For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 15, 2001
Remarks by the President During 20th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service
Capitol Hill Washington, D.C.
Listen to the President's Remarks
12:36 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very
much. Please be seated. Gil, thank you very much
for your friendship and your eloquence. It's my honor to be
here. I'm pleased to be joined by three fine members of my
Cabinet: General Ashcroft and Secretary O'Neill and Secretary Chao, I
thank you all for joining us. I appreciate the members of
the United States Congress being here. Thank you for letting
us share these beautiful grounds.
I'm so thankful for the beautiful voices that
are here today. Officer Rodriguez, I've heard a lot of
National Anthems in my day. That was one of the
greatest. Thank you very much,
sir. (Applause.) Not bad for a New York
cop. (Laughter.) And, Billy, thank you very much
for sharing your God-given talents with us as
well. (Applause.)
It is an honor to welcome you all here on
these beautiful grounds, and it's a honor to be among the people in law
enforcement who are here today. And it's a special privilege to be
able to say hello and God bless to the many widows and family members
of the fallen officers. It's truly my privilege.
As President, I feel a special connection with
the officers of the law. I meet many of you as I travel
around our country. And, of course, on a daily basis I'm
surrounded by some of the finest men and women I have ever met in my
life.
The same is true for all Americans, but in a
less visible way. Everywhere, from the greatest city to the quietest
of crossroads in America, there is someone working long, hard hours to
protect our citizens. Someone who, when we're in trouble, will face a
threat in our defense. Someone who, when we are in danger, will rush
to our aid, even in complete disregard to his or her own safety.
One of the names recorded on the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial is that of Patrolman Mickey Cullinane of
Sea Island City, New Jersey. He died trying to rescue a man
lying at the bottom of a deep pit. A witness described the obvious
dangers at the scene. He recalled everybody said, you can't
go down there. But some people can't see someone in trouble
and walk away. Mickey did -- he didn't walk
away. He did what the courageous do.
In the daily lives of Americans, such moments
of emergency are rare, thankfully rare. For most, the
violent moments never come at all. And there's a reason for
this. And it's simply not good fortune. The
reason is you, the officers of the law, your bravery, and the courage
you show every day in wearing the uniform.
And it's always been that
way. Every generation of Americans has produced men and
women willing to stand watch over the rest of us. Every
generation has lived under your protection. And we must
never take for granted the police officers of
America. (Applause.)
We have a solemn obligation to give thanks and
credit to law enforcement officers who are no longer with
us. We honor as well the ones who have so bravely faced
injury and disability. And we're so grateful to those who
have retired after honorable careers, and of course to those who are on
the job this very day. At times, law
enforcement must seem like the most thankless work you could ever
do. But I'm here to tell you that yours is one of the great
callings. And your country thanks you for it.
A Texas State Trooper spoke for many last year
after a colleague was struck down in the line of
duty. America must hear what this man said. He
said, "It's a rough thing, and people ask, 'Why do you do
it?' It's the profession I chose, and I honestly think good
officers are called by God." (Applause.)
For too many officers and their families, that
calling has come at the highest price -- in lives ended and hopes
destroyed. For those who suffer it, this loss can never be
measured. But long ago, we were told how to measure the men
and women who make this sacrifice. Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Each one of you chose your profession,
understanding the risks. This memorial stands as a reminder
of those dangers and of how men and women died facing
them. For each name, there was a family left
behind. We must never forget how suddenly their pain comes
and how long it lingers.
The widow of a U.S. marshall said, "Whenever
men who spend their lives serving their country are killed in the line
of duty, we all lose a piece of ourself. I lost a bigger
piece than others."
We cannot today cover the grief or repay the
sacrifice, but it is a way -- a lasting way -- to acknowledge the
debt. And that is the best we can do, after others had given
all there was to give. America honors their memory today,
and we always will.
God bless. (Applause.)
END
12:45 P.M. EDT
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