases, hoping, that you'd be sent
into harm's way.
More than a million of you strapped on desert boots and walked across those god-awful sands
of Iraq, with temperatures up to 135-140 degrees, averaging about 117 degrees in the summer.
Over a million of you. A million of you.
This journey began nine years ago, when armored vehicles rumbled across the border of Kuwait
and into one of the most challenging missions that the American military has ever undertaken.
And all of you sitting at our tables tonight, you know better than anyone, it was something
-- sometimes an impossible mission. Sometimes it was impossible to determine who the enemy
was -- who the enemy was.
That was just a few short years ago. A few short years ago, there were literally hundreds
of bodies a day being piled up in the Baghdad morgue. The highways became mine fields. Irish
Alley was the place that was one of the most dangerous places in the world. Every convoy
was a test of faith. And you saddled up, every single day, after seeing some of your buddies
blown up, after cleaning out the vehicles, and you saddled up the next day.
A bullet slipped in an envelope and slid under a family's door became an unmistakable warning
that they had to leave the house and the neighborhood or they would die. And while you may have
been steeped in military doctrine -- and you have been -- you were also made to master
the vagaries of local Iraqi politics -- issues ranging from electricity to unemployment,
from currency exchange to tax collection.
You're incredible. You adapted. You succeeded. And you defeated. You defeated a tyrant. You
beat back violent extremists. And the most remarkable thing you did, because of the breadth
of your capability, you enabled a country that had not been governed in any reasonable
way for over four decades -- you actually helped them set up institutions and train
a military and a civilian corps that gives them a real fighting chance.
Today, because of you, rather than a giant vacuum in a strategically vital region, there's
a prospect of stability and prosperity. And that wasn’t luck, it wasn’t an accident;
it was your sacrifice and hard work that made it possible. And it will never be forgotten.
Harry Truman -- President Truman once described the end of a war as "a solemn but glorious
honor -- excuse me -- "a solemn but glorious hour." I believe -- and it's presumptuous
of me to interpret what he meant, but I believe that he meant that honoring those who fought
also requires remembering those who were lost: 4,475. And the exact number is important -- 4,475
fallen angels. More than 30,000 wounded -- some of you in this room. Others bear, as Leon
said, the invisible scars of their experience.
The President obviously will speak for himself, but I can tell you we're both awed -- awed
-- by your sacrifice. But not just those of you who deployed, but your brothers, your
sisters, your husbands, your wives, your moms, your dads.
John Milton, the English poet, once said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
They also serve who only stand and wait. We owe you, your family members, almost as much
as we owe you. Every morning I’d walk in and Jill would be getting her cup of coffee,
standing over the sink, mouthing a prayer. You wives and husbands of the deployed person,
your brothers and sisters -- there wasn’t an hour a day that didn’t go by that they
didn’t flash across your mind -- wondering, is my husband, is my wife, is my son, is my
daughter -- are they okay? It’s an incredible thing to ask of so many people.
And now, in the finest American tradition, having carried out your mission, you've come
home. As I said when I was with General Austin and with Talabani and Barzani and a couple
of you, Colonel, were there -- it’s good to see you here, Colonel, instead of in Baghdad.
nothing with you but your experience, your achievements, and the pride associated with
knowing that you did an incredible job. That’s an American tradition, too -- taking nothing
but your pride back home.
So on behalf of a grateful nation -- there’s never going to be a way we can truly repay
you, there’s no way to fully repay you -- but let me simply say thank you. Thank you and
your families for the heroic work you’ve done. You’ve made a difference, and I think
you’ve helped chart a different course for history in the 21st century.
But, ladies and gentlemen, a man that I’ve sat with every day for the past three years
or so, I’ve watched him make the decisions he had to make about war and conflict. I’ve
watched him, how he’s done it. And I know -- presumptuous of me to say -- I know -- I
know every one of those decisions that had to be made hang heavy in his mind and his
heart.
There's no one I’ve encountered -- and I’ve been here for eight Presidents -- who cares
more about you, and all of you who continue to serve, than this man.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud -- I am proud to introduce to you your Commander-in-Chief
and my friend, Barack Obama. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you so much, everyone.
Please, please. Please, everyone, have a seat.
Thank you, Joe Biden, for not only outstanding remarks, but the extraordinary leadership
you showed in helping to guide our policies.
To Secretary Panetta; General Dempsey to all the commanders who are here and did so much
under such extraordinary circumstances to arrive at an outcome in which the Iraqi people
have an opportunity to chart their own destiny -- thank you for the great work that you’ve
done.
I do have to say, despite Deanie’s advice, I thought Dempsey was going to burst into
song. (Laughter.) You have not lived until you hear him belt out an Irish ballad. His
voice is better than mine. I think you’re never a prophet in your own land, Marty, so
your wives are there to cut you down a peg. (Laughter.)
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: This house has stood for more than two centuries,
through war and peace, through hardship and through prosperity. These rooms have hosted
presidents and prime ministers, and kings and queens. But in the history of this house,
there's never been a night quite like this. Because this evening, we welcome, not the
statesmen who decide great questions of war and peace, but citizens -- men and women from
every corner of our country, from every rank of our military, every branch of our service
-- who answer the call, who go to war, who defend the peace.
And in a culture that celebrates fame and fortune, yours are not necessarily household
names. They're something more -- the patriots who serve in our name. And after nearly nine
years of war in Iraq, tonight is an opportunity for us to express our gratitude and to say
Iraq. This will not be the last. And history reminds us of our obligations as a nation
at moments like this. This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a
time when our veterans didn’t always receive the respect and the thanks that they so richly
deserved -- and that’s a mistake that we must never repeat.
The good news is, already, we’ve seen Americans come together -- in small towns and big cities
all across the country -- to honor your service in Iraq. And tonight, on behalf of Michelle
and myself, on behalf of over 300 Americans -- 300 million Americans, we want to express
those simple words that we can never say enough, and that’s thank you.
In your heart, each of you carries your own story -- the pride of a job well done; the
pain of losing a friend, a comrade. Ernie Pyle, who celebrated our GIs in World War
II, said that your world can never be known to the rest of us. Tonight, what we can do
is convey what you’ve meant to the rest of us. Because through the dust and the din
and the fog of war, the glory of your service always shone through. In your noble example,
we see the virtues and the values that sustain America, that keep this country great.
You taught us about duty. Blessed to live in the land of the free, you could have opted
for an easier path. But you know that freedom is not free. And so you volunteered and you
stepped forward, and you raised your hand and you took an oath -- to protect and defend;
to serve a cause greater than yourself, knowing, in a time of war, you could be sent into harm’s
way.
You taught us about resolve. Invasion turned to insurgency and then sectarian strife. But
you persevered, tour after tour, year after year. Indeed, we’re mindful that even as
we gather here, Iraq veterans continue to risk their lives in Afghanistan, and our prayers
are with them all tonight.
In one of our nation’s longest wars, you wrote one of the most extraordinary chapters
in American military history. Now the Iraqi people have a chance to forge their own destiny,
and every one of you who served there can take pride in knowing you gave the Iraqis
this opportunity; that you succeeded in your mission.
You taught us about devotion -- to country and to comrades, but most of all, to family.
Because I know that some of the hardest days of war were the moments you missed back home
-- the birthdays, the anniversaries, when your little girl or boy took their first wobbly
steps. And behind every one of you, was a parent, a spouse, or son or a daughter, trying
to stay strong, and praying for the day that you’d come home safe. And that’s why Michelle
because they inspire us as much as you do. They deserve that honor as much as you do.
That’s why I’d ask all the spouses and the partners and families to stand up and
accept our gratitude for your remarkable service -- especially because you look so good tonight.
You taught us about sacrifice -- a love of country so deep, so profound, you were willing
to give your lives for it. And tonight, we pay solemn tribute to all who did. We remember
families here tonight, know that we will never forget their sacrifice and that your loved
God bless you and your families. And may God continue to bless those in uniform and the
United States of America.
Thank you very much, everybody. May dinner be served. (Applause.)