Transcripts For CSPAN2 Defense 20240705

All world war ii veterans here today i am absolutely humbled to join you on this day. Seventynine years ago [inaudible] one soldier called out [inaudible] and they did. Young men from the united states, britain, australia, canada, france and others rallied together with tens of thousands of allied troops of nazi occupied france. [inaudible] to care for the wounded. Its easy to forget how desperate the battle was, how loud the crash was and how many things could have gone wrong, how many things did go wrong. But on dday [inaudible] liberty one over tierney. Onee of the soldiers of the second battalion [inaudible] they outnumbered them by more than 21. They certainly didnt count on the citizens. The Battalion Commander he personally found and destroyed the command post and it became the first. He returned to report the department [inaudible] the commander said [inaudible] thed lieutenant said that is te spirite that took the beaches. Thats the courage but his swooned in [inaudible] historiansro had known the men d just that. As they wrote themselves into the pages of history with a grand reputation. Dday reminds us that there is no force multiplier stronger than the just cause. The democratic ideals [inaudible] ladies and gentlemen, to serve some 50 years after dday as the commander of the infantry in fact, i jumped in with elements of my battalion for the 50th anniversary of dday. We shouldered the legacy of the brothers arms. Its our duty to defend. Human rights f are sacred. Those who preach hatred and tierney and genocide are against that. [inaudible] where sovereignty and territorial integrity and we see the world where all peoples can pursue their own destinies and freedom. Ladies and gentlemen, todays open world of rules and rights was filled on the shoulders ofle those that took the beaches. Todays order is a legacy of those that one the bloodiest war in history and it is our task to Carry Forward their work. Also the democratic citizenship is far less than 1944. We must meet todays challenges with our full strength, soldier and civilian. Ifie they could risk their lives for freedom then, surely citizens of the worlds democracy can risk our comfort for freedom now some of our friends no longer haveig that choice. On a recent trip to a training post in germany, young men and women from ukraine were learning how to fight for their lives and for their country. Today i am more determined than ever for as long as it takes. In these times we are again here to see tierney is the future, that people rule and that the free people will share and that the hour of democracy has passed. They are wrong. And every dday, citizen by citizen we remember that we each have the ability and the responsibility to fight for the principles that drove the allied armies forward. Years ago general eisenhower told soldiers,s, sailors, airmen and marines of the allied expeditionary force, quote, the eyes of the world are upon you. People everywhere march with you. The eyes of the world are still upon the heroes of dday. They are upon us as well and if we will not let the torch of freedom go out. Every time dday is gathered to his maker in the fullest time after all the life of lived and freedom, victory. The veterans of world war ii, we salute you. You saved the world. We must merely defend it. The American Allied troops that fought 79 years ago, may god bless the united state