Posted on 09/10/2003 1:48:45 PM PDT by Hipixs
By Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Arlington, VA, Tuesday, September 9, 2003.
Brigadier General Wilma Vaught,USAF (Ret.), President of WIMSA: It is an honor to introduce Dr. Paul Wolfowitz. You know, he really needs no introduction because he's on the front page of the paper most everyday. So we all ought to know who he is. He's the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
And as a matter of fact, when I saw you last, I think you were in Iraq. So I'm glad to see that you're back safely and I just want you to know that I understand that you were over on the Hill testifying earlier today. This is a friendly audience here so you're probably pleased to know that.
And you know, he used to be the Dean of International Relations at Johns Hopkins [University] over in Baltimore. But he's never stayed put very long in any place. He's now on his third or fourth tour, I think, at the Pentagon - third. So he's no stranger to the Department of Defense. He's been the Ambassador to Indonesia. And when you read through his bio, you find that he has served just about everywhere in the world.
So when you think of all the titles he has, you know you can really make this a long introduction if you went through all of them. But I won't. I just will say he is famous with us, as this is the third event at least -- unless he slipped in here at some other events and I didn't know it -- but I know he's been here. This is three times, and we're very grateful, sir, thank you.
Dr. Wolfowitz ...[Applause]
Wolfowitz: Thank you, General Vaught. It's nice to be with a friendly crowd. I must say, I think I feel more relieved to be safely back from the Hill then safely back from Iraq. [Laughter]
And it is wonderful to be in this amazing memorial. And I want to thank you for what you've done to make this happen and to keep it going. My only suggestion is maybe you should get a new speechwriter. The definition of a diplomat is someone who gives a woman thirty roses on her fortieth birthday. And I think you just flipped it around.
But it's really nice to be here, and this is a very special place, and I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone who put this amazing collection together. I've only gotten down to sort of the first part of it, and just any one piece of this is so moving.
This is close to the anniversary of a very special day that I think Americans and the whole world are going to remember for the rest of our lives and probably many generations beyond.
Before I say a few words about where we are on the global war on terrorism, let me just say a few words about these remarkable quilts. In the Talmud, it is written that those who passed away still live among us, and the good deeds that they've done are in the hearts of those who cherish their memories. And obviously there are a great many hearts that are cherishing those memories. These quilts will help to keep their memories alive for a long time.
So it's marvelous work, and I think the quilts illustrate how profoundly the American people -- and people all over the world -- were moved by the attacks of September 11th. In the aftermath people came together through this traditional art form to share their grief, to express sympathy for victims and their families, and to show their unity and resolve.
You will find similar sentiments today at the Pentagon. Our building has been repaired in record time. Someone said that the Pentagon construction site was probably the only construction site in America where, at any hour of any day, you would find everybody working, because they were fighting terrorism in their own way. And I think it's something of the spirit of this country. My guess is half of those workers were immigrants themselves. But what a spirit they had. It's been rebuilt even strong than before. It includes a new chapel and a memorial built on the very spot where American Airlines 77 crashed on that terrible day. On Thursday, we'll be dedicating four stained glass windows in memory of the 184 innocent victims of that attack.
Every day, people from all walks of life pass through the September 11th memorial at the Pentagon, and many of them record their thoughts in a book that is kept there for that purpose. There are messages of sympathy from people of every state and many foreign countries.
Recently one young man wrote, "I plan to dedicate my life so this doesn't happen again."
Another visitor -- the Minister of Defense from India -- wrote that his country "is firmly with the United States in this fight. Freedom and democracy are worth defending at any cost." And he concluded, "Together we shall prevail."
And a third message was scrawled in a child's hand. It reads simply, "Dear Daddy, I love you and miss you so very much. I wish you were still here. Love, your daughter, Jennifer."
We must never lose site of what this global war on terrorism is all about. Children who lost their parents in an act of mass murder … young Americans signing up to serve their country … and the coalition of freedom-loving nations that understands the stakes in this war.
As the President said on Sunday, "We have carried the fight to the enemy. We are rolling back the terrorist threat to civilization, not on the fringes of its influence, but at the heart of its power." And he added, "We are fighting that enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today so that we do not meet him again on our streets, in our own cities."
The fight is mainly born by brave men and women in uniform who answered our country's call. Those service members and their families know what's at stake. Only a few weeks after September 11, our magnificent Armed Forces launched Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Their success -- in what some people might have thought was an impossible mission -- their spectacular success brought freedom to an oppressed people and badly damaged the terrorists' leadership and their ability to operate.
This year in Iraq, the U.S. military advanced further and faster than any equivalent force in history, and they overthrew one of the most brutal regimes of the last century -- a regime that invaded its neighbors, that employed weapons of mass destruction against its own people, that harbored and encouraged and rewarded terrorists, and that -- by pretty reasonable estimates -- was responsible for the death of one million human beings.
Those achievements have demonstrated that America is prepared to lead the fight for the security and peace of the civilized world. But that fight is far from over. The battle for the peace in Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror.
As the President indicated, our strategy has three objectives: To destroy the terrorists. To enlist the support of other nations for a free Iraq. And to help Iraqis assume responsibility for their own defense and their own future.
In this challenging effort, the generosity and inherit decency of our troops are among our greatest assets. But those troops need our support. They need to know that their countrymen and women appreciate what they are doing and the sacrifices they are making and support them. They are heroes. I think our country knows they are heroes. You can't tell them often enough, though, that they are heroes and that we're grateful.
As we pause this week to remember the events that led America to launch the global war on terror, I would ask all of you to keep the members of our Armed Forces in your minds and prayers as well. They deserve our help and our support.
With that, let me close by thanking the staff and members of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial for hosting this event and for hosting this extraordinary display.
I want to thank all of you -- particularly the people who made these quilts -- for helping to keep the memory of those heroes. They were heroes, too, for helping to keep their memory alive. I think all Americans would agree the events of that day must never, ever be forgotten.
Thank you very much. [Applause]
One was HERS and one was my NURSES uniform!! :o)
The Memorial is awesome. Because women have given their lives too, and we really have been forgotten in our service. Today, as we all know, they are constantly in harms way. This is an awesome memorial, and I'm thrilled to see it in a thread. I have a personal interest in the Womens Memorial. I am forever "in" it. When it was only a "thought" I was part of it. Women Veterans were invited to be a part of the "idea". We donated, sent our pictures and then our stories. Somewhere in the Memorial is "my" story. About my troops, and my POW's and their return home. There are stories from other Female Veterans too. Very personal and painful stories. Some are stories full of hope. But they have their moment in History, and this Memorial allows for that. Thanks again for this thread!!
Vets_Wife, Mary Ann
Here is more regarding The Womens Memorial:
Here at the Women's Memorial, you will experience the inspiration, sacrifice and dedication of the some 2 million women who have served the nation's military since 1776.
* the Hall of Honor which provides recognition to those women who have served with particular sacrifice, distinction and achievement, specifically those women who died in service, were prisoners of war or were recipients of our nation's highest award for service and bravery;
Memorial Drive The entrance to Arlington National Cemetery begins near the Lincoln Memorial at the eastern edge of Memorial Bridge, extends across the Potomac River, and ends at an impressive semicircular Gateway. The Gateway, Memorial Drive and Memorial Bridge were designed by McKim, Mead and White as a single project and dedicated on January 16, 1932, by President Herbert Hoover. Memorial Bridge embodied a symbolic link binding the North and South together, just as its axis joins two national emblems--the Lincoln Memorial and the Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington House.
Connecting the bridge to the cemetery gates is a parkway known as Memorial Drive, intersected by a rotary intersection with the George Washington Memorial Parkway. At night, as visitors approach Arlington Cemetery along Memorial Drive, the eternal flame which marks President John F. Kennedy's grave is visible on the hillside. Memorial Drive, ends at an entry court which is now the Women's Memorial.
There are monuments located along Memorial drive that are not formally part of Arlington National Cemetery. These include the Seabees Memorial, The United Spanish War Veterans Memorial, the monument to Admiral Richard Byrd, The 101st Airborne Division Memorial and the Mechanized Armor Memorial.
Memorial Bridge, Memorial Drive, the Women's Memorial and monuments, which line the drive and Arlington House, are all within the jurisdiction of the National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior.
The Hemicycle
At the western end of the Women's Memorial Court of Valor is a semicircular retaining wall, the Hemicycle, which rises thirty feet and is 226 feet in diameter. The Hemicycle was originally intended to be the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Although dedicated in 1932, it was never completed.
In the center of the Hemicycle is a large semicircular niche which measures 20 feet across and 30 feet high. The basic building materials of the Hemicycle are reinforced concrete, faced with Mount Airy Granite. The thickness of the wall ranges from 2'-6" to 3'-6". The Central Niche contains accent panels and coffers of red Texas granite. In the top center of the niche is a base-relief of the Great Seal of the United States. On the north side of the Great Seal is the seal of the Department of the Navy and on the south side is the seal of the Department of the Army.
Using the symbols of passage, light and water, the architects of the Women's Memorial, Marion Gail Weiss and Michael Manfredi, restored and brought new meaning to the gateway hemicycle. It had been a retaining wall, a barrier that literally held back the earth and established a change of level between the land of the living, extending towards Washington and the land of the past behind the hemicycle.
Ceremonial Gateway
From the Court, roads lead both north and south through a pair of large ornate wrought iron gates. On the north is Schley Gate named after Admiral Winfield Scott Schley. On the south side is Roosevelt Gate named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. At the center of each gate is mounted a gold wreath, thirty inches in diameter. Set within the wreath on the Roosevelt Gate is the seals for the US Marine Corps and the US Army. Within the wreath on the Schley Gate are the seals of the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. (When the gates were installed, the United States Air Force had not been formed, so its seal does not appear.)
Symbols and Architectural Detailing
The Classical Revival style of the Hemicycle and Entry gates makes use of many symbols and architectural detailing deeply rooted in the Greek and Roman Periods.
The wrought iron gates contain decorative elements easily identified with the classical period. Examples include the Acanthus leaf and honeysuckle ornament, helmet of Minerva (Athena) and the Roman pike used as pickets. The wall is composed of base, pier or pilaster, spandrel, architrave, frieze and cornice. The upper terrace is formed by the turned balusters of the upper balustrade. The central Niche contains every element expected in this style of architecture. A pediment proportioned in the method of Vitruvius tops this composition.
Decorative elements include the symbolic laurel and oak leaf wreaths used to honor valor and sacrifice. There are Greek key patterns, rosettes, tridents and faces. The ceremonial urns topping the pylons recall Roman sacrificial urns.
The heroic sculpted eagles at the gate houses are commonly associated with classical Rome, as well as being the symbol of the United States.
Fountain and Reflecting Pool The fountain and reflecting pool, located in the front of the Memorial, bring together light and water symbolizing life. The women's "voices" are captured in the arch of quotations etched into glass tablets, but also through the sound and movement of water. The fountain in the central Niche has more than 200 jets of water. Together the jets create sound representing individual voices of women blending in a collective harmony of purpose. The individual voices are brought together and come to rest in the 80 ft. reflecting pool. As a unified, reflective voice in spirit, they are the center of this new gateway to the cemetery. The reflecting pool pulls the Memorial together by bringing together the individual stories and voices into one collective history.
Original Structure
A close look at the McKim, Meade and White original drawings reveals empty niches, a fountain, inscriptions and a drawing of a woman, none of which were included in the final contract. This omission suggests the architects were ambivalent about the meaning of the wall. Symbolically, and in a larger sense, this ambivalence was reflected throughout our society. In many respects, the country was ambivalent about women who have been pivotal in our nation's defense and who found it difficult to break through barriers-visible and invisible to assume full partnership, opportunities and recognition. But with the construction of the Women's Memorial, their stories are finally told.
The blank niches became clear opportunities to create passages or gateways, where one could 'break through a barrier,' and, in passing to the upper level, gain a new horizon once again. Here one can look into the land of the living or back at the land of the past. This passage and ascension can be marked at several points along the monolithic hemicycle wall. Today, visitors come to the Hemicycle to recognize and pay tribute to women who served this nation, exercising full citizenship in defending our country.
The Women's Memorial stands in lasting recognition of all women who have served, are serving and will serve in our nation's defense.
The Register
The individual stories of servicewomen past and present are contained in the Register which is appropriately located along the historic axis of the Mall. This historic line is visible outside the Memorial with grey cobblestones running East and West along Memorial Drive. Inside the Education Center, this historic axis is visible in polished black granite from behind the Great Niche through the Register Room.
Quotations
Quotations etched into an arch of glass tablets represents a collective journal of women's voices. The journal's pages are spread open on the upper terrace. Like a floating horizon above the space below, the women's voices are etched in glass. The tablets are inscribed with quotations by and about women who served--a story for everyone to read.
History
President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the Women's Memorial in Washington, DC or its environs into law on November 6, 1986. The Memorial is at the historic Grand Entrance and Hemicycle at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. The Hemicycle, dedicated in 1932, was restored and renovated by the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation and hailed as an elegant solution to integrating a new purpose with an historic structure. An essential design element is the creative and imaginative use of water, light and passage as symbols of women's military accomplishments. Text and images amplify these accomplishments as the story of servicewomen past and present unfolds at the Women's Memorial.
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