Statement on the 4th of July
In the summer of 1863, a convention of Free African Americans demanded the right for black men to take part in the current struggle as soldiers. Their key resolution said “It is time now for more effective remedies to be thoroughly tried in the shape of warm lead and cold steel, duly administered by one hundred thousand black doctors.” It had been no more than ninety years earlier, along the bank of the Chesapeake Bay, that Francis Scott Key witnessed Our flag endure.
— They would see Old Glory endure still.
Around a sleepy Pennsylvania town on the eve of the 4th of July, throughout the largest battle in the history of the Western Hemisphere, Our flag endured.
From the peak of Mount Suribachi, to the coast of Normandy. From Inchon, Fallujah, and Beirut to Bastogne, Vera Cruz, and the Argon Our flag has endured. It has flown across the world as a symbol to the ideals and hope on which this country is formed.
Most poignantly remarked by our great President while on the soil so passionately fought over in the summer of 1863, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last fully measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the earth.”
We, the devoted, must continue this struggle as the promise of a “more perfect union” was never guaranteed. On this day, the anniversary of our eternal declaration to the world, we celebrate that we have endured and that we will for all time.
Statement on the Recent Assassination Attempt
I spent this past weekend with members of the veteran community. Men and women I could call brothers and sisters. I was comforted to be around such a family when we all received the news that someone had shot at the former President. At first we mostly felt shock, as I'm sure many of you did. Then I felt a great sadness.
For over 245 years, we have created and upheld a system of government and of political discourse in which political assassinations could be relegated to history. We live in a place where the path we set for ourselves is determined by a vote. Not by bloodshed. The only solution for defeating a political opponent should be through this right to vote. A right which needs to be continually preserved and from which justifies a strict adherence to the notion that political violence is never an option in the society we've built. This act shows the dark times in which we live. But we will get through this.
This weekend I was honored to receive a very special gift from members of the FDNY: a piece of steel recovered from the 9/11 wreckage, first thought to be a part of the buildings, it was later identified as steel from a firetruck which had been on the scene as the buildings came down.
Holding that chunk of metal is moving in a way that's difficult to put into words. Here is a representation of unbelievable courage and bravery; a physical piece of something used to protect and give hope.
But what's more, it reminds me of renewal. This hunk of steel once had a purpose. It endured tragedy, extreme pressure, and for a time was lost. Today it has been recovered, reforged, and strengthened with new purpose. That is who we are. We are that piece of steel. We are living through dark days. There are going to be dark days ahead of us. But if we come together alongside leaders of compassion and wisdom, we will persevere. Through adversity and extreme pressure we will emerge stronger and more connected than we ever have before.
