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Vets' Courage A Blessing, Bush Says

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The Associated Press

Published: May 27, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. - President Bush paid tribute Monday to America's fighting men and women who died in battle, saying national leaders must have "the courage and character to follow their lead" in preserving peace and freedom.

"On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the commander in chief and try to tell you how proud I am," Bush told an audience of military figures, veterans and their families at Arlington National Cemetery. Of the men and women buried in the hallowed cemetery, he said, "They're an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens."

Bush and his wife, Laura, traveled from the White House across the Potomac River to the rolling hillsides of Arlington. Along the way, one man stood with a sign that said: "Bring Our Troops Home."

"From faraway lands, they were returned to cemeteries like this one where broken hearts received their broken bodies," Bush said. "They found peace beneath the white headstones in the land they fought to defend. It is a solemn reminder of the cost of freedom that the number of headstones in a place such as this grows with every new Memorial Day."

He eulogized all U.S. troops who have died in service to the nation, but particularly those who lost their lives this past year.

After returning to the White House, Bush met in the Oval Office with five NCAA head football coaches, who recently returned from a seven-day visit to military bases in the Middle East to boost troop morale. The head coaches, who coached a flag football game on one base, were: Mark Richt, University of Georgia; Randy Shannon, University of Miami; Jack Siedlecki, Yale University; Tommy Tuberville, Auburn University; and Charlie Weis, University of Notre Dame.

The coaches visited military personnel in Germany, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and aboard the USS Nassau on a trip coordinated by the Defense Department.

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