奥巴马每日发言At The 20th Anniversary(2009-03-16)

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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
AS A CABINET AGENCY

Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C.

2:20 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  To Jim Benson for helping¹ to organize this; for Mahdee for your service to our country -- a Pledge of Allegiance that you've shown in your own commitment to protecting this country; and obviously, to Secretary Shinseki.  It is an honor to join you and the hardworking public servants here at the Department of Veterans Affairs as we mark a milestone² in the distinguished³ history of this department.

You know, 20 years ago, on the day the Veterans Administration was officially elevated to a Cabinet-level agency and renamed the Department of Veterans Affairs, a ceremony was held to swear in the administrator⁴ of the old entity⁵ as Secretary of the new one.  And in his remarks that day, President George H.W. Bush declared that the mission of this agency is "so vital that there's only one place for the veterans of America:  in the Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of America."  I could not agree more.

I could not be more pleased that Eric Shinseki has taken a seat at that table.  Throughout his long and distinguished career in the Army, Secretary Shinseki won the respect and admiration⁶ of our men and women in uniform because they've always been his highest priority -- and he has clearly brought that same sense of duty and commitment to the work of serving our veterans.

As he knows, it's no small task.  This department has more than a quarter of a million employees across America, and its services range from providing education and training benefits, health care and home loans, to tending those quiet places that remind us of the great debt we owe -- and remind me of the heavy responsibility that I bear.  It's a commitment that lasts from the day our veterans retire that uniform to the day that they are put to rest -- and that continues on for their families.

Without this commitment, I might not be here today.  After all, my grandfather enlisted⁷ after Pearl Harbor and went on to march in Patton's Army.  My grandmother worked on a bomber⁸ assembly line while he was gone.  My mother was born at Fort Leavenworth while he was away.  When my grandfather returned, he went to college on the GI Bill; bought his first home with a loan from the FHA; moved his family west, all the way to Hawaii, where he and my grandmother helped to raise me.

And I think about my grandfather whenever I have the privilege of meeting the young men and women who serve in our military today.  They are our best and brightest, and they're our bravest -- enlisting⁹ in a time of war; enduring tour after tour of duty; serving with honor under the most difficult circumstances; and making sacrifices that many of us cannot begin to imagine.  The same can be said of their families.  As my wife, Michelle, has seen firsthand during visits to military bases across this country, we don't just deploy¹⁰ our troops in a time of war -- we deploy their families, too.

So while the mission of this department is always vital, it is even more so during long and difficult conflicts like those that we're engaged in today.  Because when the guns finally fall silent and the cameras are turned off and our troops return home, they deserve the same commitment from their government as my grandparents received.

Last month, I announced my strategy for ending the war in Iraq.  And I made it very clear that this strategy would not end with military plans and diplomatic agendas, but would endure through my commitment to upholding our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served this country.  And the same holds true for our troops serving in Afghanistan.

The homecoming we face over the next year and a half will be the true test of this commitment:  whether we will stand with our veterans as they face new challenges -- physical, psychological and economic -- here at home.

I intend to start that work by making good on my pledge to transform the Department of Veterans Affairs for the 21st century.  That's an effort that, under Secretary Shinseki's leadership, all of you have already begun -- conducting a thorough review of your operations all across this agency.  And I intend to support this effort not just with words of encouragement, but with resources.  That's why the budget I sent to Congress increases funding for this department by $25 billion over the next five years.

With this budget, we don't just fully¹¹ fund our VA health care program -- we expand it to serve an additional 500,000 veterans by 2013; to provide better health care in more places; and to dramatically improve services related to mental health and injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder¹² and Traumatic Brain Injury.  We also invest in the technology to cut red tape and ease the transition from active duty.  And we provide new help for homeless veterans, because those heroes have a home -- it's the country they served, the United States of America.  And until we reach a day when not a single veteran sleeps on our nation's streets, our work remains¹³ unfinished.  (Applause.)

Finally, in this new century, it's time to heed¹⁴ the lesson of history, that our returning veterans can form the backbone¹⁵ of our middle class -- by implementing¹⁶ a GI Bill for the 21st century.  I know you're working hard under a tough deadline, but I am confident that we will be ready for August 1st.  And that's how we'll show our servicemen and women that when you come home to America, America will be here for you.  That's how we will ensure that those who have "borne the battle" -- and their families -- will have every chance to live out their dreams.

I've had the privilege of meeting so many of these heroes.  Some of the most inspiring are those that I've met in places like Walter Reed -- young men and women who've lost a limb or even their ability to take care of themselves, but who never lose the pride they feel for their country.  And that is, after all, what led them to wear the uniform in the first place -- their unwavering belief in the idea of America; that no matter where you come from, what you look like, who your parents are, this is a place where anything is possible, where anyone can make it, where we take care of each other and look out for each other -- especially for those who've sacrificed so much for this country.

These are the ideals that generations of Americans have fought for and bled for and died for.  These are the ideals at the core of your mission -- a mission that dates back before our founding -- one taken up by our first President years before he took office, back when he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental¹⁷ Army.  Then-General Washington fought tirelessly to support the veterans of America's Revolutionary War.  Such support, he argued, should "never be considered as a pension or gratuity¹⁸..." Rather, "...it was the price of their blood," and of our independence; "...it is, therefore," he said, "more than a common debt, it is a debt of honor..."  A debt of honor.

Washington understood that caring for our veterans was more than just a way of thanking them for their service.  He recognized the obligation is deeper than that -- that when our fellow citizens commit themselves to shed blood for us, that binds¹⁹ our fates with theirs in a way that nothing else can.  And in the end, caring for those who have given their fullest measure of devotion to us -- and for their families -- is a matter of honor -- as a nation and as a people.

That's a responsibility you hold, that's the work that you do -- repaying that debt of honor, a debt we can never fully discharge.  And I know it's not always easy.  I know there's much work ahead to transform this agency for the 21st century.  But I have the fullest confidence that with Secretary Shinseki's leadership, and with the hard work of the men and women of this department, we will fulfill²⁰ our sacred trust and serve our returning heroes as well as they've served us.

Thank you.  God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.  Thank you, everybody.  (Applause.)

END
2:32 P.M. EDT

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

3 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

9 enlisting   

v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的现在分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• He thought about enlisting-about the Spanish legion-about a profession. 他想去打仗，想参加西班牙军团，想找个职业。 来自辞典例句
• They are not enlisting men over thirty-five. 他们不召超过35岁的人入伍。 来自辞典例句

10 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

15 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

16 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

17 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

18 gratuity   

n.赏钱，小费

参考例句：

• The porter expects a gratuity.行李员想要小费。
• Gratuity is customary in this money-mad metropolis.在这个金钱至上的大都市里，给小费是司空见惯的。

19 binds   

v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕

参考例句：

• Frost binds the soil. 霜使土壤凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stones and cement binds strongly. 石头和水泥凝固得很牢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。