Good morning p or what a Beautiful Day it is today. On behalf of the friends of the National World war ii memorial board, and the National Park service, welcome to the National World war ii memorial. It is my great honor to be your master of ceremonies this morning as we commemorate and remember the 70th anniversary. We are here today to salute those of the world war ii generation who helped save the world from tyranny. We offer a special salute to the men and women of Armed Services fighting the war on terror. We want them to know that their service is deeply appreciated. [applause] veterans, we only debt of gratitude and a lasting appreciation for their service to this country. Again, thank you for being here today, and especially to our world war ii veterans. Your service and your sacrifices for this nation and the world. Rio everything to you. Everything. We go everything to you. Everything. Ladies and gentlemen, i am pleased to introduce the official party for the commemoration. The keynote speaker is ambassador susan rice. I am also delighted to welcome on behalf of her sister, for mer secretary of state, the honorable Madeleine Albright kathy silva. And miss Karen Cucurullo. The chairman of the board of the friends of the National World war ii memorial. [applause] from the military district of washington, chaplain col. Gary. Thank you all for being here to commemorate this very special day at the world war ii memorial. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the presentation of the colors, the playing of the national anthem. [star spangled banner playing] [youre a grand old flag] [applause] [youre a grand old flag playing] a alex kershaw ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the invocation that will be given by chaplin gary. Let us pray. Almighty god, today we gather to commemorate the end of a great tyranny that threatened not only america, but the world. We also remember and give thanks for the men and women who served at a critical time, both home and on very troubled and Distant Shores and lands. Who sacrificed so much to achieve, yes, victory over an you will enemy, but also helped establish a new unity and peace among global allies, neighbors friends. Lord, we give you thanks grateful that you strengthen so many countrymen in unselfish service, military, civilian, family members, prisoners, many making the ultimate sacrifice. We commemorate at this memorial all those whose courage and valor helped to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today and who continue to provide an inspiration to those of us who strive to add our own contributions to the security, prosperity, and peace of our beloved country. May this observance render honor to those we remember and foster true devotion to you, to our country, and to the divine and universal values of freedom and justice and peace we hold so dear. Amen. Alex kershaw please be seated. It is wonderful to be here today. Even under this midday sun. Im now extremely delighted to be able to introduce our keynote speaker today, a Great American stateswoman. Ladies and gentlemen, the National Security advisor to the United States of america ambassador susan rice. [applause] she received her phd in International Relations from new college, Oxford University england, where she was a rhodes scholar. She served in the Clinton Administration in various capacities, including special assistant to the president and senior director for African Affairs from 1995 to 1997. From 2002 to 2009, she was a senior fellow at the brookings institution, where she focused on u. S. Foreignpolicy transNational Security threats weak states, Global Property poverty, and development. From january 2009 until assuming the role of National Security advisor, ambassador rice served as the u. S. s permanent representative to the u. N. And a member of president obamas cabinet. At the u. N. , she worked to advance u. S. Interests, defend universal values, strengthen the worlds Common Security and prosperity, and promote respect for human rights. Please give a very warm welcome to ambassador susan rice. [applause] susan rice good morning everyone. Alex, thank you so much for that generous introduction. Thank you members of the diplomatic corps for joining us. Thank you to our beloved and distinguished veterans. The message, when it came at last, was simple. The mission of this allied force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, may 7, 1945. Signed, eisenhower. There was no exultation. Too much had been lost for that. Too much remained to be done. When president truman addressed the nation, even as he proclaimed that the flags of freedom fly over europe, he reminded all americans of those priceless lives that were rendered as a sacrifice to redeem our liberty. As the news spread and people poured into the streets to celebrate in new york, london, and paris, cheers and laughter mixed freely with tears. Even in the midst of one triumph, we vowed to fight on and finish the war in the pacific. Ladies and gentlemen, 70 years after that great turning point in the history of our world, we remember the sacrifice that was made to preserve freedom. Those who lay down their lives for a better future. The americans who won the beachhead at normandy, inch by bloody inch. From britain, the few who defied the luftwaffe. The free french who never accepted nazi occupation. The brave poles who fought for our freedom and yours. The resistance movements in every european country. And in the east, the people of russia, ukraine, belarus, and all the former soviet states who endured many of the heaviest losses of the war. But today, we can also celebrate without reserve the legacy of their accomplishments. A legacy that could not yet be imagined in 1945 with the trauma of war so fresh. Not just to europe, which has known seven decades of peace and growing prosperity, but the way the seed of democracy has flourished around the world. The Lasting Bonds that unite europe and the United States. The International Institutions that have underwritten peaceful development. The continual reaffirmation of those basic principles which formed our alliance. That all men and women of all lands should be able to live free from fear and want. When american and soviet troops met in germany in april of 1945, they met not only as victors in war, but witnesses to the unconscionable crimes, the holders horrors of dachau and auschwitz. As one world, we proclaimed, never again. But that legacy continues to drive us to stand against acts of mass inhumanity. Women stepped into factories to keep Americas Industries pumping and joined auxiliary services. Platoons of white and black gis fought sidebyside on the field of europe. And then black servicemen like my fathers Tuskegee Airmen came back here to demand justice in their own land. We honor all those brave men and women, those who fell, and those who survived, including the proud veterans who are here with us today. [applause] we owe each of you an unpayable debt, and on behalf of president obama, let me reaffirm our enduring gratitude. The story of your generation will never be forgotten. We will continue to tell it to children, blessedly untouched by war, so they understand, as this memorial reminds us, the price of freedom. We will continue to mark the passing of anniversaries like this one so memory never fades into complacency towards the evils in our world. We will carry on the march toward a world of greater rights and opportunities, so that all men and women can live their lives with the basic Human Dignity that your generation fought for. Because while one mission was fulfilled in 1945, the cause of defending freedom is never finished. As president truman put it, we must work to bind up the wounds of a suffering world. To build an abiding peace, of a peace rooted in justice and in law. That is the pledge we make again today and every day. And no matter how difficult the challenges that lie ahead, or what obstacles arise, we will never abandon the struggle. Because for all that has changed during the last 70 years, one thing never will. The United States of america will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the world on the side of liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. [applause] alex kershaw we are privileged to have with us today, very privileged, the United States air force band, the airmen of note, who will now perform a musical salute to all of our veterans here today. [piano music] we walk with a different step and we talk with a different voice and we love with a tender heart and we give with open arms i believe every step that i take is my freedom that you cannot take away i believe in all the blood, sweat, and tears shed to give to the world all these things we cry for the heroes we lose in the fight for the freedom to choose and they die with honor and dignity so fly your flag way up high i believe every step that i take is my freedom that you cant take away i believe in all the blood, sweat, and tears, to give you the world all these years all these years i believe every step that i take is my freedom that you cant take away i believe in all the blood, sweat, and tears shed to give you the world all these years all these years all these years yeah, so fly your flag way up high [applause] alex kershaw representing the National Park service is the acting superintendent, ms. Karen cucurullo. [applause] karen good morning. I am the acting superintendent of the National Mall and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the world war ii memorial on the 70th anniversary of the victory in europe. As ve day proclamation issued 70 years ago today, president harry truman made note of those who restored freedom to europe. We are honored and delighted today to welcome hundreds who fought on that continent. Please give them a warm welcome. [applause] thank you. We are also honored to have among our speakers, as you heard, National Security adviser susan rice. Thank you for being here today. I also want to recognize joshua bunting, who has served our nation for nearly 50 years in the marine corps and army. He was an educator at a number of schools. He now serves as of the chairman of the friends of the National World war ii memorial, our partner in sponsoring todays ceremony. I would like to recognize the 25 representatives of the allied nations here this morning, representing, as fdr called them, the mass, angered forces of common humanity that marched together 70 years ago. We deeply appreciate your presence today. The National Park service is proud to be the caretakers of the world war ii memorial. It is not merely a granite monument. This memorial reminds us that extraordinary things can come from people with otherwise ordinary lives. It helps us understand and monumental trials and sacrifices that shaped our nation, our government, and society. Our National Park service rangers, volunteers, and conservators, and many other specialists try every day to repay the sacrifice in some small way by caring for this wonderful memorial and preserving their memory against the tides of time. We are honored to be entrusted with its care. I can promise you that we will be here every day of every year watching over this place to keep it, to protect it, to pass on the stories of the hero is in and sacrifice, of you arer heroism and sacrifices, to the future generations of america. Thank you. [applause] alex kershaw thank you very much. Here to represent the ceremonys cohost, friends of the National World war ii memorial was the chairman of the board for fr iends, mr. Josiah bunting iii. [applause] josiah ladies and gentlemen it is a singular honor to be here today and share this his stories occasion with you. The friends of the National World war ii memorial or brought into being a decade ago and our Mission Working with the National Park service is to preserve in all of its elemental purity and an honest consequence this holy place. I would like to say only two or three sentences. First of all, 16. 4 million americans wore the uniform of our country between 1941 and 1945. 64 4 million. The equivalent today would be approximately 42. 5 million in uniform. God bless you. [applause] when the war ended, at ceremonies in the pentagon, the head of the army, george marshall, thanks and congratulated and praised that great, great generation, and he quoted Winston Churchill, saying that succeeding generations must not be elected forget their sacrifice. One of the reasons we admire and love that generations a much is not only what they did for us between 1941 and 1945, but the example of how they have lived their lives since then. That is the greatness and grandeur of that generation. [applause] and as the silent artillery of time gradually erodes their numbers, it is so important for us to act as evangelists in their behalf so that schoolchildren, high school children, college students, know their history and noknow what their debt to them is. God bless all of you, especially members of the greatest generation. [applause] alex thank you very much, mr. Chairman. I know that everyone here, mean particular, appreciate what you have done and what the board of the memorial have done, what the friends of the National World war ii memorial does every single day to continue to thank and honor our world war ii veterans and their families. Thank you very much. [applause] today 70 years ago, the world learned of the german final surrender. There were euphoric celebrations in many capitals to mark the end of the most destructive war in europes very bloody history. While civilians embraced around the world, some infantrymen some ordinary soldiers, brutalized and exhausted, sat alone with their grief, seven years ago today. 70 years ago today. They sat in mournful silence. They knew the true price of victory. Some 138,000 Young Americans would never see the shores again. These shores again. Audie murphy, the most decorated u. S. Soldier in the war, who fought all the way from north africa to germany, wrote there is ve day without, but no peace within. Europe lay in ruins. The cost of the conflict was beyond comprehension. Tens of millions dead. But barbarism had been defeated. Nazi genocide had been halted. Democracy could be restored. The men of evil Winston Churchill the clear, are now prostrate before us. This afternoon 70 years ago churchill stepped onto a balcony in london. He could barely hear himself speak, so loud were the cheers of the crowd. This is your victory, he shouted. It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history, we have never seen a greater dayton this greater day than this. I am but one of many millions who have grown up in a europe that has been united, democratic, and mostly prosperous, a europe that the veterans here set free. Mine and other generations have since ve day enjoys the most peaceful period in europes history. Thank you. [applause] today, while remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice all of us from all of the allied nations can still joyously agree with churchill. In all of our long histories, we have yet to see a greater day than ve day. Alex i think we would now like to hear from the band once more, please. Thank you very much. While i organize my notes. Thank you. [stars and stripes forever playing] [applause] alex i would like to now come to our next speaker. Secretary albrights deeply sorry that she could not be with us here today. Instead, she has asked her sister, kathy silva, to deliver her remarks on her behalf. I would ask you to give a very warm welcome to kathy, please. [applause] kathy i am very honored to be here today and to be able to convey my sisters most heartfelt feelings at this very important occasion. She is so disappointed she could not be here personally and share the following remarks with you. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Diplomatic Community beloved veterans of world war ii, im deeply honored to join you in commemorating a monumental victory and celebrating those who fought and bled to achieve it. In doing so, i speak to you not as a former secretary of state but as someone whose own life is deeply intertwined with the events we reflect upon today. That is because i was born in czechoslovakia only two years before hitlers troops marched into prague. My father was a diplomat and at the time subject to arrest by the nazis. So my parents and i fled to england, where we spent the war. Among my first memories are those of sitting with our neighbors during the air raids huddled together in a shelter while enemy bombers flew overhead, waiting for the all clear to sound. Our anxieties were heightened because the war in europe had not begun well and it seemed that we who had found refuge in Great Britain might be left to fight alone. But then one day, wonderful news came from across the sea. A brave nation had answered the call and was on its way to rescue freedom. Soon, american soldiers arrived in england, bringing with them their Boundless Energy confident wisecracks, and funny way of walking. On the streets of british cities and towns, children like me trailed along behind them in awe of their uniforms and all that they represented. In early june 1944, the troops were suddenly nowhere to be seen. Operation overlord, the largest Amphibious Landing in history, had been launched. In the months that followed, almost an entire continent had to be taken village by village hill by hill. It was an assault against dug in positions, amongst mud and rain and darkness. Winnable only through unbelievable courage and unbearable loss. In those days, the entire spectrum of human possibility was on display, from the soulless horror of buchenwald and auschwitz to the selfless bravery of allied warriors. My father, who also volunteered to serve as an air raid warden was head of broadcasting for the czechoslovakian government in exile. As the fighting progressed, he reported each breakthrough to the millions of people back home, secretly listening in the sellers and attics. I still remember celebrating the allied victory and for the first time, but not the last, falling in love with americans in uniform. Reflecting on the meaning of v. E. Day, a historian once described how america and its allies were able to defeat the axis powers so decisively. He said, their courage was a match for the force of the enemy, their ingenuity for his cunning, their free industry for his slavery, their faith for his cynicism. Courage, ingenuity, faith, and industry, these are the hallmarks of world war ii generation. And since the 70 years since ve day, we have seen the veterans display these qualities in parades and picnics and schools. We have seen the pride they had taken and their medals and ribbons, and many of us thought perhaps what a fine thing it mustve been to be tested in a great cause and to have prevailed. But as this memorial reminds us, behind each metal and ribbon there is a story of heroism, but also profound sadness. For world war ii reflected not only the height of human spirit, but also the depths. So today we are here to honor those veterans from that generation with us here today. We remember the more than 180,000 american troops they who gave their last full measure in the campaign to liberate europe. We pay tribute to the heavy sacrifices made by our allies, including russia, which lost more than 20 million of its own people during its long battle with the nazis on the eastern front. As we reflect and give thanks, we can never forget we are the recipients of a precious gift from those heroes whose consciences could not accept the theft of liberty or the reality of aggression and genocide. For if we are to be true to these heroes today, we must never forget why world war ii was fought and how it was won. We must maintain solidarity with one another, never allowing our differences to interfere with the most profound values we share. And we must be willing to uphold that principle by defending Democratic Institutions and values throughout the world. In the weeks after v. E. Day, i returned to czechoslovakia with my family. Because the fighting was over, my parents and i did our best to settle in and resume a normal life. But within a couple of years the government of czechoslovakia was taken over by communists. Once again, my family was forced into exile, this time sailing across the ocean to a new and welcoming home. I will never forever be grateful for the warm reception we received in the United States and for the opportunity i had to grow up in a country that cherished freedom. And i will always be mindful that this opportunity only came about because of the millions of american men and women who worked and fought to achieve the historic victory we commemorate today. I cannot tell you how grateful i am that im able to say thank you once more to all of those who brought v. E. Day about. Above all, the veterans here with us this morning. You have our eternal respect and deepest admiration. May god bless you all and thank you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the official wreath laying at the freedom wall. [applause] representing the United States of america is kathy silva, accompanied by world war ii veteran, mr. Les jones. Representing the National Park service and friends of the National World war ii memorial the superintendent of the National Mall, Karen Cucurullo and chairman of the board for friends of the National World war ii memorial mr. Josiah bunting iii, and world war ii veteran, mr. Ewing miller. Representing the country of australia is brigadier david green. He is accompanied by mrs. Barbara martin. [applause] representing the country of belarus, the charge daffairs. Charge daffaires. Faulkner. Representing belgium, and accompanying his excellency, is world war ii veteran mr. Clarence faulkner. Representing the country of brazil its secretary accompanied by holocaust survivor mr. Stephen denby. [applause] representing the country of canada, deputy head of mission dennis stevens, accompanied by world war ii veteran mr. James t. Mills. Representing the country of the czech republic, deputy chief of mission, and the world war ii veteran mr. Abdul kareem. [applause] representing the country of denmark is the deputy chief of mission. He is accompanied by world war ii veteran mr. Les wheeler. [applause] representing the country of france is a french army colonel, accompanied by a holocaust survivor alex shiloh, who lived in france during the war. [applause] in the country of accompanied by world war ii veteran bill boccaccio. [applause] representing the country of greece, the company by world war ii veteran mr. James [applause] representing the country of kazakhstan representing him is chairman of the oss society, commander q mcgovern. , representing the country of hudson berg, his excellency and world war ii veteran and airmen, colonel charles mcgee. [applause] representing the republic of malta, his excellency, and world war ii veteran and tuskegee airman colonel charles mcgee. Representing the country of the netherlands, as deputy chief of mission and holocaust survivor, miss luis israel who is originally from the netherlands. [applause] representing the country of new zealand, representing norway, the Major General and world war ii veteran, mr. James taylor. [applause] representing the country of holland, military as you take and holocaust survivor, miss Helena Peabody from poland. [applause] representing the country of russia acting military and the company him is a world war ii veteran [applause] [airplane] representing so lock slovakia mrs. Lawrence shelby reynolds. [applause] representing the country of south africa, ambassador and a count accompanied by world war ii veteran mr. Clarence anderson. [applause] representing the country of turkmenistan ambassador and world war ii veteran mr. Clarence walters. [applause] representing the country of ukraine accompanied by world war ii veteran miko coven. [applause] representing the United Kingdom Major General Richard Bridwell accompanied by mr. Alex kershaw and world war ii veteran mr. John nair. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please stand. For the playing of taps. [taps playing] at this time will be playing the service songs. If you are a veteran or currently serving, please stand with you here your service on played. The armed forces medley. The United States coast guard. The United States marine corps. The United States army. The United States navy. And the United States air force
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