There’s another young man I met.
His name is Nelson Rieu -- and Nelson is here today.
Wave, Nelson.
There’s Nelson.
(Applause.)
Now, the reason I want to tell Nelson’s story is because, unlike Ashley, Nelson wasn’t
born here on base, he wasn’t born in Jersey.
He was born in the Republic of Congo.
And when his country slipped into civil war, he and his mother became refugees.
And that was a terrible civil war -- over a million people died in that civil war.
That was a hard life.
When he was 20 years old, he and his mom got some incredible news -- “the best thing
that’s ever happened to me,” he says.
He had the chance to come to America.
So they land in Los Angeles, and Nelson said it was like being in a movie -- all these
glistening buildings and freeways.
And they settled in Arizona.
And Nelson barely spoke a word of English.
So he took high school classes -- English, American history; he earned his high school
diploma.
And then he signed up to serve a country that wasn’t even yet fully his own.
He raised his hand, took the oath, joined the United States Air Force.
And then, this past Fourth of July, he put on his uniform, he raised his hand again,
and he took another oath to become a citizen of the United States.
“The Fourth of July,” he says, “is my new American birthday.”
And today, Airman First Class Nelson Rieu is an engineering apprentice here on base,
helping to keep his fellow airmen safe.
And at 24 years old, he dreams of someday joining the Special Forces.
And he says, “Freedom is the reason why I am in this country and [why I] wanted to
be part of those who sustain that freedom.
It's a great feeling to know you're the backbone of the greatest nation on Earth.”
So you think about that.
You’ve got folks whose dads were born on -- or who were born on base and who served
going back generations.
But then you’ve got new Americans with that same patriotism, that same sense of what we’re
about as Americans, that same creed that we can all pledge allegiance to, regardless of
what we look like or where we come from.
We’re fighting on the same team for the same values and the same ideals.
So thank you for your patriotism, Nelson.
(Applause.)
And that’s one of the things that makes America exceptional, and what makes our military
the absolute best in the world.
It’s not just your training, or your equipment, or your technology -- although all that’s
important.
What makes us special, what makes us the best is all of you.
It’s your character and your willingness to say, “Send me.”
Your dedication to duty, and your courage, and your readiness to defend our values and
our ideals of freedom and liberty -- not just for us, but for people all around the world.
You are the backbone of the greatest nation on Earth -- and you always will be that.
And for that, America is eternally grateful, and I am incredibly proud to serve as your
Commander-in-Chief.
So, happy holidays, everybody.
(Applause.)
God bless you.
God bless your families.
God bless our Armed Forces.
God bless the United States of America.
Thank you.
(Applause.)