奥巴马每日发言For Active Duty Service Members(2009-5-1)

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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT NATURALIZATION CEREMONY
FOR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS

East Room

1:27 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  This is a lot of fun.  This makes so much of the hard work we do worth it, to see this ceremony here today.  It is my honor and my personal pleasure to be the first to address you as my fellow Americans.  (Applause.)  And welcome to your White House.  (Applause.)  Now, I know this day carries a lot of meaning not only for you, but for your family members and your fellow service members who join you today.

Each of you has a unique story to tell about the journey that led you here.  You hail from every corner of the Earth -- from Southeast Asia to Central Europe, from West Africa to South America.  Some of you came to this country as young children, because your parents wanted to give you a better life in the land of opportunity.  Others traveled here as adults, enduring hardship and sacrifice, to provide for your own families.

But all of you have one thing in common:  You're here because you have not merely chosen to live in this country; you've chosen to serve this country.

You're here for the same reason that Jeonathan Zapata is here.  Jeonathan recently returned from serving as part of our efforts in Afghanistan.  He actually helped man the 400,000th aircraft landing aboard the USS Kitty Hawk¹.  And Jeonathan wanted to serve the country he considers his own -- even though he was not yet a citizen -- because America had been so good to him, from the time he came here from Nicaragua as a child.  "By serving in the military," Jeonathan says, "I can also give back to the U.S."

So, Jeonathan, I'd like you to stand.  (Applause.)

You're here for the same reason -- you can sit down now, Jeonathan -- (applause.)  You're here for the same reason that Chryshann Pierre is here.  Chryshann, where are you?  There you are.  (Applause.)  Chryshann is an Army Specialist returning from service in Iraq late last year.  Originally she joined the military because she wanted to provide stability for her three children.  But then she discovered something she did not expect: She loves being in the Army.  (Laughter.)  In fact, she even said that she loved basic training.  Chryshann, you've got to be pretty tough to love basic training.  (Laughter.)

You all have your own stories -- you can sit down, Chryshann -- (applause.) You all have your own stories of how you came to this country.  And you all have your own personal reasons for why you joined the military.  But in the service that you render, in the sacrifices that each of you have made and will continue to make, in the commitment you've shown to your adopted nation, you're part of a larger story -- America's story.

For more than two centuries, this nation has been a beacon² of hope and opportunity -- a place that has drawn³ enterprising men and women from around the world who have sought to build a life as good as their talents and their hard work would allow.  And generation after generation of immigrants have come to these shores because they believe that in America all things are possible.

So you are not only living examples of that promise; you're also serving to defend that promise for future generations.  And your service reminds all of us that much of the strength of this country is drawn from those who have chosen to call it home.  It's not lost on me or anybody here today that at a time when we face an economic crisis born in many ways of irresponsibility, there are those who are actively⁴ pursuing greater responsibility.

And one person here today who fits that description well enough is Jeanne Ebongue Tapo -- right here.  She grew up in a poor family in Gabon, Africa, the daughter of a single mother raising five children by herself.  And Jeanne immigrated⁵ to the United States to provide for her family and to pursue her dream of becoming a dentist.  And that's why she joined the Navy.  And she hoped she'd have the opportunity to work and see the world and also earn her education.

And that's exactly what she has been able to do.  She has started college; she's had the chance to travel.  And even though she's had to make sacrifices to be apart from her loved ones, the people she's met in the Navy have become like a "family away from home."  And she's had the chance to be a part of what it feels like -- what feels like a small community and, at the same time, to be part of something much larger than herself.  So Jeanne, thank you.  (Applause.)

Despite all the -- all that she's faced, despite all the obstacles that she's overcome, Jeanne has made it her mission to serve others.  "At the end of the day," she said, "the only thing that matters is that I helped."

As our newest Americans, all of you remind us just how precious our citizenship⁶ is -- of how much it's worth and why it's worth protecting.  You all remind us that citizenship is not just a collection of rights, it's also a set of responsibilities; that America's success is not a gift, it is hard-won.  It depends on each of us doing our part.

So thank you all for your service.  I am extraordinarily⁷ proud of you.  And your nation is grateful to you.

So now it is also my privilege to present a distinguished⁸ American with an award in recognition of the many contributions of naturalized citizens like all of you.  It's called the "Outstanding American by Choice" Award.  It's given to -- it's given by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and it is my honor to award it to Peter Lemon.  And let me tell you a little bit about Peter.  Peter was just 19 years old, and a citizen for just seven years, when he and his platoon came under fire in the Tay Ninh Province of Vietnam.

Wounded by shrapnel from a mortar⁹ that exploded near his foxhole¹⁰, Specialist Lemon kept fighting to protect his position against wave after wave of attack.  The battle raged for hours.  He was wounded a second time, and then a third.  But he refused to give up, even leaving his foxhole and exposed himself to enemy fire in order to continue to defend his fellow Rangers¹¹.

In fact, once the fight was over, Specialist Lemon refused to be evacuated¹² until others had been taken to a field hospital. And Pete would spend a month in the hospital himself to recover from his injuries.  Soon after he returned home, he would be presented with the Medal of Honor by President Nixon.

Today, Peter Lemon is a proud father and a proud veteran -- as well as an author and a filmmaker.  And he has devoted¹³ his time and energies to talking about what his own experiences have meant to him and what he has learned -- to encourage each and every one of us that the way to make the most of our talents is to make a difference in the lives of others.

His experience is a testament¹⁴ to the men and women who have come to this country to build a better life for themselves and their families -- and who have, by their commitment and contribution, made America a much better place as well.

So it is my honor to present this "Outstanding American by Choice" Award to Peter Lemon.  Peter, will you please come here? (Applause.)

(The award is presented.)

One of you might win this someday.  You're already well on the way.

END
1:34 P.M. EDT

1 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

2 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

5 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

6 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

7 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

8 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。

9 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

10 foxhole   

n.（军）散兵坑

参考例句：

• On an impulse he kicked some sand into Ridge's foxhole.一时性起，他就提起脚来将一些沙子踢进里奇的坑里。
• The sentry guard dived into his foxhole and closely observed the stranger towards him.哨兵跳入了散兵坑，密切注视着陌生人向他走来。

11 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

12 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

13 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

14 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。