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Good morning, everyone – and thank you Mel for your kind introduction, your leadership, and our friendship. I am thrilled to be here today.
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Once each May, amid the hustle and bustle in the greatest city on Earth, the city that never sleeps, just down the Hudson River from lower Manhattan’s 9/11 Memorial Site, we gather at the illustrious and renowned Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum to commemorate the brave souls who gave their lives for our freedom, for our nation, and for our way of life.
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New York City and the surrounding boroughs have borne a large burden of our Nation's fallen, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to the War on Terrorism – so it’s fitting and appropriate that we honor them all here today, recognizing that our liberties as Americans come at a price.
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I am honored to be here and join you today to celebrate their memory, but more-so, to recommit ourselves for action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. Those brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Guardians with the sworn obligation and duty to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States… against all enemies foreign and domestic.”
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Our pledge and our prayer this day are for those free men and women who bear the weight of all that we hold dear must constantly and diligently be trained, equipped, and prepared to counter those in every corner of the world who seek to challenge the rules-based international order.
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We know that there can never be peace without all elements of national power working seamlessly together through integrated deterrence in which our Armed Forces are front and center.
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So, on behalf of the over 2,300 members of the Sea Services here with me, thank you – thank you to the Tri-State Area for all you have done, all you do, and what you will continue to do for our military, our warriors, and for your dedicated support of the 36th Fleet Week New York.
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And, for all of you here, thank you for coming to this Memorial Day Ceremony – your support to our warfighters speaks volumes about your commitment to what we like to call the center of the universe – our service members and their families.
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Memorial Day is a time to appreciate the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America. It is a day of remembrance for those who gave their all in service to our country while donning the cloth of our nation.
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It is a solemn day for reflecting on the cost of freedom, the families they kissed goodbye, walking proudly into the face of unfathomable danger and ultimately giving all to protect and defend our way of life.
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And so, I would like to acknowledge all those Gold Star families across the world, and any here with us today. I am humbled, as we all are, by your strength, dignity, grace, and your personal sacrifice for so many.
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Memorial Day dates back to 1868, where President James A. Garfield spoke to the 5,000 volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery who gathered to decorate the final resting place of over 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there. It was there he said:
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As the years passed, Americans far and wide began holding springtime tributes to the fallen, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. The tradition holds in Arlington today, but continues to grow in the cities and towns around the nation.
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So many mothers and wives, husbands and fathers, extended family and friends do their duty every day to ensure their loved one is remembered.
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They carry on each day with pictures on mantels and mementos of a life not fully lived. They carry on understanding that their son or daughter, their hero chose this life of service and thus they understood the potentiality of their ultimate sacrifice for the sake of freedom.
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The family members left behind, carry on a hero’s legacy, raising-up their memory like an unfurled flag. Today, we also honor the families of those lost, for you bear a burden that only you can comprehend. We are grateful for the support you gave your hero, so they could carry out the mission of protecting the rest of us. And so, it is a great honor and privilege for me to represent all six branches of our Armed Forces and its veterans on Memorial Day here at the Intrepid Museum.
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On behalf of all our nation’s service members and their families, my wife Donna and I want to thank each and every one of you and all those around the world whose staunch dedication, vigorous enthusiasm, and endless support provide us the stable foundation we as America’s warfighters need to defend this great nation.
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It is because of people like you, and cities like this, that our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard create the most formidable and integrated combat team the world has ever known – hands down, no exception.
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This year’s Fleet Week was an overwhelming success – it was awe-inspiring to see over 2,300 Sailors, Marines, the Coast Guardsmen, as well as allies and partners demonstrate why our Sea Service warriors are so incredible, so special, and so indispensable, especially in their formal uniforms throughout this historic harbor. I know without question, they cherished every moment.
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Our maritime services are the greatest this world has ever known because of our people – I hope you had the chance to witness firsthand the strength, lethality, and personification of national power that we can bring to bear anytime, anyplace, swiftly, and silently – and talk to the men and women that bring all this metal to life. They are the key to our unbridled overmatch over any potential adversary or strategic competitor.
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As the world’s greatest Navy and most responsive Service across the Joint Force, we have the daunting responsibility to remain America’s mobile fighting force, America’s Away Team, on watch around the world 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, for the last 249 years.
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What a fine legacy we share! One that you have worked so hard to sustain.
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And today … right now … we have our ships and Sailors standing watch in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Arabian Gulf. The Iranian backed Houthis are making every effort to shutdown international maritime shipping, to attack vulnerable merchant ships, to influence the region’s flow of commerce.
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But since October, our team has been doing an extraordinary job of shooting down those missiles down, launching aircraft to remove RADAR sites and taking out U-A-V platforms while keeping the lifeblood of the global market flowing through those vital commercial commons. What a fine legacy!
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But that legacy transcends to all Services because the warfighters represented here are masters of their trade. Each contributes substantially to their command and our military’s various missions. Each of their families serve our communities in equally noteworthy ways.
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That legacy is defined by a long list of Americans whose courage, heroism, and sacrifice upheld the highest tradition of what our nation stands for, and forged the unbreakable bonds of partnership, peace, and prosperity around the world in defense of the American people, our partners and our allies.
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Americans everywhere take time today to reflect upon the honorable service and heroic self-sacrifice of the nation’s sons and daughters – all who paid the ultimate price for freedom.
I see the best of our nation in each and every service member, in every military spouse, in every military dependent and family member. Your support is what underwrites the excellence of our Armed Forces.