Cheney Remembers Veterans at Arlington Cemetery

American Forces Press Service ^ | Melinda L. Larson

[SandRat]

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 11, 2007 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney today remembered millions of veterans at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month at Arlington National Cemetery.

Navy veteran Neil Koski, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Honor Guard, pulls on his gloves prior to the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2007. Koski and other members of the honor guard passed out programs prior to the ceremony. Photo by Melinda L. Larson  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

“More than 20 million of our fellow citizens bear the distinction of veteran,” Vice President Richard B. Cheney said. “Each has his or her own story. But whether duty found them at home or abroad, in wartime or peacetime, they all share the pride of having served. And they have in common the memory of taking an oath and becoming part of something much larger than themselves.”

Cheney delivered the ceremony’s principal address to some 4,000 people at Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater just minutes after he laid a wreath at the nearby Tomb of the Unknowns. Cheney applauded the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, which provides the honor guard for the Tomb of the Unknowns.

“Also called the Old Guard, the 3rd Infantry is on watch here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, regardless of the weather,” Cheney noted. “And they meet the same standards of precision and polish in the deep of night as they do at high noon. I thank the members of the Old Guard for upholding a proud American tradition with the greatest of skill and the utmost dignity.”

While the Old Guard tends to Arlington every day of the year, dozens of veterans served as color guards on their special day to honor their fallen comrades.

“We’re honoring the sacrifice of the veterans who wrote a blank check to their country. It’s an honor to memorialize their service,” said retired Navy Capt. Russell Vowinkel, who carried an American flag during the presentation of colors for the Military Order of the World Wars.

Cheney said he is more aware of the nation’s debt to members of the armed forces and their families during this time of war.

“They are constantly in our thoughts,” Cheney said. “Our gratitude extends to their loved ones, because military service is often a family commitment, and they, too, are giving up a lot for the good of our whole nation.”

A mother in attendance whose son, U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Bruce W. Carter, was killed in Vietnam in 1969, works to make sure the country remembers her loss and the loss of countless other mothers.

“We keep their names alive. We won’t forget them, and we won’t let anyone else forget them,” said Georgie Carter Krell, a past national president of American Gold Star Mothers, an organization for mothers who have lost sons or daughters in the service of their country.

Veterans who have returned to their communities never seem to lose the desire to serve their country, Cheney said.

“Anywhere you go in America, you find that veterans are the backbone of their communities –- always making a contribution, pitching in, providing leadership, and setting a good example for the young,” he said.

Cheney made it clear that the nation owes its freedom to the men and women who have served their country. “They have kept us free in the land we call home –- free to live as we see fit, free to work and worship and speak our minds and choose our own leaders. All of this we owe to the men and women who have taken that oath to defend America, and may the rest of us never take them for granted.”

The “Honoring All Who Served” Veterans Day ceremony ended with the audience joining the U.S. Army Band in a rendition of “God Bless America.”

Veterans Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1919, to honor those who served in World War I. It was then called Armistice Day, marking the truce that ended the war on Nov. 11, 1918.

[Red_Devil 232]

Interview of one of the Old Guard by Cris Wallace - 2006

Old Guard - Guarding The Tomb Of The Unknown Solider

[Red_Devil 232]

Inspection of the rifle.

Inspection Of The Rifle - Tomb Of The Unknown Solider

[Miss Didi]

Vice President Dick Cheney, left, puts his hands on his chest as the bugler, right, plays Taps, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in commemoration of the Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)








U.S. Navy sailor Clifford Mann Jr., of Detroit, salutes, as the colors are retired during a Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)


Arthur Smith, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, living in Methuen, Mass., left, shakes hands with James McLaurin, of Weymouth, Mass., right, one of five surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen who were presented with Congressional Gold Medals during a Veterans Day ceremony at the Statehouse in Boston, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2007. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of black fighter pilots allowed into the U.S. Army Air Corps. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)


WW II veteran Murray Gaile, 84, of New York, listens during ceremonies before the Veterans Day Parade in New York, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
WW II veteran Irving Ziffer, 89, of New York salutes during the Veterans Day Parade in New York, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)




Honor guard members stand in formation beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery during a Veterans Day ceremony Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007, in Arlington, Va. The ceremony was attended by Vice President Dick Cheney. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)


A boy wearing medals holds hands with a veteran before they march during the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony on Armistice Day at Whitehall in central London November 11, 2007. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez (BRITAIN)

[Miss Didi]

Veterans Day: God Bless Our Vets and All Who Serve Our Nation
A Rush monologue expressing our profound thanks.

[mkjessup]

In a perfect world that would have been PRESIDENT Dick Cheney...

[restornu]

Now that it is the last year of his term where is GWB?

[DrDeb]

The following is a sincere response to your inappropriately snarky question:

President Bush spent the day comforting families of the fallen:
http://www.wacotrib.com/

[restornu]

Excuse me but I did not see or hear any reports of this!

[restornu]

thank you for sharing!

[ops33]

In 1990 I deployed to the Middle East for the Persian Gulf War. That was when Dick Cheney was Secretary of Defense. I remember listening to him. Just from his words and the tone of his voice I knew I could trust him.

[Miss Didi]

Across the pond...


Britain's Prince William attends the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony on Armistice Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in central London, November 11, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN)


Britain's Prince William (L) and Prince Phillip salute as they attend the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in central London on Armistice Day November 11, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN)


Britain's Prince William lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London, on Armistice Day during the National Remembrance ceremony Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)


Britain's Queen Elizabeth II lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London, on Armistice Day during the National Remembrance ceremony Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)


France's President Nicolas Sarkozy lays a wreath during the ceremony to commemorate Armistice Day at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris November 11, 2007. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (FRANCE)

[Miss Didi]

On Wall St.:

Military Personnel, NYSE employees and guests observe a moment of silence in honor of the coming Veterans Day holiday on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. (AP Photo/David Karp)

[eyedigress]

Thank you for your service. Ronald Reagan gave him that. My CIC earlier. :^)

[eyedigress]

I take that back. He was Instrumental during the 70’s and his patriotism was re-solidified by Reagan!

[eyedigress]

I am so glad to finally see France in the mix again. I guess the clock has ticked to a new hour. :^)

[DrDeb]

“thank you for sharing!”
-

You’re quite welcome!

[Miss Didi]

U.S. soldiers listen to the commanders, not in picture, at a war memorial during a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan marked the Veterans Day by offering veterans memorial meditation and prayer for the fallen colleagues in Afghanistan.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)


U.S. soldiers pray at a war memorial during a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan marked the Veterans Day by offering veterans memorial meditation and prayer for the fallen colleagues in Afghanistan.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)


A U.S. officer salutes at a war memorial during a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan marked the Veterans Day by offering veterans memorial meditation and prayer for the fallen colleagues in Afghanistan.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)


A U.S. soldier take the photograph of her colleagues at a war memorial during a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

[SandRat]

Let us never forget.

[Miss Didi]

Thrilled to have France back as our friend...for my Chanel, Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermes, Jean Patou, etc.