Obama hails disabled veterans as symbols of American character

The president called on the nation to remember and stand by those Americans who have given life and limb for their country at the opening of American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington Sunday.

President Obama paid tribute to disabled US veterans on Sunday, pointing to the dedication of a new memorial honoring those severely injured in war as a symbol of the nation's perseverance and character.

Mr. Obama marked the opening of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which honors disabled veterans both living and deceased from conflicts throughout the nation's history. The president said the memorial would commemorate two centuries of Americans who have stepped forward to serve, leaving behind loved ones, and returned home forever altered by war.

"America, if you want to know what real strength is, if you want to see the character of our country, a country that never quits, look at these men and women," Obama told more than 3,100 people gathered at the dedication.

The monument of granite and glass near the US Capitol opened as the US disentangles itself from more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where about 50,000 military personnel have been injured in conflict. In recent months, Obama has grappled with the rise of the Islamic State group militants now wreaking havoc in Iraq and in neighboring Syria.

Obama said the nation has not always fulfilled its obligations to those who serve – calling it a "painful truth" – and said the memorial would remind the country of its debt to its veterans and those serving in the military.

"This memorial is a challenge to all of us, a reminder of the obligations this country is under. If we are to truly honor these veterans we must heed the voices that speak to us here. Let's never rush into war, because it is America's sons and daughters who bear the scars of war for the rest of their lives," Obama said. "Let us only send them into harm's way when it's absolutely necessary."

"When our wounded veterans set out on that long road of recovery, we need to move heaven and earth to make sure they get every single benefit, every single bit of care that they have earned, that they deserve, Obama said"

The memorial was organized by philanthropist Lois Pope, former Veterans Affairs secretary Jesse Brown and Art Wilson, who retired as CEO and national adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans organization in 2013. The group first started work on creating the memorial in the late 1990s and raised more than $80 million for its construction.

The monument features a star-shaped fountain and ceremonial flame surrounded by a grove of trees. It is located behind the US Botanic Garden near the Rayburn House Office Building.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Obama hails disabled veterans as symbols of American character
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/1005/Obama-hails-disabled-veterans-as-symbols-of-American-character
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe