Veterans Day Remarks by Former First Lady Laura Bush and President George W

Veterans Day Remarks by Former First Lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush Accepting the National Constitution Center’s 2018 Liberty Medal

National Constitution Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sunday, November 11, 2018 6:08 P.M. EST

MRS. BUSH:

Thank you all, thank you so much. Thanks everyone. Thank you very much, Jeffrey. And thank you Vice President Biden. And thank you very much Doug DeVos.

Thank you all for this honor and thank you for hosting George and me at the National Constitution Center today.

Thanks to Rod Rodriguez, and to Leslie Zimmerman and to all the veterans and active military here today – thank you for your distinguished service to our country. (Applause.)

President Bush and I are retired now. So we want to spend our afterlife dedicated to the programs of the George W. Bush Institute, including, and especially, our Military Service Initiative.

The Military Service Initiative honors the men and women who have served our country. We are working with them to develop the leadership skills and tools they need to transition successfully to civilian life.

Since 2011, President Bush has hosted veterans at the Warrior Open Golf Tournament in Dallas and the Warrior 100K Bike Ride at our ranch in Crawford.

George and I enjoy these events, and we are always inspired by the strength and determination of our veterans.

While George is watching chips and puts or riding with the warriors, I like to spend time with spouses and caregivers who accompany their warriors to Texas.

These are the ones who care for the family and manage the home while our servicemen and women are deployed. They help their kids with homework, they oversee the family finances, and they pray that their husbands or wives in uniform return home safely.

Master Sergeant Roque Urena and his wife Marlene joined us at our ranch in 2017 for the Warrior 100 bike ride.

When Marlene talked about Roque’s years of service in the Air Force she said: “I say We served for 25 years. I lived every deployment with Roque. Every trial and tribulation. So the day that I said yes to him, I really did not realize the impact it was going to have on me.”

That’s why it is so important to make sure that, while our servicemen and women receive the support they need when they come home, that we care for their spouses and families, too.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, so on Veteran’s day, we must consider how we can help the caregivers, now and in the future.

There are over 4 million post-9/11 veterans, and there are more than 1 million men and women who are caring for these post-9/11 veterans.

And of course all any caregiver wants is for his or her family to be in good physical and mental health.

As veterans transition to civilian life, visible wounds, post-traumatic stress and the lack of stability may make veterans more susceptible to issues like depression and addiction.

And of course, when one family member is suffering, the entire family suffers, leading to an increase in the risk of behavioral issues, anxiety and depression in military children, as well.

Just as veterans need good health care when they return home, caregivers need access to quality care for themselves and for their children.

15 percent of military caregivers spend 40 hours a week caring for their veteran, and they often spend even more hours caring for their children when childcare is unavailable.

As a result of caregiving, 48 percent of post-9/11 caregivers have been forced to take unpaid time off from work, and 28 percent have had to quit working entirely.

With these statistics, it’s not surprising that 62 percent of caregivers report that caregiving has caused financial strain.

Anne Meree Craig joined us at the Bush Institute last month for our Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program. Anne Meree is a military caregiver and one of 33 scholars in our inaugural Stand-To Veteran Leadership class.

Anne Meree’s husband is an Army Special Operations Forces veteran, and they have three children.

For many years, Anne Meree worked for the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, but as she watched service members, including her husband, return home, she was inspired to do more.

In 2012, she co-founded the COMMIT Foundation to help veterans translate their skills into successful roles and careers after their service.

Anne Meree said, “This work has been my passion…and it’s the product of my family's journey with traumatic brain injury and combat stress. I navigated services as I worked to heal my husband and the many others I met along the way.”

During a conversation about caregivers last month, she told the Stand-To class, “There’s a group of us that shows up, instead of walking out…that builds, rather than tears down…and that waters the plants and tends to the garden.”

Our military spouses and caregivers do just that. They tend the gardens at home – creating and maintaining a nurturing place to take care of their loved ones.

They have the same priorities as the rest of us, and they have them with more difficulties and obstacles.

It reminds me of the old line – Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels. (Laughter and Applause.)

So to all the government programs, corporate and non-profit communities, and individuals working to improve veteran transition, I ask that you also consider how you can support the hidden heroes and the loved ones who serve our country.

George and I are forever thankful for the brave men and women who volunteer to defend our country.

Our military strength is the strength of our nation, our service members are the strength of our military, and our caregivers are the strength of our veterans and wounded warriors.

Their devotion to our men and women in uniform, and their commitment to their marriage, their family, and to our country is an inspiration to us all.

Now I’d like to introduce the former Commander-in-Chief, my husband, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Thank you all. Thank you. (Applause.) Sit down. (Laughter.) Thank you all.

Thank you, Laura. Laura was a fabulous First Lady. (Applause.) I one time said that and the crowd went wild, then I realized my mother was sitting on the front row. (Laughter.) She’s also a fabulous advocate for military spouses and caregivers.

Mr. Vice President, it’s great to be in your presence. Doug DeVos, Jeff Rosen, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

I am incredibly proud, along with Laura, to receive the Liberty Medal, and I thank the National Constitution Center and the members of its Board for this high honor.

Laura and I are the second and third members of our family to have received this award – the most deserving, of course, was the first. And I’m proud to follow in my Dad’s footsteps once again. (Applause.) In case you’re wondering, he’s doing all right these days and he sends his greetings. (Applause.) He is 94 years old, and his parachuting adventures are now officially behind him – at least that’s what we keep telling him. (Laughter.)

Both my dad and my brother Jeb once served as the chairman of the National Constitution Center, a position that is now held by Vice President Biden. Joe, you’re looking good. It’s amazing what happens when you get out of office. (Laughter.) I really appreciate your good spirit in giving this award – and I thank you for your public service and I wish you all the very best. (Applause.)

Joe and I share a love of liberty. To that end, as Joe mentioned, the Bush Institute is partnering with the Penn Biden Center and the Freedom House on a project to reaffirm support for democracy both at home and abroad. We aim to inspire men and women in the darkest corners of the world and instruct a rising generation on the beauty and possibility of free societies. (Applause.)

When the vice president was here last year to bestow this same award, the recipient was a man who dedicated his life to the cause of liberty – a man we admired and miss. And who better to keep close in memory on Veterans Day than our friend John McCain. (Applause.)

John’s passing this summer was an occasion to recall the kind of bravery and fortitude we have always counted on in the armed forces of the United States. This was a man who’d been to the darkest places as a prisoner of war. He returned as a witness to the unbreakable bonds of loyalty and comradeship amongst those who sacrifice for our country. As for the privilege of serving, John said on the stage last year, he was “repaid a thousand times over.”

It sure was a modest way of looking at it. But that’s how it is with so many men and women who have worn the uniform. And often the humility runs deepest in the ones who gave the most. I’ve been fortunate to meet thousands of these patriots. And what most of them want to tell me is this: they were proud to serve, and they’d do it again.

Veterans Day is the appropriate time to honor them. In 1918, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice ended the Great War. News of a quiet western front prompted celebrations all around the world on this very day 100 years ago. It was a moment of hope that the light of liberty could never be extinguished.

Every November 11 since, we have shown our appreciation of all those who have stepped forward to take an oath, live by a code of conduct, and accept the discipline of military life – a discipline that brought out the best of that which was in them.

We recall what it means to put country above self, ready if the orders come to face war and everything that goes with it.

We think of all the American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who never lived to be called veterans, and of the warfighters who came home to face the new struggles as wounded veterans.

By far, the gravest responsibility any president has is to be a commander in chief, leading the most formidable, courageous, selfless collection of men and women you will find anywhere. (Applause.) And in the near decade since Laura and I left the White House, we’ve had the further honor of knowing so many veterans as friends – especially those who served or enlisted after September the 11th, 2001.

At the Bush Institute on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, we are helping warriors and their families keep moving forward in life. The transition can be extremely tough for our vets. Some come home with visible and invisible wounds of war; others feel disconnected from their communities or miss the sense of purpose they found in their military career. We’re helping them with healthcare, career opportunities, and fellowship of other veterans. These men and women are tremendous national assets, and they have so much more to give to our country. (Applause.)

With us tonight are members of the Bush Institute’s Warrior Wellness Alliance. This is a project we started to get more warriors the quality, personalized care they may need and deserve for invisible wounds of war like post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Laura and I joined some of these partners in the Point Breeze neighborhood earlier today for a service project, where we planted trees in a public park. Travis Manion Foundation was there, The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, and Team Red White and Blue. It is always a joy to be with our veterans and to see them helping each other as they help the communities in which they live.

As you’ve heard, not only do we produce policy programs, but we host the Warrior Open golf tournament and W100K mountain bike ride. These outings underscore the importance of sports as a rehabilitation component for some vets, and they offer a support network for their continued recovery. The inspiration they provide for each other – and for those of us there – is far greater than anything we could offer them. I aim to keep to doing it, until my bukes breaks down or my body (Laughter and Applause.)

I count these friendships among the great blessings of my life. And I’ve even painted quite a few of them. You may have heard that I took up painting a while back, and I’m pleased to say that some of my paintings are on public display. If you happen to go to an art museum where they are, just look for the sign that says “Gallery of the Masters” – then go the other way. (Laughter.)

The good news is, even my toughest critic says that I’m kind of improving. (Laughter.)

Maybe the turning point was when I began the paintings for my book,Portraits of Courage. The participants of our mountain bike rides and golf tournaments have formed an alumni group known as “Team 43,” and I wanted to capture at least something of their resilience and greatness of heart on canvas. I painted 98 of these remarkable men and women and recorded their stories. You’ve heard from two of my subjects tonight, Leslie Zimmerman and Michael Rodriguez – I call him Rod. (Applause.)

When I painted Leslie, I painted a compassionate woman who saw firsthand the horrors of war as a combat medic. I painted a fierce competitor on the mountain bike, which she has used to overcome the invisible wounds of war. I painted a veteran who has become a dedicated wife and mother, a selfless soul who is determined to help others. And I painted a friend. (Applause.)

In capturing Rod I wondered, how does an artist show the character of a courageous Green Beret who saw tough combat against terrorists, sustained repeated injuries, and worried only about missing the next deployment? A husband who struggled with post-traumatic stress as he helped his wonderful wife – also a veteran – deal with hers? A father whose son, born just a few years before 9/11, became the fifth generation of the Rodriguez family to serve in the military? Rod mentioned his son Antonio, and the fact that his platoon – the mighty Taco Vipers – just returned home from Afghanistan, and we salute them, Rod. (Applause.)

I’ll leave it for better judges to decide how close my portraits came to the mark. I can assure you only that they were put on canvas with my utmost respect and care. And the message isn’t just how honorable and heroic these men and women were in the past. It is that this new generation of veterans has gifts that shine in whatever they do. They number in the hundreds of thousands, and no group of citizens is more vital to the future success of our country.

Come to think of it, that has always been true of veterans, ever since a former army general presided over the Constitutional Convention. There is no steadier influence in the life of our nation than the ones who have defended America, and understand what that takes.

What would the influence of America itself be today, without the legacy of our veterans? We rightly speak of our nation as a force like no other in history – with liberating armies, moral commitments, and alliances to safeguard peaceful nations from every kind of enemy. Generations of statesmen and diplomats have done their part. Yet for our peaceful purposes in the world, nothing has ever mattered more than the skill, and the courage, and the sheer decency of those who served us in the United States military. (Applause.)

For my part, to return the salute of such people was the highest of all the privileges that came with the office of president. And because the Liberty Medal is presented to Laura and me on Veterans Day, we will cherish it all the more. To us, it will always be a reminder of the people we deeply admire, including some very special men and women we know and love, I want to thank you very much.

And may God bless our veterans, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. (Applause.)