Washington, D.C. - This Veterans Day U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., paid tribute to the nation’s veterans and thanked them for their sacrifices so others might be free.
"We as Americans know the joys, the freedoms, the opportunities and the trail blazing achievements of our forefathers. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a speech by the President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy. In his speech to the U.S. Congress, he praised the leadership of the American people throughout our proud history. It instilled in me a great sense of pride to hear a world leader speak so highly of the American way of life that our men and women in military risk their lives to preserve," said Enzi. During his speech, Sarkozy articulately described to a room full of Americans what it meant to the world, as well as themselves, to be American. Below are excerpts from Sarkozy’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Nov. 7, 2007: "Today, fathers take their sons to see the vast cemeteries where, under thousands of white crosses so far from home, thousands of young American soldiers lay who had fallen not to defend their own freedom but the freedom of all others, not to defend their own families, their own homeland, but to defend humanity as a whole. "Fathers take their sons to the beaches where the young men of America had so heroically landed. They read them the admirable letters of farewell that those 20-year-old soldiers had written to their families before the battle to tell them: ‘We don’t consider ourselves heroes. We want this war to be over. But however much dread we may feel, you can count on us.’ Before they landed, Eisenhower told them: ‘The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. "And as they listened to their fathers, watched movies, read history books and the letters of soldiers who died on the beaches of Normandy and Provence, as they visited the cemeteries where the star-spangled banner flies, the children of my generation understood that these young Americans, 20 years old, were true heroes to whom they owed the fact that they were free people and not slaves. France will never forget the sacrifice of your children." Sen. Enzi added: "We shouldn’t forget the sacrifice either. Wyoming’s nearly 57,000 veterans are not only great American heroes – the best our state has to offer – but they are also our friends, our neighbors, members of our family, and our loved ones. They deserve our respect, our appreciation and our admiration for a job well done. So on this Veterans Day, let us stand side by side with our friends who have served our nation in the armed forces and say ‘thank you’ for everything they have done in helping us sustain our freedom."
