Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

The White House

May 23, 2015

Hi, everybody.  This weekend is Memorial Day—a time to pay tribute to all our men and women in uniform who’ve ever given their lives so that we can live in freedom and security.  This year, the holiday is especially meaningful.  It’s the first Memorial Day since our war ended in Afghanistan.

On Monday, at Arlington Cemetery¹, I’ll join our Gold Star families, veterans, and their loved ones to remember all our fallen heroes, including the more than 2,200 American patriots² who gave their lives in Afghanistan.  And I plan to share a few of their stories.

Growing up in Arizona, Wyatt Martin loved the outdoors.  To him, a great day was a day spent fishing.  After high school, he enlisted³ in the Army because he believed that the blessings⁴ he enjoyed as an American came with an obligation to give back to his country.

Ramon Morris was born in Jamaica, and as a teenager came to Queens.  Like so many proud immigrants, he felt a calling to serve his new country and joined the Army.  He fell in love, got engaged, and the thing he wanted most was to make the world safer for his three-year-old daughter.

In their lives, Specialist Wyatt Martin and Sergeant⁵ First Class Ramon Morris travelled different paths.  But in December, their paths intersected as the final two Americans to give their lives during our combat mission in Afghanistan.

This weekend also reminds us that, around the world, our men and women in uniform continue to serve and risk their lives.  In Afghanistan, our troops now have a new mission—training and advising Afghan forces.  John Dawson was one of them.  From Massachusetts, he loved the Bruins and the Pats.  In April, he gave his life as an Army combat medic—the first American to give his life in this new mission.  This Memorial Day, we’ll honor Corporal Dawson as well.

Like generations of heroes before them, these Americans gave everything they had—not for glory, not even for gratitude⁶, but for something greater than themselves.  We cannot bring them back.  Nor can we ease the pain of their families and friends who live with their loss.

But we are the Americans they died to defend.  So what we can do—what we must do—is fulfill⁷ our sacred obligations to them, just like they fulfilled theirs to us.  We have to honor their memory.  We have to care for their families, and our veterans who served with them.  And as a nation, we have to remain worthy⁸ of their sacrifice—forever committed to the country they loved and the freedom they fought for and died for.

Thank you, have a wonderful weekend, and may God bless our fallen heroes and their families.

Hi, everybody.  This weekend is Memorial Day—a time to pay tribute to all our men and women in uniform who’ve ever given their lives so that we can live in freedom and security.  This year, the holiday is especially meaningful.  It’s the first Memorial Day since our war ended in Afghanistan.

On Monday, at Arlington Cemetery, I’ll join our Gold Star families, veterans, and their loved ones to remember all our fallen heroes, including the more than 2,200 American patriots who gave their lives in Afghanistan.  And I plan to share a few of their stories.

大家好。本周末是阵亡将士纪念日—一个向我们的奉献了自己的生命使我们能够生活在自由和安全中的军中优秀儿女们表示敬意的时刻。今年，这个节日更加意义非凡。这是我们的阿富汗战事结束后的第一个阵亡将士纪念日。

周一，在阿灵顿国家公墓，我将与金星家庭（为国捐躯将士家属）、退伍军人们和他们的亲人们一起缅怀我们所有的倒下的英雄们，包括2,200名在阿富汗为国捐躯的爱国者们。我打算分享一些他们的故事。

Growing up in Arizona, Wyatt Martin loved the outdoors.  To him, a great day was a day spent fishing.  After high school, he enlisted in the Army because he believed that the blessings he enjoyed as an American came with an obligation to give back to his country.

Ramon Morris was born in Jamaica, and as a teenager came to Queens.  Like so many proud immigrants, he felt a calling to serve his new country and joined the Army.  He fell in love, got engaged, and the thing he wanted most was to make the world safer for his three-year-old daughter.

In their lives, Specialist Wyatt Martin and Sergeant First Class Ramon Morris travelled different paths.  But in December, their paths intersected as the final two Americans to give their lives during our combat mission in Afghanistan.

成长于亚利桑那州，Wyatt Martin喜欢户外活动。对他来讲，最惬意的一天就是终日打鱼的一天。高中毕业后，他参了军，因为他认为他作为一个美国人享受的一切福祉都伴随着回报他的国家的责任。

Ramon Morris生于牙买加，十几岁时来到Queens。和很多骄傲的移民一样，他感到有一个召唤让他服务新的国家并且参了军。他深爱的、全身心投入的和他最希望的事就是让他的三岁的女儿的世界更加安全。

在他们的生活中，专业军人Wyatt Martin和一级军士Ramon Morris的轨迹完全不同。但是在12月份，他们的轨迹在我们在阿富汗的战斗任务中相交了—他们在此献出了他们的生命。

This weekend also reminds us that, around the world, our men and women in uniform continue to serve and risk their lives.  In Afghanistan, our troops now have a new mission—training and advising Afghan forces.  John Dawson was one of them.  From Massachusetts, he loved the Bruins and the Pats.  In April, he gave his life as an Army combat medic—the first American to give his life in this new mission.  This Memorial Day, we’ll honor Corporal Dawson as well.

Like generations of heroes before them, these Americans gave everything they had—not for glory, not even for gratitude, but for something greater than themselves.  We cannot bring them back.  Nor can we ease the pain of their families and friends who live with their loss.

这个周末提醒我们，在全球范围内，我们的军中优秀儿女继续服役，继续舍生忘死。在阿富汗，我们的军队正在执行一个新任务—为阿富汗军队提供培训和顾问。John Dawson就是其中的一员。来自马萨诸塞州，他深爱Bruins 和 the Pats。在四月，他作为军医献出了生命—在这个新任务中献出生命的第一位美国人。在这个阵亡将士纪念日，我们也纪念 Dawson 下士。

和他们之前的几代英雄们一样，这些美国人献出了他们的一切—不是为了荣誉、不是为了得到感激，而是为了比他们自己更加伟大的事业。我们无法挽回他们的生命。我们也无法平息生活在没有他们的世界里的亲友们的痛苦。

But we are the Americans they died to defend.  So what we can do—what we must do—is fulfill our sacred obligations to them, just like they fulfilled theirs to us.  We have to honor their memory.  We have to care for their families, and our veterans who served with them.  And as a nation, we have to remain worthy of their sacrifice—forever committed to the country they loved and the freedom they fought for and died for.

Thank you, have a wonderful weekend, and may God bless our fallen heroes and their families.

但是我们是他们誓死保卫的美国人。所以我们能做的就是—我们必须做的就是实现我们对他们的神圣责任，如同他们实现他们对我们的责任。我们必须缅怀他们。他们必须关爱他们的家庭和我们的与他们并肩战斗的退伍军人。作为一个国家，我们必须让他们的牺牲不付之东流—永远尽忠他们深爱的国家和他们为之奋斗献身的自由。谢谢，周末快乐，愿上帝保佑我们倒下的英雄们和他们的家庭。