US President George W. Bush saluted on Monday all those Americans who had given their lives in military service and assured their loved ones that they were "honored and remembered by the United States of America."
Two days after dedicating a new memorial to Americans killed in World War II, Bush laid a wreath at Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and then delivered a Memorial Day address in which he acknowledged the "great costs" of the war in Iraq and tied it to the broader effort to combat terrorism.
"Since the hour this nation was attacked, we have seen the character of the men and women who wear our country's uniform," Bush said on a gray, rainy morning in the amphitheater at Arlington, across the Potomac River from Washington.
PHOTO: AFP
"In places like Kabul and Kandahar, in Mosul and Baghdad, we have seen their decency and their brave spirit. Because of their fierce courage, America is safer, two terror regimes are gone forever and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom," he said.
On a day when two more American service members were reported killed in Iraq, the president said that the veterans of wars past and present would "carry with them for all their days the memory of the ones who did not live to be called veterans."
And Bush, who has been criticized for not attending funerals of those Americans killed in Iraq or allowing pictures of coffins returning to the US, addressed the loss suffered by family members through the nation's history.
"Markers on these hills record the names of more than 280,000 men and women," Bush said. "Each was once or still is the most important person in someone's life. With each loss in war, the world changed forever for the family and friends left behind. Each loss left others to go on, counting the years of separation, and living in the hope of reunion. Although the burden of grief can become easier to bear, always there is the memory of another time, and the feeling of sadness over an unfinished life."
Bush's presidency and his prospects for re-election have become largely defined by the war in Iraq, which will be his main topic when he delivers a graduation address at the Air Force Academy today and again on Sunday when he commemorates the 60th anniversary of D-Day at the American Cemetery in Normandy.
Bush was introduced at Arlington by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who received a rousing round of applause from the crowd. He responded by saying "Wow."
Rumsfeld, whose job seemed in jeopardy a few weeks ago after disclosures about the abuse of Iraqi detainees by US forces, praised Bush, who in turn thanked Rumsfeld for what he called "great leadership."
Bush quoted from a letter written by Private First Class Jesse Givens of the Army to his wife and children, to be read in the event of his death. Givens, of Springfield, Missouri, was 34 when he was killed on May 1 last year. His tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank on which it was parked collapsed.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the