Millions of our heroes living with the wounds of war, with a place of healing, remembrance, and gratitude for all they have given, and by so doing we help d to ensure that our nation will endure for generations to come. For if we do not remember our defenders, our heroes, how can we expect future generations to step up to serve . Certainly what happened perio postvietnam when we forgot our returning veterans weakened our nation. It was a shameful period in our history, and we must never, eve let that happen again. [ applause ] remembering and honoring our veterans is paramount to our 21 national security. This places a critical lly, importance on always taking care of our military service memberse and their families before, during, and after the battle. The dangers of the 21st centuryg are clear. With no doubt that this century will be equally, if not more dangerous than the previous one. The United States must maintainy a strong defense, impossible to do without strong defenders, and for all theyve done, for all theyve sacrificed, they ask so little in return. Knowing they are honored, that they will get the care they need when they need it, that they are not forgotten, and that their sacrifice is appreciated can d make a world of difference. Word 13 years ago on that terrible ee september morning little did we. Know that the coming years would bring us thousands of gold star families and entire new ands generations of real life Lieutenant Dans. We now have upwards of 4 millio living with their injuries, hae wounded in americas wars, supported and looked after by cs our unsung heroes, americas l caregivers. Oounsung we cannot give those wounded veterans back their arms we cannot give back those wounded veterans back their arms and legs. Ms we cannot give them back their eyes, their ears, the pieces ofm themselves that have been lost,n or the minds that have been buw altered, but we can give them and we must give them our em respect, our everlasting thanks, and our support. Ou one of our great military leaders, retired admiral williai h. Mcraven, a u. S. Navy s. E. A. La gave the commencement speech last spring at his alma mater, the university of texas. Their motto at ut is what starts here changes the world, and he gave lessons from what he learned in his s. E. A. L. Trainin that the students could inhe implement to change and s influence the world as they les graduated and went forth into nr society. El, one of those lessons was about r having to swim under a ship at night and find the keel, the pt center line, and the deepest part of the ship. Ip w this is the darkest part of the ship where you cannot see your o hand in front of your face, where the noise from the ships machinery is deafening, and where it is easy for even a welltrained navy s. E. A. L. To get disoriented and fail. Admiral mcraven said every said s. E. A. L. Knows that under the s. Keel at the darkest moment of h the mission, it is the time when you must be the most calm and composed. Ctical when all your tactical skills, your physical power, and all gee your inner strength must be brought to bear. If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment. We can never do enough for our nations freedom providers, our heroes, but we can always show them we appreciate what they have fought and sacrificed for by doing a little bit more to i give Something Back to them. And as all americans benefit nd from the freedom and security provided by our military community, very simply if everyr citizen in every neighborhood i every community and every town and city and every state would make it a priority to seek out and serve the needs of the veterans and military families within those communities, to er, have the courage to take determined action to walk with our veterans, many of whom have lived through the darkest moments of life in combat or have come home physically or ae mentally injured and may face many dark moments ahead, if we the people will show our appreciation with a willingness to serve above self, to help them move forward just as Lieutenant Dan taylor was able to to do, then we will be at our very best in someone elses darkest moment. Thank you for allowing me to speak at this important dedication ceremony for the American Veterans disabled for life memorial. Eas im proud to have played some small role in this effort. Thank you to those brave warriors in attendance today fo everything you have done for our country. Toda may god bless all those still serving in harms way, our military families, and may god bless and watch over our americ and help us to continue to honor our heroes so that we may long h endure. Thank you. [ applause ] lets hear it once more for the United States army band, conductor First Lieutenant joel dubois. As you know, recently president obama appointed a new secretary of Veterans Affairs, the honorable robert mcdonald, who is here with us today. Secretary mcdonald is a 1975 graduate of the United States military academy at west point and an alumnus of the university of utah where he earned an mba, an army veteran and both airborne and ranger qualified he served with the 82nd airborne division. Upon leaving military service, captain mcdonald was awarded the Meritorious Service medal. In 1980 secretary mcdonald joined procter gamble, a fortune 50 company, and he rose through the ranks to become chief executive officer and president. He retired in june of 2013, nominated by president obama as the eighth secretary of Veterans Affairs on june 30th. He was confirmed by the United States senate on july 29th, 2014, and we are grateful to him for his service to our country and our veterans. Please welcome secretary mcdonald. [ applause ] thank you, ray. Secretary jewell, mrs. Hope, mr. Sinise, mr. Wilson, mr. Joyner, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a heartfelt welcome to our veterans and to all their families. I am deeply honored to help dedicate a grateful nations memorial to veterans disabled for life. Individually and collectively they are the lifeblood of democracy. As president obama recently reminded us, when the world is threatened, it calls on america, and then we call on our troops. Because of them, our countrys highest principles and ideals endure. Our nation stands as the worlds foremost example of freedom, justice, and opportunity, and because of them we can ensure a more secure future for all americans. The men and women we honor today in whom this memorial honors in perpetuity endure the pain and meet the challenges of lifelong disability. Through their sacrifices and perseverance, they have contributed not only to the freedoms that we all enjoy, but also to the medical advances that benefit so many people. More than any others, the Veterans Affairs department exists to serve them. They are the vas most important focus, and their disabilities and needs continue to drive progress across our triad of care. In va research that advances medical science, in our training that prepares doctors and nurses to treat veteran patients according to the highest standards of excellence, advocacy, and respect, and in leading edge Clinical Care that promotes treatment, healing, and ultimately cures. As the Nations Health care leader, all americans have benefited from va successes in treating disabled veterans. The work of vas medical professionals has been recognized by three nobel prizes, seven lasker awards, among many, many other honors. Few are aware that va research developed the cardiac pacemaker, the First Successful liver transplant, the nicotine patch, and the worlds most advanced prosthetics, including vas revolutionary brain gate. Its a break through that makes it possible for totally paralyzed patients to control robotic arms using only their thoughts. Affiliated with over 1,800 educational institutions, va has no equal in training Americas Health care professionals. More than 70 of all u. S. Doctors have trained with the va, and each year va educates 62,000 medical School Students and residents, 23,000 nurses, and over 33,000 trainees in other health fields. Every day from maine to manila, they deliver Compassionate Care using things like the Electronic Medical records that va pioneered and its error reducing bar Code Software that ensures the correct medications in the correct dosage are administered to the correct patient. Its all carried out in the knowledge that veterans disabled in service to our country are at the heart of our mission. Few have given more to america and here in the shadow of the nations capitol, this imposing memorial stands as a powerful reminder of their service and their sacrifice. At va were reminded every single day of their outsized contributions to our country, and its our pride and our privilege to claim the honor of caring for those who have borne the battle. Without question its the most noble and Inspiring Mission in all of government. Thank you and may god bless us all. [ applause ] thank you, mr. Secretary. Also with us today to share their unique insights are two disabled veterans, both of whom have devoted countless hours to the creation of this memorial. The first speaker a dennis joyner, a director and secretary of the disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation who was awarded the bronze star and purple heart for his service in vietnam. Let us thank dennis and welcome him. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you, former secretary lahood. Distinguished guests, thank you. Distinguished guests, friends, my fellow disabled veterans, and their families, today we come together to dedicate the American Veterans disabled for life memorial. I would like to take a few moments to share with the journey that brings me and my family here today. I was in vietnam only 32 days when i was wounded. Being assigned to a recon unit with the United States army 9th Infantry Division in the mekong delta, we were on patrol when we came to a canal that we needed to cross. With the tide coming in causing a strong undercurrent, those of us who had already crossed went back to help the nonswimmers across. After getting back in single file formation, little did i know that i would walk the last three steps of my life. For after that third step, my life was going to start over. I never heard the explosion that day, june 26th, 1969. Never losing consciousness, i could see exactly what had happened to my legs and my left arm, and my Immediate Reaction was let me die. Knowing that he must keep me from going into shock, Sergeant Reynolds slapped me across the face and screamed, joyner, you have a lot to live for. You have a wife back home waiting for you and a son, and you want to die . Sergeant reynolds, i would never have survived without you on the battlefield that day or for the last 45 years without the assurance that i had a lot to live for that you gave me. I owe you my life. And i know that saving my life has had a profound effect on you and your family. As the visions and memories from that day are forever etched in your mind, and i am so blessed that ed reynolds and his family are here today to share in this historic event. Ed, please stand up. Thanks, buddy. I was sent back to Valley Forge Army hospital to recover under a young army surgeon, dr. Craig roberts, who was not yet even 30 years old. My wounds eventually healed cleanly, and although fitted with prosthetic legs, i opted for a wheelchair. For me i have been blessed to pick up the pieces from that day in vietnam and live a life of fulfillment. Although we, disabled veterans, live a life different than most, we have been most fortunate. We dont have to go it alone. Weve had our family and friends with us for the entire journey through the good times and the difficult times. Our families and friends have also had to deal with the effects caused by our injuries. I cant imagine the fear, the terror, that must have been in my familys hearts and minds that day they received the telegram explaining the severity of my injuries with no way to contact the hospital or even know where i was 12,000 miles away in a wartorn country. And probably more difficult than that, having to walk those long halls at Valley Forge Army hospital for the first time not knowing what to expect, what was i going to look like, what my attitude would be, trying to think of what to say. Seeing me for the first time minus three limbs. A walk my mother would often say was the longest walk of her life. And how difficult must it have been for my wife to hear the words, her daddy doesnt have any legs, said by one of my daughters kindergarten classmates and the laughter that filled the room. All the children laughing except for one, my daughter. As tears filled her eyes, she said, why are they laughing at my daddy . Or the lifelong impression that was formed in a 14yearold girls young mind as she visited us Wounded Soldiers on ward 4cd at Valley Forge Army hospital, an allamputee ward, for four years helping to lift our spirits and encourage us on. Diane, i thank you, and we will forever remember and love you for all that you have done for us. To my family, my sister and brother, who were there that day my parents received the telegram from vietnam. To my sons and daughter who have had to live their lives as children of a disabled veteran. With a father who at times was unable to be as normal as their friends dads. And to my wife, donna, who came into my life at a very difficult time and who has always accepted me for the man that i am. I want you all to know that a part of me wants to say im sorry that you have had to share in my lifetime sacrifices as a disabled veteran, but down deep in my heart i cant apologize. I can only thank you for showing your love for this great country of ours by being beside me throughout my journey. Today i have been honored to share a small part of my life as a disabled veteran and the impact that it has had on my family and my friends. We are not unique in our story. We are just one example of the thousands of lives affected by the lifelong disabilities that are the terrifying consequences of war. Although i have been blessed with many achievements in life, the achievement that i am most proud of is this memorial. A memorial that gives me and the many thousands of other disabled veterans like me a sense of contentment knowing that what we gave, what our families gave, and what we continue to give will be forever remembered here in our nations capitol. God bless the nations disabled veterans and god bless the United States of america. Dennis, i know that everyone here will agree with me that your words were moving beyond measure. I would like to add that dennis was honored by president Ronald Reagan as handicapped american of the year and by the dav as the National Outstanding disabled veteran of the year. Dennis, all of us here are indebted to your sacrifice. Thank you. And now a man of enormous vision who defines what this memorial is all about, mr. Art h. Wilson cofounder and president of the disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation. Art served in vietnam, the philippines, thailand, and taiwan and for much of his life has been an outspoken advocate of disabled veterans striving to ensure that america understands the sacrifices made by disabled veterans. So it is my pleasure to introduce the leader, an outstanding leader, art h. Wilson, retired National Adjutant of the disabled American Disabled Veterans Organization known by all of you as dav art thank you and good morning. To all of our friends and distinguished guests, to my fellow board members, and most of all to my fellow disabled veterans, it is humbling for me to be here on this historic occasion as we dedicate a permanent place of honor for those whose sacrifices and contributions for freedom have endured the duration of our nations way of life. This is a culmination of hard work, support, and vision shared by many among them are some dear friends who are here in spirit and watching from above. We gather in our nations capital, a place where honor is bestowed upon nearly every cause and history is remembered in bronze and stone from every vantage. We honor our fallen. We honor every branch and the battles and the bold, but until this day, this very day, we have not remembered those who lived and whose lives were forever changed by the sacrifices they made in uniform. And yet without their stories and the experiences of their loved ones, we as a people cannot know the cost of war. Without acknowledging their sacrifices, we forget the courage that ensures our freedom and the promises we have made to those who defend our land. The experiences etched on these walls remind us that for those who serve and their families, war often continues long after the final bullet is fired. The most difficult fight often begins after the injury is sustained. That includes people like Felicia Westin. On february 26th, 1991, while serving as an Army Radio Operator in saudi arabia, a scud missile struck the barracks adjacent to hers. Some 27 soldiers lost their lives that day. Specialist westin was among the nearly 100 who were severely wounded. Though partially blinded by the attack, she recounts on these walls the bewildering feeling of helplessness. I felt so alone watching what was happening. By this point i knew i had been hurt, but i just wanted to find someone from my company, she said. You know, the purpose of this memorial is to honor those changed by war and to show them that they are never, ever alone. And as the words of my dear friend the late jesse brown remind us, for a tragic story of life unraveled by military battle, there are a dozen tales of individuals who have managed to triumph over the harrowing experiences of war and ruin. The story of people like Felicia Westin does not end with the destruction war brought to her person. It instead shows a beginning. It reminds us in granite and glass and fire and water of the hope and the gratitude that they have earned. Many on these walls have done much more than survive the war. They have lit a path for their brothers and their sisters to follow. Though the bandages were removed from felicias eyes, the visions on that day of terror were not. The invisible wounds she faced took years of intensive recovery and may never fully heal. Yet instead of distancing herself from the military service, she has dedicated more than 15 years of her life providing direct advocacy to her fellow veterans ensuring that they have someone they can count upon. Bobby berrera, who was in an armored personnel carrier in vietnam when a command detonated mine, today known as an ied, was detonated under his vehicle. His fellow marines pulled him from the fiery wreckage, but not before he suffered burns over most of his body which resulted in a loss of his right hand and his left arm. Like many here today, bobby had a choice to make. He could succumb to despair or find a new direction. When he made the choice to live, he decided to dedicate each moment to making the world a better place. With his wife by his side, he tackled his education. He became a counselor serving the department of defense. He became involved in veteran Service Organizations and rose to the ranks to become the National Commander of the disabled American Veterans. I have a purpose in life thats been to help other military families through some of what i had to go through, bobbys words will tell generations. If i had to go through it myself in order to help others, im okay with that. These walls represent veterans of multiple eras and conflicts. Those who are represented give voice to the many who are part of nationwide community of intergenerational heroes. They include men like Army Sergeant jason pepper, deployed to iraq. His last memories as he dove on two of his soldiers to cover them from a rocket propelled grenade was that he would never see his wife or his child again. Well, he would survive. His last words proved to be prophetic. The blast cost him his sight, but in spite of his injuries, he has pursued his education and his planning to start a new business. Though he may never actually see his firstborn daughter, he and his wife, heather, have added two more children to their growing family. In a sense veterans like sergeant pepper and many others have sacrificed one life to their country and service. In an instant their hopes and dreams for the future were shattered. But with the love of their countrymen and the support of their family and their communities, they rediscover their purpose in life to learn to accept or overcome the obstacles their injuries have imposed. These walls remind us, too, that a sacrifice made on behalf of our nation is most often shared with the loved ones who cared for our injured heroes. Every individual dream changed by disability reverberates to the families, survivors, and communities on whom our wounded rely upon for support, care, and advocacy. We are at this point in time it appears disentangled ourselves from more than a dozen years of war. In that time we have sent our sons and daughters into the battlefield with no fronts and intimate dangers. These may be the first wars on record where our society has not fully experienced the mobilization of an era. Our nation has become so great and so prosperous that we can send our armies to fight two wars without any type of rationing or demand to change the lifestyles of the general public. We have created the best military in the history of the world. We have given our fighting men and women the best arms and done our utmost to ensure that every soul deploys comes homes. And through the capabilities of our forces, which are great, and their valor is unquestioned, the toll that war has taken on their bodies and hearts and their minds is a timeless reminder of the need for this memorial. For so long as a nation that we have and as long as we send our young to fight, we have entered into a promise with them as we drafted and enlisted them into our military. We made a sacred promise. This is our greatest social contract, the men and women we send into harms way will be made whole should they become ill or injured in service, that they should enjoy the dream they fought to defend, that their survivors should see a future that remembers the fallen. Without this agreement, it would be inconceivable to ask our young to be willing to fight and die for our country, and without their doing so, our ideals as a nation, our freedom, and our prosperity would not exist. This obligation etched here in stone to recall the deepest sentiments of our founding father, george washington, is what brings us together here today. To behold those who have shed their blood or lost their limbs in service of their country. This obligation for our injured service men and women first proclaimed by general washington in 1783 is perhaps the highest form of public justice. As we stand here in sight of our nations capitol, the centerpiece of our democracy, we must fervently pray that the price paid by our nations heroes will be remembered by those who we have elected to represent us. We must pray that our obligation to veterans remain a commitment that goes above partisanship and that they remember those for whom the battle continues. We must ask the heavens as those representatives ascend to the halls of power and walk those grand steps that they look to their west at this sacred ground and remember the promise that we have made for those who have served. Thank you so much. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ms. Lois pope, mr. Arthur wilson, mr. Robert voelker, and the honorable sally jewell. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, barack obama. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf o ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation, it is our honor to present to americas citizens the American Veterans disabled for life memorial. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you the president of the United States, barack obama. Thank you so much. Good afternoon. Please be seated. To all our disabled veterans, our extraordinary Wounded Warriors, we gather here today on this gorgeous autumn day in america because each of you endured a moment that shaped the arc of your lives and that speaks to our debt as a nation. Maybe it was there on the battlefield as the bullets and shrapnel rained down around you. Maybe it was as you lay there, the medics tending to your wounds. Perhaps it was days or months later in that hospital room when you finally came to. Perhaps it was years later as you went about your day or in the midnight hours when the memories came rushing back like a flood. Wherever you were, whatever your story, it was the moment that binds each of you forever, that moment of realization that life would not be the same. Your foot, your hand, your arm, your leg, maybe both, your sight, your peace of mind, a part of you was gone. Speaking to his fellow veterans of the civil war the great Oliver Wendell holmes jr. Once said as i look into your eyes i feel a great trial in your youth made you different, different from what we could have been without it. And he said, we learned a lesson early which has given a different feeling to life, a sense of duty that burns like a fire in the heart. To lois pope, art wilson, and everyone at the Memorial Foundation and our incredible veteran Service Organizations who devoted so many years of effort, especially our friends at the disabled veterans of america, to all the architects and craftspeople who lent your talents to bring this memorial to life, members of congress, secretaries jewell and mcdonald, distinguished guests, but most of all to our veterans who have come to know a different feeling to life and to your families. Its a great honor to be with you here today. For more than two centuries americans have left everything they have known and loved, their families and their friends, and stepped forward to serve. To win our independence, to preserve our union, to defend our democracy, to keep safe this country that we love. And when the guns fall silent, our veterans return home ready to play their part in the next chapter of our american story. As a nation we have not always fulfilled our obligations to those who served in our name. This is a painful truth, and few have known this better than our veterans wounded in war. In the first years after our revolution when our young nation still resisted the idea of the standing army, veterans of the Continental Army returned to towns that could be indifferent to their service. One veteran, his hand mangled by a british musket ball, was deemed like many veterans as unfit for labor, and frustrated by his inability to secure a disability pension, he wrote that many of those who aided in conquering the enemy are suffering under the most distressing poverty. After the civil war and after the first world war, our disabled veterans had to organize and march for the benefits they had earned. In the decades our nation has worked to do better, to do right by these patriots. Because in the United States of america those who have fought for our freedom should never be shunned and should never be forgotten. So today we take another step forward. With this memorial we commemorate for the first time the two battles our disabled veterans have fought, the battle over there and the battle here at home. Your battle to recover which at times can be even harder and certainly is longer. You walk these quiet grounds, pause by the pictures of these men and women, you look into their eyes, read their words, and were somehow able to join them on a journey that speaks to the endurance of the american spirit. And to you, our veterans and Wounded Warriors, we thank you for sharing your journey with us. Here we feel your fears, the shock of that first moment when you realized something was different, the confusion about what would come next, the frustrations and the worries as one veteran said that maybe i wouldnt be quite the same. And then here we see your result, your refusal in the face of overwhelming odds to give in to despair or to cynicism. Your decision, your choice to overcome. Like a veteran who said its possible for a man to lose half his physical being and still become whole. It is here we can see your perseverance, your unyielding faith that tomorrow can be better, your relentless determination often through years of hard recovery and surgeries and rehab learning the simple things all over again, how to button a shirt or how to write your name. In some cases how to talk or how to walk, and how when youve stumbled, when youve fallen, youve picked yourself up, youve carried on, youve never given up. Here we get a glimpse of the wounds within. The veteran who says i relive the war every day. Because no matter what war you served in and whether they called it shell shock or battle war every day because no matter what war you served in, what they call it shell fatigue or the 1,000 yard stare or post traumatic stress, you me that the unseen wounds are as real asly other, they can hurt just as much or even more. Here were reminded that none of you have made this journey alone. Here we see that wounded veterans are described by what you can do but by what you can do. She struggled physically, and emotionally, but with the help of her fellow Wounded Warriors. She focussed on not what she last but what she still has. He has a business of her own, one that hires veterans and a beautiful 6monthold son. We are honored that she is here today, dawn, please stand up. I have seen dawns story over and over and over again. And all the Wounded Warriors and veterans that i have been honored to meet, from bethesda to and i know in dawns life, many of you see your own. Today i want every american to see it. After everything you have endured, after all the loss, you have summoned the best in yourself and found your strength again. How many of you have learned to walk again and stand again and run again. How many of you have competed in races on paralympic usa. How many of you have fallen in love, getting married and raising children. How you have found new ways to serve, starting new units or starting a business, or teaching our children, or helping fellow veterans,or leading in your communities. America, if you want to know what real strength is, you want to see the character of our country, a country that never quits, look at these men and women. And i would ask all of our disabled veterans here today, if you can stand, please stand, if not, please raise your hand so that our nation can pay tribute to your service. We thank you. We are inspired by you and we honor you. From this day forward, americans will come to this place and ponder the immense sacrifices made on their behalf. The heavy burden born by a few, so that we might live in freedom and peace. Of course our reflection is not enough. Our expressions of gratitude are not enough, here in our nations capital, this memorial is a challenge to all of us, a reminder of the obligations this country is under, and if we are to truly honor these veterans, we must heed the voices that are here. Lets never rush into war, because it is americas sons and daughters who bear the scars of war for the rers of their lives. Lets only send them into harms way unless its absolutely necessary. When the mission is over, as our war in afghanistan comes to a responsible end in two months, let us stand as americans and welcome our Veterans Home with the thanks and respect they deserve. And if they come home leaving a part of themselves on the battlefield on our behalf, this memorial tells us what we must do, when our wounded veterans set out on that road to recovery, we must make sure that they get every single bit of benefit, every single bit of care that they have earned and that they deserve. Ive theyre hurting and dont know if they can go on, we need to say loud and clear as family and friends, as neighbors and coworkers, as fellow citizens add and as a nation, you are not alone. Its all right to ask for help. And were here to help you be strong again. Because our Wounded Warriors may have a different feeling to life. But when were there for them, and we give them every opportunity to succeed and give them the benefits of our country, then our whole nation is stronger, all our lives are richer. So if youre in america and you see a veteran, maybe with a prosthetic arm or leg, with burns on their face, dont ever look away. Do not turn away, you go up and shake their hands, and you look them in their eyes, and say the words that every veteran should hear, welcome home, thank you, we need you more than ever, you helped us stay strong, you helped us stay free. Every wounded warrior, every disabled veteran. Thank you, god bless you. God bless these United States. God mess america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam God Bless America my Home Sweet Home God Bless America my Home Sweet Home snechbd e
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