President Obama on Veterans Day: ‘Our Troops are Coming Home’
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(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 2011, President Obama visited the nation’s most hallowed ground, Arlington National Cemetery, where the remains of America’s war dead are laid to rest.
On this sunny, windy and cool Veterans Day, Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. His hand covered his heart as a drummer sounded a muffled flourish and a bugler played Taps.
At a larger ceremony at Arlington’s Amphitheater, the president spoke of the heroic sacrifice of America’s military men and women. He told the assembled military families that being their commander and chief is his most humbling honor.
“We gather today in solemn respect, mindful that we are guests here, mindful that we share this hallowed space with a family’s moment of quiet grief, mindful that many veterans not far from here are tracing their fingers over black granite for friends who never came home,” he said. “On behalf of a proud and grateful nation, we thank you.”
The president noted the conflicts the U.S. military has been involved in over the last decade are drawing down. “In Iraq, they have battled a brutal insurgency, trained new security forces and given the Iraqi people the opportunity to forge a better future,” he said.
“In Afghanistan, they have pushed back the Taliban and decimated al Qaeda and delivered the ultimate justice to Osama bin-Laden. In concert with our allies, they have helped end Gadhafi’s brutal dictatorship and returned Libya to its people,” the president said.
“In just a few weeks, the long war in Iraq will finally come to an end,” he said to applause. “Our transition in Afghanistan is moving forward. My fellow Americans, our troops are coming home.”
But many veterans are coming home to an unemployment rate higher for them than for Americans as a whole. The president said the government would hire more veterans and he called on the private sector to do the same. “They’ve earned their place among the greatest of generations,” he said.
The president said the U.S. economy needs the “tremendous talents” and “specialized skills” of veterans. “So on this Veterans Day, I ask every American, recruit our veterans,” he said. “If you’re a business owner, hire them. If you’re a community leader, a mayor, a pastor or a preacher, call on them to join your efforts. Organize your community to make a sustained difference in the life of a veteran because that veteran can make an incredible difference in the life of your community.”
The president directed veterans looking for jobs to a new government website, and he said civilians looking to support veterans and active duty military should visit joiningforces.gov, a website set up by Mrs. Obama and Vice President Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden.
“There’s no such thing as too small a difference,” the president said. “That effort you make may have the biggest impact.”
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Posted by: s | November 11, 2011, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm
Bring our troops home, all of them. If you don’t like the high gasoline prices, take public transportation or drive a hybrid. We do not need to be in the Middle East any longer. It is not a matter of ‘winning,’ no one wins when thousands of Americans die. If the oil companies are fearful for their ‘investment’ in the Middle East, let them send their high paid executives to fight. Or better yet, they can pay for any military action instead of US taxpayers. Heaven knows they are making record profits and paying little taxes.
Posted by: rohnertpark1 | November 11, 2011, 2:39 pm 2:39 pm
The troops are NOT coming home…….YOU are simply moving them to Afghanistan. Do you think we are all stupid?
Posted by: HappyVeteransDay | November 11, 2011, 2:43 pm 2:43 pm
The troops are NOT coming home…….YOU are simply moving them to Afghanistan. Do you think we are all stupid?
POSTED BY: HAPPYVETERANSDAY | NOVEMBER 11, 2011, 2:43 PM 2:43 PM
No, but you seem ill informed or not stating this accurately.
Posted by: Calvin | November 11, 2011, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
GEE OBAMA, I WONDER IF THE UPCOMING ELECTION YEAR HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
Posted by: h. scherer | November 11, 2011, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
H. SCHERER: “GEE OBAMA, I WONDER IF THE UPCOMING ELECTION YEAR HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.” – - – Actually the primary reason our combat troops are leaving Iraq and mostly coming home (yeah, some who were not deployed there long enough to finish their NORMAL rotation MIGHT go to Afghanistan to finish their NORMAL deployment rotation IF they are needed there before we draw down there) is because the IRAQI government wants them gone. The IRAQI government did not and will not renew/extend the Status of Forces Agreement (SOA) past December. Since the SOA is the ONLY legal protection for our troops in a foreign country only an idiot president would keep our military personnel – especially combat troops in combat – in a foreign country without the legal protections of a SOA. ALL of the Repuplicans/conservatives (e.g. candidates, elected officials, talking heads on TV, jabbering voices on radio, and regular folks whining here) who state or imply that they would not pull our troops out of Iraq unless the commanders on the ground say we are ready are either grossly ignorant of the purpose and status of the SOA, or they are profoundly stupid, or they are profoundly dishonest. Again, only an idiot would have our troops engaging in combat in a foreign country without a SOA providing them legal protections.
Posted by: B-K KnightRider | November 11, 2011, 3:34 pm 3:34 pm
rohnertpark1: “Bring our troops home, all of them. If you don’t like the high gasoline prices, take public transportation or drive a hybrid. We do not need to be in the Middle East any longer. It is not a matter of ‘winning,’ no one wins when thousands of Americans die.” – - – Close, but not quite. The real reason this is not a matter of winning, and the real reason it is stupid for anyone to talk about winning the war on terror, is because it is IMPOSSIBLE to do that. The ONLY way to “win the war on terror” is to kill every terrorist on the planet. But that is simply impossible. No matter how many we kill, and no matter how fast we kill them, and no matter where we kill them, someone else is someplace else recruiting and training more terrorists. Also, people who use that pointless “win the war on terror” language are either ignorant of the reality, or flat out ignoring the reality, that terrorists think and plan LONG-TERM strategies. They think and plan for fighting 25 years, or 50 years, or 75 years, or basically for AS LONG AS IT TAKES, as in FOREVER if that is necessary. The honest bottom line is that we will NEVER stop fighting a/our war on terror. So, get used to that fundamental truth and reality.
Posted by: B-K KnightRider | November 11, 2011, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
I could care less his reasons for bringing them home….at least they are coming home. !! Happy Veterans Day to all of our nations heroes past and present!!!! RIP Dad (US Navy)
Posted by: Riley | November 11, 2011, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
A pathetic president using our heros for votes.. and photo ops
Posted by: another photo op | November 11, 2011, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm
B-K KNIGHTRIDER I guess that means that Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, Harry Reid and all of the other democrats who voted to go to war are either “grossly ignorant, profoundly stupid or profoundly dishonest.” Also, I guess that you think all what has happened under the Obama administration are all “grossly ignorant, profoundly stupid or profoundly dishonest,” butt then again those three things you used does explain Obama/Reid/Pelosi and all the other democrats/liberals.
Posted by: Matthew | November 11, 2011, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
B-K KNIGHTRIDER I guess that means that Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, Harry Reid and all of the other democrats who voted to go to war
POSTED BY: MATTHEW | NOVEMBER 11, 2011, 4:34 PM 4:34 PM
They didn’t actually vote ‘to go to war’.
The resolution “supported” and “encouraged” diplomatic efforts by President George W. Bush to “strictly enforce through the U.N. Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq” and “obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion, and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.”
The resolution authorized President Bush to use the Armed Forces of the United States “as he determines to be necessary and appropriate” in order to “defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq.”
It was Bush’s decision.
Posted by: James | November 11, 2011, 4:52 pm 4:52 pm
A pathetic president using our heros for votes.. and photo ops
POSTED BY: ANOTHER PHOTO OP | NOVEMBER 11, 2011, 4:29 PM 4:29 PM
The President can’t even do his duty to honor and celebrate war veterans without being criticized by the rabid right wing.
What a stupid and sick lot.
Posted by: Dave | November 11, 2011, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
Mr Obama, I was for the war and I was wrong. One of the very few things I believe you’ve done right is to bring our troops home. Now we need to cut our loses and get out of Afghanistan (and quit lining Karzi’s pockets. While we’re at it, offer foreign countries that have US bases the choice to pay. Or close them and bring the troops home. Re-delpoy the funds to the parts of the defense budget that will need it after the cuts are made. Veterans, thank you for your service.
Chuck Pfarrer, a former SEAL Team Six assault-element commander, says it only took the SEALs 90 to 120 seconds – from landing to firing the fatal shot – to take out bin Laden, according to his new book, “Seal Target Geronimo”. Pfarrer insists that the SEALs were not on a “kill mission,” and that the team would have captured bin Laden had he surrendered.
Posted by: deanbob | November 11, 2011, 5:01 pm 5:01 pm
Yup, coming home from Iraq by the end of the year. Thank You President Bush for setting the timeline and for Leon Panetta for failing at his attempt to keep us there longer.
Posted by: BillP | November 11, 2011, 6:54 pm 6:54 pm
Yup, coming home from Iraq by the end of the year. Thank You President Bush for setting the timeline and for Leon Panetta for failing at his attempt to keep us there longer.
POSTED BY: BILLP | NOVEMBER 11, 2011, 6:54 PM 6:54 PM
I would be more eager to ‘thank President Bush’ if it hadn’t been his neo-con gang’s obsession that got thousands of Americans killed and many more thousands disfigured, wounded and maimed in Iraq. Never mind the hundred thousand of so Iraqis killed and the ongoing instability.
Posted by: Jackie | November 11, 2011, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm
Thank goodness that many of our troops will be coming home as we draw down in Iraq.
We can’t thank them enough for all their sacrifices.
Posted by: Lydia | November 11, 2011, 9:19 pm 9:19 pm
Yes the troops are shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan. But this allows the Soldiers to have a longer dwell time (time in America). So it is a good change. I have done 4 combat tours in the past 7 years and the longest time between has been 12 months. So yes its not the end but it is a step forward of the quality of live for the troops and there family’s.
Posted by: Unkown 11 | November 16, 2011, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm