In Memoriam

Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Far better human beings than I have already put into words the terrible malignancy of war, so I won’t even try. All I will say is thank you. Thank you to all those brave soldiers, those brave Americans who fought, and who continue to fight for my freedom. Thank you to those who fight alongside us in a shared dream of peace. Thank you to those selfless men and women and their families back home who sacrifice being away from their loved ones, so that I may be with mine.

For those who have been hurt, those who have lost their homes and loved ones, I ask for forgiveness. I do not know why those to whom much has been given have not lived up to expectation. I cannot know your pain nor your suffering, and so I ask for forgiveness that I have not done more to stop it. I know these words will not bring comfort, that it will do nothing to fill the emptiness that your loss has left behind. I can only promise that I will never stop working to ensure that our children and our children’s children have no need for forgiveness.

“I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war.” — Roosevelt

Vietnam Memorial, Washington DC