I stand before you at this noble fortress of American liberty to pay
tribute to the immortal souls who fought and died to keep us free.
Earlier today, the first lady and I laid a wreath in their sacred honor at
Arlington National Cemetery. Now we come together to salute the flag. They
gave their lives to so boldly and brilliantly defend, and we pledge in
their cherished memories that this majestic flag will proudly fly forever.
We're joined for today's ceremony by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper,
Secretary of the Interior David Byrne hard the chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, General Mark Milley, Congressman Andy Harris and a number of
service members and veterans of the armed forces. The dignity, Gehring and
devotion of the American military is unrivaled anywhere in history and any
place in the world. In recent months, our nation and the world have been
engaged in a new form of battle against an invisible enemy. Once more, the men
and women of the United States military have answered the call to duty and
raced into danger. Tens of thousands of service members and National Guardsmen
are on the front lines of our war against this terrible virus, caring for
patients, delivering critical supplies and working night and day to safeguard
our citizens. As one nation, we mourn alongside every single family that has
lost love ones, including the families off our great veterans. Together we
will vanquish the virus that America will rise from this crisis to new and
even greater heights. As our brave warriors have shown us from the
nation's earliest days in America, we are the captains of our own fate. No
obstacle, no challenge. And no threat is a match for the sheer determination
of the American people. This towering spirit permeates every inch of the
Holup soil beneath our feet
in this place. More than 200 years ago, American patriots stood their ground
and repelled a British invasion in the Battle of Baltimore during the War of
18 12. Early on a September morning in 18 14 the British fleet launched an
assault on this peninsula from the harbor. Some 30 British warships attack
this stronghold. Rockets rained down, bombs burst in the air, and the deck of
one ship, a gallant young American, was held captive. His name was Francis
Scott Key. For 25 hours key watched in dismay as fire a crash down upon this
ground but through torrents of rain and smoke and the din of battle Key could
make out 15 broad stripes and 15 bright stars barraged and battered but still
there. American forces did not waver. They did not retreat. They stared down
the invasion and the held
that they had to endure. The fact is, they held like nobody could have held
Before they held this fort. The British retreated. Independence were saved.
Francis Scott Key was so inspired by the sight of our flag in the battle
wage that Thievery Grounds 34 on became how old and he wrote a poem. His
ageless words became the anthem of our nation, The Star Spangled Banner. Every
time we sing our anthem, every time it's rousing, car swells our hearts
with pride. We renewed the eternal bonds of loyalty to our fallen heroes.
We think of the soldiers who spend their final, heroic moments on distant
battlefields to keep us safe at home. We remember the young Americans who
never got the chance to grow old, but whose legacy will outlive us all in
every generation. These intrepid souls kissed goodbye to their families and
loved ones. They took flight in planes, set sail on ships and marched into
battle with our flag, fighting for our country, defending our people.
When the cause of liberty was in jeopardy, American warriors carried
that flag through ice and snow to victory a Trenton. They hoisted it up
the mass of great battleships in Manila Bay. They fought through hell to raise
it high atop a remote island in the Pacific Ocean called Uwajima, from the
Philippine Sea to Fallujah, from New Orleans to Normandy from Saratoga to
sigh pan from the Battle of Baltimore to the Battle of the Bulge, Americans
gave their lives to carry that flag through piercing waves, blazing fires,
sweltering deserts and storms of bullets and shrapnel. They climbed atop
enemy tanks, jumped out of burning airplanes and leapt on live grenades.
Their love was boundless. Their devotion was without limit. Their
courage was beyond measure. Army Green Beret captain Daniel Agger's grew up in
Cape Coral, Florida determined to continue his family tradition of
military service, and it was a great tradition. He attended the legendary
Citadel Military College in South Carolina. Soon he met a beautiful cadet
Rebecca. They fell in love, married and had two sons. In 2004 Daniel left for
his second deployment in Afghanistan. On the morning of May 29th Daniel and
his team were courageously pursuing a group of deadly terrorists when he was
killed by an improvised explosive device.
This week is the 16th anniversary of the day that Daniel made the supreme
sacrifice for our nation. He laid down his life to defeat evil and to save his
fellow citizens.
At the time of his death, Daniel, sons Billy and John were three and five
years old. Today, they have followed in Daniel's footsteps, both students at
the Citadel planning to serve in the military. They're amazing. Mom. Rebecca
has now served more than 23 years in the US Army. Everywhere she goes, she
wears Daniels gold star pin on the lapel of her uniform. Colonel Rebecca
Eggers and her two sons are here today, along with Daniel's father, Bill
and Mother Margot to the entire Eggers family. Your sacrifices beyond our
ability to comprehend, to repay.
Today we honor Daniels incredible life and exceptional valor, and we promise
you that we will treasure his blessed memory forever.
Thank you very much for being here. Thank you very much, please. Thank you.
Thank you.
Great family. Thank you very much.
Every Gold Star family here today in all across our land, our debt to you is
infinite and everlasting. We stand with you today in all days to come,
remembering and grieving for America's greatest heroes in spirit and strength
and loyalty and love in character and courage. They were larger than life
itself. They were angels sent from above. And they are now rejoined with
God in the glorious kingdom of Heaven, wherever the stars and stripes fly at
our schools, our churches, town halls, firehouses and national monuments it
has made possibly because there are extraordinary Americans who are willing
to brave death so that we can live in freedom and live in peace. In the two
centuries since Francis Scott Key wrote about the stirring sight of our flag in
battle, countless other American patriots have given their own testimony
about the meaning of the flag. One was World War two veteran Jim Krebs from
Sunbury, Ohio.
Jim and his twin brother, Jack, fought side by side in General Patton's third
Army at the Battle of the Bulge, the twins volunteered for a dangerous
mission. Together, they took out four enemy tanks, two machine gun nests at a
mother position that was very powerful, loaded up with mortars. Jim's brother,
Jack, was mortally wounded. Jim held his dying brother and his arms, praying
together as his twin passed away Jim 42 victory and came home to build a great
American life. He married, had Children, became an electoral engineer and taught
young people about war. As an old man, Jim was asked, what about the American
flag and what it meant to him,
Jim said. The flag to me is as precious as the freedom that the flag stands for.
It's as precious to me as the thousands of lives that have been lost defending
her. It's that important to me. It gave me a value of life that I could have
never gotten any other way. It gave me a value of my lord, my family, my
friends, loved ones and especially my country. What more could I ask?
Last month, Jim died peacefully at his home at the age of 94 this afternoon,
were greatly honored to be joined by his grandson's. Andy and Ron,
please, thank you very much, Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for being here
today as we remember the sacrifice of Jim's brother Jack. We honor Jim
service and we're moved by his beautiful words. Andy and Ron, Thank
you for being here to remember your grandfather and his brother and what
they did for us all and most importantly, what they stood for from
generation to generation, heroes like these have poured out their blood and
sweat and hard and tears for our country because of them. America is
strong and safe and mighty and free because of them. Two centuries on, the
Star Spangled Banner still proudly waves For as long as our flag flies in
the sky above, the names of these fallen warriors will be woven into its
threads for as long as we have citizens willing to follow their example to
carry on their burden to continue their legacy than America's cause will never
fail. An American freedom will never, ever die. Today we honor the heroes we
have lost. We pray for the loved ones they left behind. And with God is our
witness. We solemnly vowed to protect, preserve and cherish this land. They
gave their last breath to defend and to defend so proudly. Thank you. God bless
our military. God bless the memory of the fallen. God bless our gold star
families and God bless America. Thank you very much.