And watching this magnificent display, our souls are filled with gratitude for every generation of warriors who have worn the uniform all the way back to the very beginning. So to every veteran across our land, and right here in our nation’s capital, including six recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, we love you, we honor you, and we salute your noble service to our flag and to our country. As we celebrate tonight, we also think of the hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation and selflessly laid down their lives in every war from the Revolution to the war on terror.

To the Gold Star families with us today, the courage of your heroes is the bedrock on which our entire nation stands. We thank you. Yes, we thank you. Today, we commemorate an event that did not just change American history, but changed the history of the entire world with the creation of America’s Army on June 14th, 1775. Liberty got its shield and the freedom got its sword. Those first Army patriots in the American Revolution fought against a fearsome enemy and impossible arts, but they were armed with a righteous cause. They were led by an indomitable commander, a truly great man, General George Washington, and they were united by an eternal creed.

Their motto was victory or death. Over the past two and a half centuries, our warriors have shown unrivaled on fields, a battle around the globe with the frostbitten feet and bloody fists. They have marched into the flames and fury of combat, charged up mountains, stormed beaches, waded through torrents of gunfire, and leapt into skies thick with smoke and shrapnel. The U.S. Army has driven bayonets into the heart of sinister empires, crushed the ambitions of evil tyrants, beneath the threads of American tanks. It’s done so well. It’s done so much and sent the devil himself flying into full retreat.

Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you. Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete. Because our soldiers never give up, never surrender, and never, ever quit. They fight, no institution in history has entered more names into the roster of American heroes than the U.S. Army, the Congressional Medal of Honor, more than anyone or anything. There was mad Anthony Wayne asked by George Washington to lead a daring midnight raid up the cliffs of Stony Point with unloaded muskets and only their bayonets to fight the Redcoats.

Mad Anthony replied, issue the order, sir, and I will storm into hell for you. Then there was the Civil War general John Kors shot in the face in combat. He fired off a message to his commander. I am short a cheekbone and one ear, but I am able to whip the hell out of all of them. He stayed on the front lines. It seemed forever. In World War II, there was the great Creighton Abrams besieged on all sides by the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge. He boldly proclaimed, they’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.

This is the fighting spirit and unyielding force of the U.S. Army. It has never changed, and it will never, ever change because there is no earthly force more powerful than the brave heart of a U.S. infantryman or an army ranger paratrooper or Green Beret. They are the best. They are the finest from Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, from Yorktown to Shiloh and from the trenches of the Argonne to the mountains of Afghanistan. The Army has forged a legacy of unmatched courage, untold sacrifice, and unequaled and undying glory.

Our soldiers have poured out their blood by the bucketful on Missionary Ridge and Heartbreak Ridge, on the sands of Sicily, Normandy, and the Philippines, and on the dusty streets of Da Nang, Baghdad, and Fallujah. Thanks to their extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall, America stands proud, and America stands free. We’re the hottest country in the world right now, and our country will soon be greater and stronger than ever before. Down through history, we’ve been blessed beyond words by this valiant legion of Army warriors and patriots, heroes and legends, and tonight we affirm with unwavering certainty that in the years ahead and in every generation hence, whenever duty calls and whatever danger comes, the American soldier will be there.

No matter the risk, no matter the obstacles, our warriors will charge into battle. They will plunge into the crucible of fire, and they will seize the crown of victory because the United States of America will always have the grace of Almighty God and the iron will of the United States Army. Congratulations to everybody. We love our country. We’ve never done better. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the Army, and God bless America. And now I’d like to ask our great First Lady to join me at the podium. Thank you very much, everybody. Mr.

President, on behalf of the United States Army, the Army go to night. I would like to present to you this flag which was flown over our nation’s capital in free fall during the Army’s 250th birthday celebration. [tr:trw].

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